CRM Pipeline Stages

Your CRM should make decisions easier, not create admin work. These stages are designed for early teams that need momentum visibility without enterprise overhead.

When to use it

• You are setting up a CRM from scratch.
• Deals are getting stuck because stage definitions are unclear.
• You want a weekly review that surfaces risk fast.

Starter pipeline

1. New lead
Captured but not reviewed yet.

2. Qualified
Fits ICP and has a plausible pain worth discussing.

3. Discovery booked
Meeting scheduled.

4. Discovery completed
Pain, urgency, and buying path are clearer.

5. Proposal / pilot
Offer is live and being evaluated.

6. Verbal yes
Commercial terms accepted, final steps in motion.

7. Closed won / closed lost
Outcome logged with reason.

How to customize it

• Tie every stage to a verifiable event, not a feeling.
• Require a next-step date on all active deals.
• Add no more than one custom stage until the baseline works.

Common mistakes

• Using too many stages for a tiny pipeline.
• Keeping dead deals open for optics.
• Skipping loss reasons that should inform GTM.

Next steps

1. Map current deals into these stages and note definition gaps.
2. Use the same stages in weekly review docs.
3. Split or combine stages only when the data justifies it.