[GTM glossary](/glossary.txt) Pipeline influenced Marketing # Pipeline influenced Also known as: influenced pipeline In short Pipeline influenced is the total value of opportunities that marketing touched at some point before or during the sales process, regardless of who created the opportunity. It differs from sourced pipeline, which counts only opportunities that originated from a marketing-generated lead. Influenced pipeline captures the supporting role of content, events, and ads across long B2B cycles. ## How it is calculated Teams choose a rule for what counts as a touch and a time window. A common rule: an opportunity is influenced if a contact on the deal engaged with a marketing activity within a set period before or after opportunity creation. * **Touch type:** Which activities count: events, content downloads, ad clicks, webinars. * **Window:** How long before or after creation a touch still counts. * **Contact scope:** Any contact at the account, or only contacts on the opportunity. --- ## Influenced vs sourced pipeline * **Sourced:** Marketing created the lead that became the opportunity. Credit is exclusive. * **Influenced:** Marketing touched the deal. Credit overlaps with sales and with other channels. --- ## Example Say a company has 2 million in open pipeline. Of that, 500,000 came from marketing-generated leads, which is sourced. Another 900,000 is in deals where contacts attended a webinar or read content, which is influenced. The sourced amount is included in the influenced total, so the numbers cannot be added together. --- ## How to use it well * **Report with sourced pipeline:** Show both so readers see creation and support. * **Define it in writing:** Rules, windows, and touch types need to be agreed with sales and finance. * **Look at patterns:** Which touches appear in deals that win? --- ## Common mistakes * **Counting any touch:** A single ad impression months earlier is a weak claim. * **Double counting:** Adding influenced and sourced totals inflates results. * **Using it as proof of causation:** It shows association, not that marketing caused the deal. --- ## Pipeline influenced FAQs **What is pipeline influenced?** Pipeline influenced is the total value of opportunities where marketing had at least one qualifying touch, such as an event, content download, or ad engagement. It counts deals marketing supported, even if it did not create them. **What is the difference between sourced and influenced pipeline?** Sourced pipeline counts opportunities that came from a marketing-generated lead. Influenced pipeline counts any opportunity marketing touched. Sourced is a subset of influenced, so the two totals should not be added together. **How do you calculate influenced pipeline?** Define what counts as a marketing touch and a time window, then sum the value of opportunities where a related contact had a qualifying touch within that window. Document the rules so the figure is consistent over time. **Is pipeline influenced a reliable metric?** It is useful for showing marketing’s supporting role, but it shows association and not causation. Loose rules can inflate it, so pair it with sourced pipeline and review which touches appear in won deals. Share term --- ## More related phrases * [Sales pipeline](/glossary/sales-pipeline.txt) * [Earned media value](/glossary/earned-media-value.txt) * [Marketing effectiveness](/glossary/marketing-effectiveness.txt) ## Similar phrases * [Marketing-sourced pipeline](/glossary/marketing-sourced-pipeline.txt) Marketing-sourced pipeline is the pipeline value from opportunities that originated from marketing activity, as opposed to sales outbound or partner referrals. * [Demand generation](/glossary/demand-generation.txt) Demand generation is the set of marketing activities that create awareness and interest in a product among target buyers, before and alongside lead capture. * [First-touch attribution](/glossary/first-touch-attribution.txt) First-touch attribution gives 100% of the credit for a conversion or deal to the first interaction a buyer had with your brand. * [Multi-touch attribution](/glossary/multi-touch-attribution.txt) Multi-touch attribution assigns credit for a conversion or deal across every marketing and sales touchpoint, instead of giving it all to one interaction. * [Pipeline generation](/glossary/pipeline-generation.txt) Pipeline generation is the set of marketing and sales activities that create new qualified opportunities, from outbound prospecting and campaigns to referrals, partnerships, and inbound demand.