FIELD GUIDE / Sales
Use observable stage definitions
“Interested” and “hot” mean different things to different people. “Discovery completed” or “proposal sent” can be verified. Write a one-sentence entry rule for each stage and include the evidence required in the record.
A practical six-stage blueprint
Many small teams can begin with New, Contact Attempted, Conversation Started, Qualified, Proposal or Appointment, and Won/Lost. Adapt the nouns to your sale, but keep the logic: each move represents new customer evidence. Avoid creating a separate stage for every activity; calls and emails belong in the timeline.
Require a next action
Every open opportunity should have an owner, a dated next action, and a clear reason it remains open. Make the absence of a next action visible in the manager’s queue. Automation can create reminders, but the rep still owns the promise made to the buyer.
Handle stalled and lost work explicitly
Create a rule for inactivity and a short list of meaningful loss reasons. “No response” should not become a permanent parking lot. Close or nurture records based on a defined cadence, then analyze loss reasons for offer, timing, qualification, and process problems.
A clean pipeline tells you what happened, what happens next, and who is responsible.
Audit stage integrity
Sample opportunities weekly. Check whether evidence matches the stage, whether close dates are realistic, and whether next actions are current. If the pipeline is inaccurate, do not add more dashboards. Simplify stage rules and coach the update habit at the point work occurs.
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