The Growth Club

Your Sales Pipeline & Path of Care

A sales pipeline isn't a funnel you push people through. It's a path you've designed to lovingly guide people toward what they're already looking for. Every step — from first contact to signed client — is an opportunity to demonstrate exactly who you are and how you serve.

✦   The Reframe
Following up isn't bothering someone. It's believing in them enough to stay present while they find their yes. Every touchpoint in your pipeline is an act of service — an expression of your genuine care for the person on the other side.
The goal of this worksheet is a simple, warm, well-designed system that runs consistently — so no one falls through the cracks, every person feels seen, and you can focus on the conversations instead of the logistics. Simple is the goal. Sustainable is the goal. Genuine is always the goal.
How to work through this Map your pipeline in order — from how someone first finds you, all the way through to becoming a client (or becoming a "not right now" that you continue to nurture). Build one stage at a time. By the end, you'll have a complete system and the templates to run it.
🗺️
The Big Picture
Your Pipeline at a Glance
Seven stages from first contact to client — and beyond

This is the journey every potential client takes through your world. We'll design each stage in depth below. For now, orient yourself to the full arc.

👋
First Contact
They find you or you reach out
📅
Booking
They schedule a conversation
📬
Pre-Call
Confirmation, intake, warmth
💬
The Call
Discovery conversation
📩
Follow Up
3-touch sequence
🎉
Yes!
They become a client
🌱
Not Yet
Stay warm, keep the door open
👋
Stage One
First Contact — Where People Find You
Every path to your door — and the clearest next step you offer them

Check every entry point where a potential client might first encounter you. Then note what the clearest next step is from each one.

🌐 Website / Landing Page
📱 Social Media DM
🤝 Referral / Introduction
📧 Email / Newsletter Reply
🎙️ Event / Talk / Podcast
✨ Taster / Workshop / Event
💌 You Reach Out to Them
📋 Directory / Listing
1. What is your single clearest call-to-action — the one thing you want someone to do when they're ready to take a next step with you? There should be ONE primary next step, not six options. "Book a free 30-minute call" or "Send me an email" — pick one and make it easy.
2. Is that CTA clear and visible in every place your ideal client might encounter you? Where are the gaps?
📅
Stage Two
Booking — The Scheduling Experience
What happens when they click — and what you need to know before the call
3. What scheduling tool do you use (or will you use)? Where does your booking link live?
4. What does your booking page say? The headline and description should make the right person excited to book — and help the wrong person self-select out.
Intake Form — What to Ask Before the Call

The best intake forms do two things: give you the context you need to show up prepared, and help the person articulate their situation clearly — so they arrive more ready for a real conversation. Check what you'll include, and add your own custom questions below.

Name & Email
Essential — auto-populated by most schedulers
Their website / social / LinkedIn
So you can do your homework before the call
"What's your biggest challenge right now?"
Opens the conversation before it starts
"What outcome would you love from this call?"
Orients them to the conversation's purpose
"How did you hear about me?"
Useful lead gen data — and warms the relationship
"What's your current revenue / business stage?"
Only if relevant to your offer and filtering
"What's held you back from solving this so far?"
Gets to the real conversation early
"Are you open to investing in support, if it's the right fit?"
A gentle qualifier — not a gatekeeper
Your Custom Questions
Keep it short: Three to five questions max. More than that and people abandon the form. The goal is context, not interrogation.
📬
Stage Three
Pre-Call — The Experience Before the Call
What happens between booking and the conversation sets the tone for everything

The confirmation email and reminder aren't just logistics — they're the first impression of how you work. Make them warm, clear, and worth receiving. Below, draft both.

📧   Booking Confirmation Email
Automated
Subject Line
Opening (warm, personal, not robotic)
What to expect on the call (1–3 sentences)
Any prep you want them to do (optional)
Closing (warm sign-off)
⏰   24-Hour Reminder Email
Automated
Subject Line
Message body (keep it short and warm)
The goal of the pre-call sequence: By the time they join the call, they should already feel seen, cared for, and genuinely excited. That's a very different energy to walk into than a cold Zoom waiting room.
💬
Stage Four
The Discovery Call — Your Conversation Structure
A map for the conversation — not a script to perform

Map the five phases of your discovery call. Each phase has a purpose — work through them in order and you'll rarely feel lost or rushed.

Phase 1
Open & Connect
~5 min
Your opening question / how you begin
Goal of this phase
Phase 2
Explore & Understand
~15 min
Your 2–3 key discovery questions
What you're listening for
Phase 3
Share Your Approach
~10 min
How you present what you do (if it's a fit)
What to do if it's NOT a fit
Phase 4
Address Questions
~5 min
3 most common questions / objections you hear
Your honest, unhurried response to each
Phase 5
Close & Next Step
~5 min
How you close the conversation (always a clear next step)
If they need time to decide
The goal of the discovery call: To understand them deeply enough to know whether you can genuinely help — and to help them understand whether this is the right next move for them. That's it. The best calls feel like conversations, not interviews.
✦   Following Up Is Love   ✦
💌
Stage Five
The 3-Touch Follow-Up Sequence
Most revenue is lost here. Following up isn't pushy — it's proof that you care.

