Bank sales pipeline calculator

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Pick the kind of institution you sell to, then enter your deal size, your win rate from a first meeting and the deals you want this year. You get the first meetings you need a year and a month, the pipeline that implies, and who sponsors, who signs and which reviews stand between the two.

Nothing is stored or sent anywhere. The sums run in your browser. The three numbers start as examples and are marked as examples. The notes on each institution come from our Bank Buying-Committee Map.

Using the calculator

Choose the kind of institution you sell to. Then enter three numbers of your own: what one won deal brings in its first year, how many first meetings out of a hundred end in a signed deal, and how many deals you want in the next twelve months. The results show the first meetings you need, the pipeline they open and what one first meeting is worth to you. Under them are the people who usually sponsor and sign at that size of institution, and the review steps in between.

The three numbers start at example values. They are not benchmarks: replace them with your own.

Short answer: First meetings needed = deals you want ÷ your win rate from a first meeting. In our example, 6 deals at a 20% win rate need 30 first meetings a year, about 2.5 a month, which opens $1,500,000 of pipeline at $50,000 a deal. Who you need in those meetings depends on the institution: a managing director at a Tier 1 bank, often the CEO at a community bank or credit union.

The formulas

Result	Formula
First meetings a year	Deals wanted ÷ win rate from a first meeting, rounded up
First meetings a month	First meetings a year ÷ 12
Revenue target	Deals wanted × first-year deal value
Pipeline to open	First meetings a year × first-year deal value
What one first meeting is worth	First-year deal value × win rate
Those meetings at our prices	Setup + price per meeting × meetings, at $1,000 + $200 and at $3,000 + $500

The worked example

	Example
Deal value, win rate, deals wanted	$50,000, 20%, 6 (examples)
First meetings a year	30
First meetings a month	2.5
Revenue target	$300,000
Pipeline to open	$1,500,000
What one first meeting is worth	$10,000
Those meetings at our published prices	$7,000 to $18,000, setup included

Who sponsors and who signs, by institution

Institution	Business sponsor, usually	Final approver, usually	Pace
Tier 1 and global banks	Head of a desk, product line or function, often a managing director	Division head within a delegated limit; a risk or procurement committee for larger or critical services	Deals move through committees, not people.
Regional and mid-size banks	Head of a business line, often reporting to the CEO or COO	CEO or an executive committee; the board for larger contracts	Decisions move faster once the right executive is on side.
Community banks and credit unions	CEO, COO, chief lending officer or head of member services	CEO; the board or a board committee for larger contracts	The CEO or a C-level executive is often the sponsor and the approver.
Central banks	Head of a department: statistics, research, financial stability, supervision or markets	Procurement committee, department head or executive board, by value	Expect formal, published tenders, long planning cycles and procurement rules that leave little room to negotiate.

Between the sponsor and the approver sit up to eight more roles: operations, it and architecture, ciso and information security, third-party or vendor risk, model risk (where relevant), compliance and legal, procurement, finance. One person can say yes, and many can say no. The full table for each size of institution, with what each role needs and what makes each one block, is in the free Bank Buying-Committee Map.

The review steps to expect

Stage	Who leads	What you do
1. Due diligence	Third-party risk	Send the document pack
2. Security questionnaire	Information security	Answer in full, attach evidence, name gaps
3. Contract	Legal, procurement	Accept their template where you can; prepare audit, data and exit terms
4. Onboarding	Procurement, IT, operations	Named contacts, support model, set-up plan
5. Ongoing monitoring	Third-party risk, business owner	Keep certificates and reports current

Scrutiny scales with risk: the more critical your service and the more data you touch, the longer the review. US banks of every size fall under the interagency guidance on third-party relationships, which tells banks to scale risk management to their own size and complexity. US federally insured credit unions have their own guidance, NCUA Letter 07-CU-13. The documents to have ready are in the bank vendor due-diligence pack.

Who to email first

Not procurement, which runs a process but does not start one. Start with the person who owns the problem.

The business sponsor: the head of the function that feels the pain.
One level above, if your deal size needs their budget.
A second sponsor in a neighbouring team, in case your first contact moves.
Operations or IT, once a sponsor is engaged, to shape the implementation.
Control functions (security, vendor risk, legal) when the sponsor brings you in.

A cold email to a control function rarely starts a deal, but a ready pack sent early speeds one up.

What it does not do

It does not tell you how long a deal takes. We publish no figure for the length of a bank sales cycle, because we have no data of our own on it. The pace column describes how decisions move, not how many months.
It does not know your win rate. Count signed deals against first meetings held over a period long enough to include deals that closed late, or the rate will look too low.
It treats every first meeting as equal. A meeting with the business sponsor is worth more than one with a role that can only say no.
It does not price the meetings beyond our own published range. To compare an in-house SDR, an agency retainer and pay per meeting, use the financial services cost per meeting calculator.
Every bank organises itself differently. Treat the tables as a starting map, then check them against the org chart of the bank in front of you.

We have not run a finance campaign yet, so nothing on this page is a finance result of ours. The notes on banks are what Moe Alhosni saw from the seller's side in 4 years and 7 months at Moody's in London, in general terms. This is general information, not legal advice; check with your compliance team or counsel.

Frequently asked questions

How many first meetings does it take to close one bank deal?

One divided by your win rate from a first meeting. At a 20% win rate that is five first meetings a deal; at 10% it is ten. No single published rate fits every vendor, so use your own count of signed deals against first meetings held.

Who should a vendor contact first at a bank?

The business sponsor: the head of the function that feels the problem. Then one level above if the deal needs their budget, and a second sponsor in a neighbouring team in case the first one moves. Procurement and the control functions come in once a sponsor exists.

Who signs off a vendor at a community bank or credit union?

Usually the CEO, with the board or a board committee for larger contracts. The CEO or another C-level executive is often the sponsor as well, and a reference from a similar institution counts for a lot.

What reviews does a bank run before it signs a vendor?

Due diligence led by third-party risk, a security questionnaire led by information security, and a contract review by legal and procurement. Onboarding and ongoing monitoring follow the signature. How deep each goes depends on how critical the service is and how much data it touches.

ROI Maximizer is a trading name of M Ventures LTD, registered in England and Wales, company no. 15554493. Registered office: 4 Beau Street, Bath BA1 1QY, United Kingdom. moe@roimaxi.com