2025 Survey Report: The State of Pipeline Generation
Published:
What’s inside
Generating new pipeline is the #1 challenge facing sales leaders today.
Sellers are navigating bigger pipeline targets, tighter budgets, expanding buying groups, and slower decision-making.
We surveyed 100+ sales reps (50% full-cycle sellers and 50% sales/business development reps) to understand:
- How pipeline generation is evolving
- The effectiveness of current outbound methods
- Ways sellers are adapting to the current market
- Where AI agents can deliver the most impact
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Highlights from the survey
- 86.1% of sellers report their pipeline quota is higher than last year
- 55.4% of sellers say the top barrier is that buyers don’t want to talk to sales reps
- 46.5% are held back by too much manual work
- 39.6% of sellers say their current pipeline is weaker than last year
- 76.2% of sellers are focused on improving personalization and relevance
4 key takeaways for sales leaders
- Full-cycle sales ownership is up — and so are pipeline targets
- Sellers face three core barriers keeping sellers from generating qualified pipeline
- More doesn't equal better. Sellers are trading volume for precision
- Sellers need the most support where pipeline starts
The findings from this survey create a clear picture: pipeline generation in a market that demands relevance — and with a quota that demands confidence — requires a level of efficiency that sellers are unable to achieve without the right tools and technology.
The "first mile" of sales, from initial research to personalized messaging, is where the greatest inefficiencies lie, costing valuable time and impacting pipeline quality before opportunities can even take hold.
This is a critical challenge for every sales leader driving growth.