Weighted Pipeline

A weighted pipeline, also known as a weighted sales pipeline, is a sales forecasting method that acknowledges that not every opportunity with a prospect actually results in a sale and assigns a value (i.e., a weight) to every potential deal based on where it is within the sales funnel.

In a weighted pipeline, prospects that are considered more likely to close deals are given more weight in sales forecasting, with the underlying idea being that the further along a prospect is in the pipeline, the more likely they will be to close.

A weighted pipeline is the opposite of an unweighted pipeline and looks at the full potential value of opportunities across the entire sales funnel. Every prospect is considered as equally likely to close, regardless of how much interest they’ve shown. This can lead to inflated revenue forecasts if high-value prospects fall through.