Design pipeline stages that match your actual sales process, not generic templates. Make forecasting and reporting reflect reality.
Most CRMs come with default pipeline stages that don't match how you actually sell. "Qualified" means different things to different businesses. "Proposal sent" isn't a stage it's an activity. Proper pipeline design maps to buyer actions, not seller tasks. This makes forecasting accurate and shows where deals really stall. This chapter walks through how to identify your actual sales stages, validate them with your team, and configure your CRM to match reality instead of forcing your process into someone else's template.
All in one CRM with marketing, sales and service, strong when you want one system that teams adopt.
Sales focused CRM with clean pipelines and activity tracking, ideal for small teams that value speed.
Work OS with boards, automations and dashboards, flexible for marketing and ops when configured with restraint.
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Simple CRM for relationships and outreach lists, useful for partnerships and light sales without heavy setup.
Small business CRM with email automation and invoicing, good when you want sales and marketing in one light tool.
Set up deal fields that capture information you'll actually use. Enable accurate forecasting, reporting, and smooth handoffs.
A poorly configured CRM becomes a graveyard of stale data and missed follow-ups. A properly set up CRM runs your sales process automatically, surfaces hot leads, and forecasts revenue accurately.
See playbookDefine pipeline progression steps to standardise how reps advance opportunities and give managers visibility into where deals stall or convert unexpectedly.
Map every touchpoint from initial awareness to repeat purchase, creating seamless experiences that guide prospects toward conversion.
Calculate the percentage of visitors who complete desired actions to identify friction points and measure the effectiveness of marketing and product changes.
