Building a Sales Pipeline Management System for an AI Consultancy
SDFM Group Limited
SDFM Group Limited
SDFM Group Limited is an AI consultancy based in Nairobi, Kenya, focused on transforming Kenyan businesses through custom AI solutions. The company operates a structured sales process: every prospective client starts with a free AI Gap Assessment, progresses through a detailed discovery and evaluation phase, and if the fit is right, moves into a contracted engagement with milestone-based delivery.
The consultancy targets businesses with annual revenues between KES 10 million and KES 500 million, spanning industries from construction and logistics to healthcare and professional services. At any given time, the sales team is managing leads across multiple pipeline stages, each requiring different follow-up actions, timelines, and internal handoffs.
A functional sales operation running entirely on manual effort.
Every step of the sales lifecycle, from initial lead capture to contract signing, ran on a combination of spreadsheets, email threads, and a third-party scheduling tool.
No structured lead capture
When a prospective client expressed interest, there was no structured way to capture their information, assess their fit, or prioritise them against other leads. The Founder manually reviewed every enquiry.
Inconsistent qualification
Without a scoring system, every prospect received the same level of attention regardless of whether they were a KES 200 million mid-market company with an urgent problem or a sub-KES 10 million business outside the target profile entirely.
Zero pipeline visibility
There was no centralised view of where each lead stood, how long they had been at a given stage, or what the total pipeline value looked like. Follow-ups were tracked informally, and warm leads could sit without contact for weeks.
Marketing had no data
Questions like how many leads came in this month, what percentage qualified, and which sources drove the highest quality prospects could only be answered by asking the Founder to compile the numbers manually.
Map the full sales lifecycle, then build exactly what was needed.
SDFM began by mapping the full sales lifecycle end to end, from the moment a prospect clicks "Book a Discovery Call" on the website to the moment a contract is signed and the first payment is received. The goal was to identify every point where manual effort could be replaced with automation and every point where lack of visibility was creating risk.
The assessment identified five core problems: subjective lead qualification, external scheduling friction, no structured pipeline, no notification infrastructure, and zero marketing data access.
Rather than adopting an off-the-shelf CRM and spending weeks configuring it, the decision was made to build a purpose-built web application: a lightweight, fast, brand-aligned system built around SDFM's own qualification criteria, pipeline stages, and pricing framework.
The system was designed around three user roles with distinct access levels. The Admin has full control over the system. The Sales Manager sees the dashboard, pipeline board, and all lead details. The Marketing Manager sees only top-of-funnel metrics with no access to individual leads or pipeline stages.
A complete sales pipeline management system covering every stage of the sales lifecycle.
Accessed through a responsive web application branded to SDFM's guidelines and deployed on Netlify with continuous deployment from GitHub.
Public Lead Intake Form
A 3-step form where prospects answer five qualification questions, enter their contact details, and book a discovery call by selecting a date and time slot from a real-time calendar. No external scheduling tool required.
Automated Lead Scoring
Every submission is scored automatically against a 21-point rubric covering revenue capacity, pain severity, decision-maker access, investment mindset, and urgency. The system classifies each lead as Hot (17–21), Warm (10–16), or Cold (0–9) before anyone touches it.
Hard Disqualifier Logic
Three automatic disqualifiers flag leads that fall outside the target profile: annual revenue below KES 10 million, no access to a budget-holding decision-maker, or price as the primary concern. These leads are classified Cold immediately, regardless of total score.
Kanban Pipeline Board
A drag-and-drop board tracking every lead across nine stages from Discovery Call Scheduled through Contract Signed. Each card shows the lead's name, company, classification badge, and score. Dragging a card updates the database and logs the transition with a timestamp.
Executive Dashboard
Real-time metrics at a glance: total leads, pipeline value, conversion rate, classification breakdown, leads by source, and leads by stage. Filterable by time period. Exportable as both CSV and branded PDF reports.
Lead Detail Drawer
A slide-out panel showing a lead's full profile: contact details, qualification responses with per-question scores, complete stage history timeline, internal notes log, and one-click actions for email and phone.
Built-In Calendar Booking
Replaces Calendly entirely. Leads see a month-view calendar with available dates, select a date, and pick from open time slots. Configurable meeting duration, booking window, minimum notice period, and buffer time. Prevents double-booking at the database level.
