Stages Reflect Your Sales Motion
Stages should map to buyer readiness, not your internal steps. ‘Discovery’, ‘Evaluation’, ‘Negotiation’, ‘Closed Won/Lost’ beat ‘Quote sent, Quote reviewed, Quote signed’.
Stage Probability
Each stage has a default probability. Weighted pipeline = amount × stage probability. Tune probabilities to historical conversion rates, not gut feel.
Required Fields per Stage
Require key fields as deals advance (budget, decision maker, close date). Workflow enforces. Cleaner forecast, better handoffs.
Forecast Submission
Manual forecast submission (rep commits a deal) beats weighted pipeline alone. HubSpot forecast module in Enterprise handles this.
Hygiene
Deals rotting in a stage past SLA — either advance or close-lost. Stale deals pollute the pipeline. Weekly hygiene review by managers.