Deal stages divide the sales process into distinct steps, each representing progress toward closing. Stages provide structure and visibility into where deals stand.
Define clear exit criteria for each stage (what must happen to advance), assign win probability percentages, align stages with customer buying journey, make stages mutually exclusive, limit to 5-7 stages for simplicity, and include actions/tasks required at each stage.
Move deals to appropriate stages promptly, use stage data for accurate forecasting, identify bottleneck stages with low conversion, analyze time spent in each stage, customize stages by product or sales process, and regularly review and refine stage definitions.
Assign close probability to each stage for weighted forecasting: