Sales Pipeline Stages: B2B Template and Worked Examples - Relaticle [ Back to blog ](https://relaticle.com/blog) ![Sales pipeline stages for small B2B teams](https://relaticle.com/storage/ink/01M34D3CNENN8NAZ9B0DY4AP2K.png) Sales pipeline stages should describe evidence that a buyer has moved closer to a decision. For a small B2B team, start with a few clear stages, define the requirement for leaving each, and keep follow-up tasks separate. A board full of activities tells you what sellers did. A useful pipeline tells you what the buyer has agreed to do next. This guide includes a six-stage template, three worked decisions, and a migration map. The examples are fictional, and the stage names are recommendations. [](#start-with-the-decisions-your-buyers-make "Permalink")Start with the decisions your buyers make --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before configuring the CRM, write down the last few steps in a typical sale. Include the moments when the buyer confirmed a problem, evaluated an offer, resolved terms, and accepted an agreement. Then list your own activities separately: calls, demos, proposals, reminders, and internal discussions. Some activities help establish a stage. They do not necessarily prove that the buyer progressed. Sending a proposal cannot tell you whether the buyer opened it, understood it, or agreed to review it. Recording the proposal as a task preserves the activity. Recording a confirmed review process gives the stage a stronger basis. [Salesforce's pipeline guide](https://www.salesforce.com/sales/pipeline/) describes common stages while recognizing that processes vary. Use that vocabulary as a reference. Choose the smallest set that exposes different buying decisions in your own work. [](#a-six-stage-starting-template "Permalink")A six-stage starting template --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following template suits a straightforward B2B sale with discovery, a proposal, and a commercial decision. It may be too simple for procurement-heavy deals or too detailed for a purchase completed in one conversation. | Stage | Meaning | |---|---| | Qualified | The opportunity fits and a buyer is engaged | | Discovery complete | The team understands the problem and constraints | | Proposal under review | Buyer is evaluating an identified offer | | Decision pending | Commercial questions and decision process are explicit | | Won | Acceptance conditions have been met | | Lost | This pursuit has ended | | Stage | Evidence required to leave | |---|---| | Qualified | Discovery confirms the need and a plausible route to purchase | | Discovery complete | Buyer agrees on what the proposed solution must address | | Proposal under review | Buyer confirms the remaining questions or approval steps | | Decision pending | Acceptance or rejection arrives under your agreed rule | | Won | Handoff moves to the delivery process | | Lost | Reason and any legitimate future follow-up are recorded | A lead can exist before it becomes an opportunity. Decide when your team has enough evidence to add it to the sales pipeline. Adding every uncontacted name makes early-stage volume difficult to interpret. If you need a Prospecting stage, define its entry condition too. “Found a company online” and “a relevant person agreed to a discussion” represent different commitments. [](#give-every-stage-an-entry-and-exit-rule "Permalink")Give every stage an entry and exit rule ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A stage definition should fit in a short paragraph. It needs an entry rule, an exit rule, and an example of evidence. If your definition requires a training session, simplify it before asking the team to maintain it. For Discovery complete, you might write: ``` Enter when: The buyer has described the problem, current approach, and main constraint. Leave when: The buyer agrees on the scope a proposal should address. Evidence: A dated meeting note identifies the agreed scope and unresolved questions. Do not advance merely because: We held a call or completed an internal estimate. ``` This is a team agreement. It does not imply that your CRM automatically enforces every condition. Decide which checks people will perform and which controls the application actually provides. Review the definitions with someone who handles a different part of the sale. A founder and a delivery lead may interpret “qualified” differently. Resolving that disagreement is more valuable than choosing the right column color. [](#keep-stage-next-action-and-close-date-distinct "Permalink")Keep stage, next action, and close date distinct --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stage describes the current buying position. The next action describes work someone needs to do. The close date records the team's present expectation about a decision. Those facts should not substitute for each other. Moving an opportunity into Follow up hides where the buyer stands. Changing the close date because a reminder is due turns a decision forecast into a task list. Consider a fictional consulting engagement. The buyer is reviewing a proposal, the agency must clarify a data migration assumption, and procurement expects a decision next month. The opportunity can stay in Proposal under review while a task tracks the clarification. If the decision date changes, record why. A date supported by a buyer's procurement timetable means something different from one entered to satisfy a required field. Relaticle's opportunity fields include amount, close date, and stage. Tasks carry their own due dates and assignees. The [opportunity guide](https://relaticle.com/help/records/opportunity-records) and [task guide](https://relaticle.com/help/tasks-and-notes/work-with-tasks) explain the two record types. [](#use-amount-consistently "Permalink")Use amount consistently --------------------------------------------------------------- Choose what an opportunity's amount represents before comparing totals. It could be the proposed project fee, annual contract value, or another clearly defined commercial measure. Mixing those measures makes the total unreliable. A one-time implementation fee and a monthly support payment cannot be compared simply because both fields contain currency values. Write the amount rule next to your stage definitions. For a services agency, it might be “the proposed fee for this engagement, excluding later optional work.” Your finance process may require a different definition. Keep assumptions visible. If the amount is an estimate pending discovery, record that context rather than presenting it as an accepted price. When several currencies are involved, document how you will compare them before producing a combined figure. This guide does not assume the CRM converts values into a common reporting currency. Verify that requirement separately in the system you choose. [](#adapt-relaticles-existing-stage-field "Permalink")Adapt Relaticle's existing stage field -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Relaticle stores opportunity stages as options on the Stage custom field. Its default vocabulary is broader than the six-stage example above. You can change the options to reflect your process. Start by inspecting the stages already used