Reverse funnel math: From a revenue target to visitors, leads, MQLs, SQLs and opportunities
Start from the new revenue you need, divide by your average deal to get wins, then divide back up the funnel by each stage's conversion rate. The result is the volume every stage must produce for the target to be reachable. Edit any stage's rate with your own numbers, and the volumes above it update in the same sentence.
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Reverse funnel calculator
Worked example, with the default inputs
To book $3M of new revenue at $40k a deal, you need 75 wins, 300 opportunities, 750 SQLs, 3,750 MQLs, 9,375 leads and 468,750 visitors.
stage volume = next stage volume ÷ conversion rate to it
How it is worked out
stage volume = next stage volume ÷ conversion rate to it
- MQL
- marketing qualified lead
- SQL
- sales qualified lead, accepted by sales
- each rate
- the share of one stage that reaches the next, in the same period
| Wins | $3,000,000 ÷ $40,000 = 75 |
|---|---|
| Opportunities | 75 ÷ 25% = 300 |
| SQLs | 300 ÷ 40% = 750 |
| MQLs | 750 ÷ 20% = 3,750 |
| Leads | 3,750 ÷ 40% = 9,375 |
| Visitors | 9,375 ÷ 2% = 468,750 |
To book $3M of new revenue at $40k a deal, you need 75 wins, 300 opportunities, 750 SQLs, 3,750 MQLs, 9,375 leads and 468,750 visitors.
Where the defaults come from
No default on this calculator is a published benchmark. Each is an example input chosen so the arithmetic is easy to follow; type your own.
| Input | Default, an example input |
|---|---|
| New revenue target | $3,000,000 |
| Average first-year deal value | $40,000 |
| Opportunity to closed won | 25% |
| SQL to opportunity | 40% |
| MQL to SQL | 20% |
| Lead to MQL | 40% |
| Visitor to lead | 2% |
How to read it
Each stage is rounded up to a whole number before the next division, because you cannot run half an opportunity. The visitor figure is the one most teams find unreachable; when it is, the fix is usually a rate lower in the funnel, not more traffic, because every rate below a stage multiplies into it.
Use rates measured over the same period and the same cohort of leads. A lead-to-MQL rate from last quarter and an MQL-to-SQL rate from this one describe different leads.
Which numbers to use
Every default is an example input chosen so the arithmetic is easy to follow, not a benchmark. Take the rates from your own CRM, stage by stage, and compare them with the published stage benchmarks on our funnel benchmark pages before you set targets.
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Paste this into any page to show the live calculator with its formula and worked example, linked back here.
<iframe src="https://www.takethemarket.com/embed/reverse-funnel" title="Reverse funnel, from Take the Market" width="100%" height="1092" style="border:0;max-width:1100px" loading="lazy"></iframe>See how we work, or report an error on the corrections page.