Email Notification System
Branded HTML email templates for every pipeline event: lead confirmation, team alerts on new submissions, stage transition updates, and discovery call reminders. Templates are customisable from the Settings page without touching code.
Marketing Analytics View
A dedicated top-of-funnel dashboard for the marketing role showing total lead volume, qualification rate, classification breakdown, and lead sources. No access to pipeline stages or individual lead details, protecting sales-sensitive information.
Mark as Lost
Any lead can be marked as lost with a structured reason: no budget, went with competitor, no response, timing not right, scope mismatch, or a custom reason. Lost leads exit the active pipeline but remain in the system for reporting and can be restored.
Nine stages, each mapped to SDFM's Project Delivery SOP.
Every transition is logged with a timestamp and the user who made the move.
Scheduled
Discovery call booked. The lead has completed the intake form, been scored and classified, and selected a call date and time.
Call Done
Discovery call completed. The sales team has spoken with the lead, confirmed the challenge, and determined whether to proceed.
Questions Prep
The AI Business Analyst is preparing the detailed assessment questions based on the discovery call findings.
Questions Sent
Assessment questions have been sent to the lead via email or a Google Form for them to complete.
Responses In
The lead has submitted their responses. The data is ready for the Head of AI Consulting to analyse.
Report Prep
The AI Gap Assessment Report is being prepared: executive summary, current state, gaps identified, solution, projected ROI, timeline, and cost.
Presented
The report has been presented to the lead. They are evaluating the findings and deciding whether to proceed.
Contract Out
The contract has been sent to the lead with payment terms: 50% upon signing, 50% upon deployment.
Converted
Contract signed and first payment received. The lead is now a client and the project moves to kickoff.
Pipeline value is estimated automatically based on the lead's reported revenue tier. A lead from a KES 50–100 million company is assigned a pipeline value of KES 1.125 million (the midpoint of the Tier 2 pricing range), while a lead from a KES 100–500 million company is assigned KES 2.75 million (Tier 3 midpoint). The dashboard rolls these up into a total pipeline value in real time.
What changed
- Lead intake now runs on autopilot. A prospect fills out the form, gets scored and classified, books their own call, and appears in the pipeline without anyone on the team lifting a finger.
- Scheduling, which ran through Calendly at a recurring cost, is now handled natively. The calendar shows real dates, prevents double-booking at the database level, and enforces configurable buffer times. One fewer external tool to manage and pay for.
- The pipeline, which existed only as informal knowledge in the Founder's head, is now a structured visual board where every lead's position and history are visible at a glance. When a lead sits at a stage for too long, the system flags it.
- The marketing function now has a dedicated analytics dashboard showing exactly how many leads are coming in, what percentage qualify, and which sources are driving the best results.
- Reporting is now a one-click export. The dashboard generates a branded PDF summary with pipeline metrics, lead classification breakdowns, and source attribution.
Five reasons this system delivers lasting value.
Built around a documented process.
Every pipeline stage maps directly to SDFM's Project Delivery SOP, every scoring question maps to the Lead Qualification Questions document, and every pricing tier maps to the Target Customer and Pricing Framework. The system enforces the process the business already follows.
Qualification logic that protects the team's time.
The automated scoring and hard disqualifier system means the sales team never spends time on a lead that does not meet the minimum criteria. Every discovery call that happens is with someone who could realistically become a client.
No external dependencies.
The system does not rely on Calendly for scheduling, Notion for pipeline tracking, or Google Sheets for reporting. Everything lives in one application with one login. No recurring subscription costs and no risk of data scattered across platforms.
Role-based access that respects organisational boundaries.
Each team member sees exactly what they need and nothing more. The Marketing Manager gets metrics without seeing deal values. The Sales Manager gets the pipeline without being able to reconfigure scoring. Access control is enforced at the database level.
Designed for a team of one that will grow.
SDFM currently operates with the Founder playing every role. The system is built so that when additional team members join, they can be onboarded with a single invite email, assigned their role, and immediately see the data relevant to their function. The system scales with the team without any rework.
Want a system built around your process?
Book a discovery call and we will assess your operations, identify the highest-impact opportunities for AI and systemisation, and outline a practical plan, at no cost.
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