Research consistently shows that most people need five to twelve touchpoints before making a decision — yet most solopreneurs send one follow-up and then give up. The people who don't respond immediately aren't saying no. They're busy, they're thinking, they're afraid of making the wrong call. Your follow-up says: "I still believe this is worth your consideration — and I'm not going anywhere." That's not pressure. That's care.

1
Same-Day or Next-Day Follow-Up
Within 24 hours of the call
Purpose: Thank them for their time, recap what you heard, restate the offer clearly, and make it easy to say yes. This is warm, specific, and personal — not a templated blast.
Subject line
Tone / approach
Email body (draft your template)
2
The Value-Add Follow-Up
3–5 days after Touch 1 (if no response)
Purpose: Add genuine value — share something useful, a relevant insight, a resource, a story — without any pressure to decide. This touchpoint says "I'm thinking of you" more than "have you decided yet."
Subject line
Value to share (what you'll include)
Email body (draft your template)
3
The Gentle Close (or "Permission to Let Go")
7–14 days after Touch 2 (if still no response)
Purpose: Give them one more clear invitation, and let them know you're going to stop following up — not as a threat, but as a respectful acknowledgment that you don't want to crowd their inbox. This often generates more responses than any previous message.
Subject line
Tone
Email body (draft your template)
5. What do you do with people who say "not right now" — how do you keep the relationship warm without being pushy? Consider: adding them to your newsletter, checking in quarterly, sharing content that's relevant to them. "Not right now" often becomes "now" — but only if you stay in relationship.
The truth about follow-up: 80% of sales happen between the 5th and 12th contact. Most people give up after one. Your willingness to stay present — warmly, without pressure — is itself a demonstration of how you work.
✦   Keeping Track   ✦
📊
Stage Six
Your Pipeline Dashboard
A simple tracker so nothing falls through the cracks — ever

Your pipeline dashboard doesn't need to be fancy. A Google Sheet with these columns — reviewed every Monday morning for 10 minutes — is enough to run a thriving solopreneur business. Map your stages and what you track at each one.

Stage What to record Action needed Time limit before next touch
Lead
Booked
Called
Following Up
Yes! 🎉
Not Yet
Not a Fit
Your Weekly Pipeline Review — 10 Minutes Every Monday

A weekly review of your pipeline isn't just about tracking — it's how you stay in relationship with everyone in your orbit. These are the five questions to work through each Monday.

1.
Who do I need to follow up with this week?
2.
Who has gone quiet that I genuinely care about — and deserves a personal reach-out?
3.
How many conversations do I have scheduled this week — and do I need more?
4.
Are there any "yes but…" conversations I need to proactively move forward?
5.
What is my pipeline telling me about where I need more leads?
⚙️
Part Seven
Your Automations
What should run on autopilot — so your energy stays on the people, not the logistics

Automate the logistics. Keep the relationship work human. Check what you want to automate and note which tool you'll use for each.

📅 Booking Confirmation Email
Sent immediately when someone books — warm, specific, sets the tone.
Tool
⏰ 24-Hour Call Reminder
Reduces no-shows significantly. Include the link again. Keep it short and warm.
Tool
📝 Post-Call Summary Template
Not fully automated — but have a template ready to personalize and send within hours of every call.
Tool / Location
🌱 "Not Yet" Nurture Sequence
For people who aren't ready — add them to your newsletter or a simple email sequence that stays in touch over time.
Tool
🔔 Pipeline Review Reminder
A recurring Monday morning calendar block for your 10-minute pipeline review.
Tool
📄 Proposal / Contract Delivery
A template or tool for sending your offer details, contract, and payment link in one seamless step.
Tool
The rule: Automate the logistics. Keep the relationship human. A warm automated confirmation is fine. A warm automated follow-up that sounds robotic is worse than none at all. Know the difference.
Part Eight
Your Pipeline Setup Checklist
Everything you need to build once — and then just run
✦ Scheduling link live with intake form attached
Calendly / Acuity / Cal.com — tested and working
✦ Booking confirmation email written and active
Warm, personal, sets expectations — auto-sends on booking
✦ 24-hour reminder email active
Reduces no-shows, includes the call link again
✦ Post-call follow-up template ready to personalize
Saved in Gmail drafts, Notion, or your email tool
✦ Touch 2 and Touch 3 follow-up templates saved
Ready to personalize — not copy-paste-blast
✦ Pipeline dashboard / Google Sheet built and live
All 7 stages, key columns, reviewed weekly
✦ Proposal / offer summary template ready
The document or email you send when someone says "tell me more" or after a strong call
✦ Contract + payment process ready
From "yes" to paid and onboarding — no friction
✦ Weekly Monday pipeline review scheduled
10-minute recurring calendar block — non-negotiable
✦   Your Complete Pipeline   ✦
✦   Synthesis
Your Path of Care — Described in Plain Language
How someone first connects with me — and what happens in the first 24 hours
What the discovery call experience feels like — and how I close it
My 3-touch follow-up rhythm — and what each touch is for
My 3 biggest setup priorities — what I need to build or fix first
Priority 1
Priority 2
Priority 3
The shift I want to make in how I think about my pipeline
· · ·

"The fortune is in the follow-up — but only if the follow-up comes from the heart."

Share one thing you're going to build or fix in your pipeline this week.
Having the system in place means never losing someone you could have served.


Inspired by Alex Hormozi · Daniel Priestley · Rich Litvin · Martha Beck  ·  The Growth Club