Systeme.io Pipelines: A-Z Guide to Automate Your Sales Funnel

Last Updated on 2nd December 2024

Pipelines are a core feature of Systeme.io that help you organize and move potential clients through your sales process.

Think of it as a digital “to-do” list but for leads.

Whether you’re nurturing new leads, following up on proposals, or closing deals, the pipeline helps you visually track where each prospect is in your sales journey.

The pipeline is the latest addition to systeme.io’s all-in-one solution.

So, in this article I’m gonna tell you everything you need to know to use the Systeme.io pipeline feature effectively so you can track your customer journey with ease.

Prefer To Watch My Systeme.io Pipeline Video Tutorial?

If you prefer to watch my step-by-step SIO pipeline tutorial, or if you don’t have time to read the whole article, then you can watch my video below.

I kept this video short and concise, while still comprehensive enough to show you a ton of automations you can set up in Systeme.io to use with your pipeline.

Accessing the Pipeline Feature

To begin building your pipeline, head to your Systeme.io dashboard. The pipeline feature is located in the main navigation menu as “Pipelines” or “Sales Pipelines,” depending on your language setting.

Pro Tip: This feature, while intuitive, is a game-changer when you have clear sales funnel stages mapped out. If you’re familiar with Systeme.io’s dashboard, this step will feel like a natural extension of what you already know.

Pipelines are designed to visually represent each step of your customer journey, from lead acquisition through nurturing to sales. By segmenting the stages of your customer journey, you can better guide potential customers to a final purchase.

Each stage in a pipeline should correlate with a particular action or sales stage, creating a well-defined sales funnel. If you’re new to pipelines, Systeme.io makes it easy to start with default stages that can later be customized to fit your business.

Naming and Customizing Your Pipeline

Once you’re inside the Pipelines tab, start by naming your pipeline to match your product, service, or sales stage.

A clear, descriptive name helps you identify which pipeline is for what purpose—especially if you handle multiple pipelines. For example, if you’re launching a new product, you might name the pipeline “Spring 2024 Product Launch.”

You’ll notice a set of default stages to get you started. In Systeme.io, these typically look like:

• New Lead
• Proposal Sent
• Negotiation
• Closed – Won
• Closed – Lost

Each stage represents a step in the journey of your customer, and they’re easy to rename or customize based on your business model.

Real-World Example: When managing a digital product launch, I set up my pipeline to reflect each interaction phase: Lead Opt-in, Free Trial, Trial Follow-up, and Purchased. This not only helped me keep track of leads but also gave my sales team clear cues for follow-up, keeping everything efficient.

Setting Up Your Pipeline Stages

Default Stages in Systeme.io

Systeme.io’s pipelines come with several default stages that cover typical sales funnel stages. Here’s a quick look at what each one typically represents:

1. New Lead: This is where all new prospects begin.
2. Proposal Sent: For leads who have received initial engagement or proposals.
3. Negotiation: Leads actively involved in discussing pricing or terms.
4. Closed – Won: Successfully converted leads.
5. Closed – Lost: Leads who are no longer pursuing a purchase.

These stages represent a solid sales process for service-based businesses, but if you’re in e-commerce or digital sales, you might need fewer steps.

Customizing Stages for Your Sales Process

Customizing stages allows you to match the pipeline to your actual selling process. Simply click on any stage to rename it, add new stages, or remove ones you won’t use.

For example, if your business offers a free consultation before sending a proposal, you might add a stage like Consultation Scheduled.

Example: For a subscription-based business, the pipeline stages might look like this: Trial Signup, Trial Nurture Sequence, Conversion Opportunity, and Retention Follow-up. Adjusting these stages helps create a perfect sales funnel for nurturing prospects and converting leads in a logical order.

Custom stages make tracking easy and show each customer’s place in the buying process, which can make your follow-ups more timely and relevant.

When used correctly, custom stages can lead to a more successful sales funnel by improving the overall client experience.

Adding Prospects to Your Pipeline

Manual Addition of Prospects

If you’re working with only a few clients, manually adding prospects is straightforward. You can enter contact details, add notes, and customize stages based on their progress.

This approach is ideal for small businesses or high-touch sales where each lead is handled individually.

For instance, if you’ve met a potential client at a conference, you could manually add them to the Initial Contact stage of your pipeline.

Automating Prospect Addition with Triggers

For higher volume, automated triggers can be a lifesaver. With Systeme.io, you can set automation rules based on specific actions, such as:

• Funnel Form Subscribed: Via your email marketing campaigns – when a visitor subscribes through a lead capture form.
• Purchase Made: When someone buys a product, they’re moved to Closed – Won.
• Tag Added: For example, you might add a “VIP Client” tag to prospects showing strong interest, moving them to a specific stage.

Automations like these reduce manual work and make your sales funnel stages more efficient, helping you stay focused on clients ready to buy.

Real-World Example: In my recent launch, I used the New Sale automation to add clients who purchased a premium package directly into the New Customer stage. It instantly streamlined my post-purchase process, as they were automatically sent a welcome email and guided to onboarding steps.

Using Tags for Better Organization

Tags are invaluable for keeping track of your leads’ actions and interests, which can help your sales team craft messages that resonate.

Tags can be applied based on the content a user engages with, the lead magnet they signed up for, or specific product interests they indicate.

For example, if you offer multiple products, a tag like “Interested in Ebooks” vs. “Interested in Webinars” makes it easy to segment your follow-up efforts effectively.

By tagging your audience, you build more personalized customer journeys, turning leads into engaged prospects.

Automation Rules: Streamlining Sales with Triggered Actions

Creating Automations for Pipelines

Systeme.io’s automation builder makes setting up trigger-based actions easy. To start, navigate to Automations > Rules and create a new rule. Here, you’ll define:

1. Trigger: Select a starting event (e.g., “Form Subscribed”).
2. Action: Decide what follows, such as “Send Email” or “Add to Pipeline.”

