How to set up a deal pipeline in Sales CRM

Before you start

Choose the team that will share the pipeline, or Personal Boards for your own deals.

List the stages your deals go through. You can rename, add, and remove stages later.

Decide roughly how long a deal should stay in each stage, and how likely it is to move on.

Step 1

Create a deal board

In Sales CRM, select the plus next to the team in the left sidebar. In Create New Board, choose Deal Board, give it a name such as Sales pipeline, and select Create Board.

The Share this Board window opens next so you can add teammates. Close it if you are not ready.

Create New Board dialog with Deal Board selected and the name Sales pipeline — Choose Deal Board for a pipeline. A Leads Board holds contacts and organizations instead.

Step 2

Check the stages

A new deal board starts with Qualified, Discovery, Proposal sent, and Negotiation. Each stage shows its number of deals, their total value, its probability, and its day limits, such as 2/5/6+. Rename a stage from its menu (⋮), or select Add a Stage at the end of the board.

Deal board with the stages Qualified, Discovery, Proposal sent, and Negotiation, each with deal count, value, probability, and day limits — The default stages, ready to rename or extend.

Step 3

Set timing and probability

Open a stage’s menu (⋮) and choose Stage tracking. Expected days and Yellow before decide when a deal shows as on track, needs attention, or is overdue. Probability sets how much of each deal’s value counts toward the weighted pipeline value.

Stage tracking dialog for Qualified with expected days 5, yellow before 2, and probability 75 percent — Here a deal is on track for 1–2 days, needs attention from day 3, and is overdue from day 6.

Step 4

Add a deal

Select the plus at the top of a stage, type the deal name, and choose Create new deal. To move an existing deal here, pick it from the list instead.

Qualified stage with Northwind rollout typed in the search field and the Create new deal option — Type a name and choose Create new deal.

Step 5

Fill in the deal

Open the deal to set its value, owner, expected close date, organization, and contacts. To move it to another stage, select a stage at the top of the deal.

Deal Northwind rollout with stage chips at the top, a value of 12,000 euros, and 1 day in Qualified — The stages at the top move the deal through the pipeline.

Step 6

Mark it won or lost

Select the check icon at the top of the deal to mark it won, or the cross icon to mark it lost. Add an optional comment and select Archive Deal. The deal is closed and leaves the board.

Deal won dialog with an optional comment field and the Archive Deal button — Winning a deal archives it with your comment.

Need help with your pipeline?

Stages, timing, and probability can be changed at any time from each stage’s menu. For more help, contact support .