Pipeline
Your pipeline is the total value of every quote you have sent and not yet had a decision on. It is a forecast, not money — a quote only becomes real income once a client accepts it.
What it means
Adding up every open quote gives you a number, but that number is a guess about the future, not a balance you can spend. Some of those quotes will be won, some will be lost, and a few will simply never get an answer at all.
Treat the pipeline total as a ceiling, not a plan. Your <a href="/glossary/win-rate/">win rate</a> tells you roughly how much of it will actually turn into work — multiply the two together for a realistic figure, rather than planning your diary or your cash flow against the full total.
You have four open quotes worth $1,200, $3,000, $800, and $2,000 — a $7,000 pipeline. Your win rate has run at about 40% this year, so a realistic figure to plan against is closer to $2,800, not the full $7,000.
Treating the pipeline total as booked income and turning down other work to make room for it, when most quotes in most pipelines do not get accepted.
See also
Where this shows up
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- guide How to price a job so the number holds up The quote only works if the number underneath it does. Start with the price, then write it up.
- tool Free Quote & Estimate Generator Fill in your business and client details, add line items — mark anything optional — set a deposit, and watch a clean quote build itself. Turn it into an invoice with one click.
- tool Quote & invoice terms builder Tick the clauses that fit the job, fill in your numbers once, and get a plain-English terms block you can copy, print, or send straight into the quote generator.