Tip: The most efficient automation systems pair specific actions with pipeline stages. For instance, a new subscriber in your email campaign could trigger them being added to the pipeline stage New Lead.

Example Automation Workflow

Imagine a workflow for following up with leads who didn’t convert after joining a webinar. The automation would look something like this:

1. Trigger: Form Subscribed on webinar signup page.
2. Action: Add to Pipeline at Webinar Attended stage.
3. Follow-up Action: Schedule a Check-In Email if they haven’t converted after one week.

Pro Tip: Keep your automations focused on a single goal, like nurturing leads. When setting up automated responses, avoid complex code structures that may cause unintended consequences, such as memory leaks or infinite loops. Instead, use simple, non-destructive actions that enhance user experience.

Common Automation Features for Effective Sales Funnels

Some automations are universally helpful for streamlining sales activities. Here are a few:

• Tag-Based Triggers: Move a prospect from Lead to Qualified Lead when they complete specific engagement steps, like visiting a landing page or opening an email.
• Purchase Triggers: Automatically move contacts to a post-purchase sequence after buying. This automation not only confirms their purchase but also positions upsell offers without manual sales team intervention.

Automations like these make your sales funnel software an all-in-one solution, enhancing marketing efforts and freeing up valuable time.

These automation triggers streamline your process by moving leads through different stages without manual effort. Here are some key places where you can establish these automation rules:

• Opt-in Forms on Landing Pages: When visitors sign up on your landing pages with their email address, you can add them to the pipeline as new leads.
• Blog Content via Opt-in Forms: Use contact forms or sign-up forms within blog posts to add engaged readers to your pipeline.
• User Engagement Triggers in Emails: Track specific actions of folks on your email list like email opens or link clicks, and add those engaged contacts to your pipeline.
• Course Completions: When a user completes a course housed in your Systeme.io account, move them to the next pipeline stage, like “Qualified Lead” or “Post-Course Follow-up.”
• Module or Lesson Completion: Set rules to add people to your pipeline after they finish a specific module, indicating strong engagement.
• New Purchase on Sales Pages: After a successful purchase, automate adding customers to a “New Customer” stage in your pipeline.
• Webinar Registration or Attendance: Add attendees to your pipeline based on webinar engagement, such as registering, attending, or interacting with polls during the session.

These automation rules help ensure that every lead and customer moves seamlessly through your sales funnel stages, enhancing efficiency and maximizing engagement.

Tracking, Measuring, and Improving Your Pipeline’s Performance

Using Built-In Analytics to Track Performance

A well-defined pipeline should be tracked and optimized regularly. Systeme.io provides a dashboard with metrics, allowing you to track:

• Conversion Rates: From initial lead to customer.
• Stage Progression: See how many leads reach each stage.
• Funnel Drop-Off Points: Identify where potential customers are disengaging.

Keeping tabs on these metrics ensures your pipeline is working as expected and helps you adjust where needed.

Personal Insight: In my experience, frequent pauses in analyzing pipeline stages have often led to missed opportunities. Reviewing metrics monthly has allowed me to spot when leads drop off, adjust content to re-engage them, and measure the impact on my sales efforts.

A/B Testing and Continuous Optimization

Systeme.io also supports A/B testing, letting you experiment with different messages, offers, and follow-ups.

For example, testing different email subjects or landing pages can reveal what resonates most with your audience, leading to a more successful and well-defined sales funnel.

A few points to consider when A/B testing:

1. Keep It Simple: Start with one change at a time—like an email subject line or landing page design.
2. Measure Results Carefully: Use metrics like open rate, click-through rate, or lead conversion.
3. Act on the Data: Always implement changes based on clear insights.
4. Final Thoughts: Maximizing Your Success with Systeme.io Pipelines

Top Takeaways

Setting up a pipeline in Systeme.io brings simplicity to what can often feel like a chaotic sales process. Combining your pipeline with email marketing allows you to send targeted follow-ups and nurture leads effectively throughout the sales funnel.

By visualizing each step, you’re not only staying organized but also enhancing your clients’ experience through timely, personalized touches. Here are some final tips to keep your Systeme.io pipelines working at their best:

• Leverage Automation Wherever Possible: Automation isn’t just about saving time; it’s about creating a consistent, predictable experience for your prospects.
• Regularly Review and Optimize: Make it a habit to check metrics monthly. Look for areas where leads may be stalling or dropping off, and address them.
• Engage with Clear Goals: Each stage of your pipeline should have a clear objective—whether that’s booking a consultation, sending a proposal, or onboarding a new client.

Personal Experience with Systeme.io Pipelines

Using the pipeline feature has changed how I manage leads, allowing me to automate tasks that previously required a lot of manual effort.

For example, during a product launch, I initially tracked leads through manual spreadsheets—a process that was as effective as keeping water in a sieve!

Switching to Systeme.io pipeline within its all-in-one solution, I could clearly and easily visualize where each lead was in the sales process, automate follow-ups, and move prospects through a well-defined process.

Encouragement to Experiment

Pipelines aren’t one-size-fits-all. Test various approaches, and don’t be afraid to add stages or try different types of follow-ups to see what works best for your sales process.

Every audience is unique, and what converts one group might not work for another. The beauty of Systeme.io is in its flexibility—experiment with your pipeline stages, automation rules, and triggers to keep your process evolving as your business grows.

Systeme.io pipelines offer a streamlined, professional approach to managing your client journey from start to finish.

With its user-friendly design, powerful automation options, and the ability to create and optimize stages, it’s an ideal tool for anyone aiming to turn potential customers into satisfied, loyal clients.