in your workspace. The [pipeline setup guide](https://relaticle.com/help/getting-started/track-a-deal-through-the-pipeline) shows where to find the board and edit the field. On a new workspace, configure the intended options before importing opportunities. On an active workspace, first map old stages to new stages and preserve a record of the original values. Do not assume deleting an option automatically gives its existing opportunities the correct replacement. Test your change with representative records and check the board afterward. Follow the [select-option guide](https://relaticle.com/help/custom-fields/edit-the-options-in-a-select-field) for the interface behavior. For example, an older process might separate Needs Analysis and Value Proposition. Your smaller team may decide both belong in Discovery complete. That is a workflow decision requiring an explicit mapping, not a cosmetic rename. [](#map-old-stages-before-a-migration "Permalink")Map old stages before a migration ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A migration is a useful moment to improve the pipeline, but it also creates a comparison problem. You need to explain how the old categories became the new ones. Create a mapping sheet before importing: | Source stage | Destination stage | Review needed | |---|---|---| | Discovery booked | Qualified | Confirm the meeting still represents an active opportunity | | Solution discussed | Discovery complete | Check that the buyer agreed on the intended scope | | Quote sent | Proposal under review | Advance only after confirming buyer review | | Verbal yes | Decision pending | Check your acceptance conditions | | Contract accepted | Won | Confirm the agreement matches your internal rule | These mappings are examples. A source stage with the same label can mean something different in another team. Inspect a sample of records instead of matching names alone. Preserve the original export and a record identifier. If a deal appears in the wrong destination stage, you should be able to trace the decision. Our [CRM migration overview](https://relaticle.com/blog/migrating-from-hubspot-or-attio-to-a-self-hosted-crm) explains why records and the surrounding workflow need separate migration plans. [](#three-worked-stage-decisions "Permalink")Three worked stage decisions ------------------------------------------------------------------------- These fictional examples show how the definitions change a decision. They are illustrations, not observed sales results or rules the CRM enforces automatically. ### [](#1-a-discovery-call-happened-but-qualification-remains-incomplete "Permalink")1. A discovery call happened, but qualification remains incomplete **Opportunity:** Harbor Works reporting setup, proposed value USD 9,000. **Evidence:** Alex Rivera described the reporting problem and agreed to another conversation. Nobody has identified who approves the purchase or whether a budget exists. **Decision:** Keep the opportunity in Qualified. The meeting happened, but the team lacks a plausible route to purchase. **Next action:** Ask Alex who approves the project and what funding discussion has occurred. Assign the task to the salesperson before the next call. **What would change the stage:** A discovery note confirming the need, main constraint, and route to purchase under your team's definition. Do not use a completed call as the exit criterion. Another teammate should be able to find the evidence supporting the stage. ### [](#2-a-proposal-stalls-so-the-task-changes "Permalink")2. A proposal stalls, so the task changes **Opportunity:** Northline Studio client portal, USD 18,000, currently Proposal under review. **Evidence:** Maya agreed to review proposal version 3 on October 14. By October 27, the team has no response to its clarification request. **Decision:** Keep Proposal under review. Silence does not establish a new buying decision, a rejection, or an agreed extension. **Next action:** Replace the outdated reminder with “Ask Maya whether the portal review is still active.” Assign it to Mina, due October 28. **Close date:** Keep the current expectation visible with its uncertainty. Change it when new evidence justifies a revised estimate, and record the reason. **What would change the stage:** Maya confirms the remaining approval steps, moving the deal to Decision pending under the template. If Maya says the project has stopped, record the reason and close the pursuit. Do not move it into a permanent Follow up column. The stage stays meaningful while the task changes. This separates the buyer's position from the seller's response to a delay. ### [](#3-a-verbal-yes-does-not-satisfy-the-acceptance-rule "Permalink")3. A verbal yes does not satisfy the acceptance rule **Opportunity:** Cedar Analytics implementation, USD 24,000, currently Decision pending. **Evidence:** The buyer says the proposal looks good. The agreement remains unsigned, and the agency has not received the required deposit. **Decision:** Keep Decision pending. This fictional agency defines Won as a signed agreement plus the deposit. **Next action:** Confirm who signs and when the deposit will arrive. Keep delivery scheduling conditional on the agency's acceptance rule. **What would change the stage:** Both acceptance conditions are met and the responsible teammate records the evidence. Your team may use a different acceptance rule. Write it down before a verbal agreement appears, so the decision does not depend on optimism. [](#review-stalled-opportunities-consistently "Permalink")Review stalled opportunities consistently --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Choose review intervals that fit the sale. A short consulting engagement and an annual procurement cycle need different expectations. For each stalled opportunity, choose whether to keep pursuing, clarify timing, or close the pursuit. Record the evidence and the person responsible for the next action. A future conversation can have its own task without remaining in the active pipeline indefinitely. Review that decision with the account owner. [](#ask-an-assistant-for-evidence-before-changes "Permalink")Ask an assistant for evidence before changes --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An AI assistant can help organize the records you have already captured. It cannot establish buyer intent that nobody recorded. A useful read-only request is: ``` Review the open opportunities using their stage, close date, linked notes, and tasks. Identify records whose stage appears unsupported by the notes. For each item, cite the record and explain what evidence is missing. Do not change any records. Separate missing information from contradictions. ``` This is a review prompt, not a guarantee of complete coverage. Inspect what the assistant retrieved, including any limits or missing related records. Resolve uncertainties with the responsible person before changing a stage. Our [Claude sales-pipeline guide](https://relaticle.com/blog/let-claude-code-run-your-sales-pipeline) shows how an external agent can work with CRM records. Our [agent-native CRM guide](https://relaticle.com/blog/what-agent-native-crm-actually-means) explains why capabilities and approval behavior need separate checks. [](#test-the-definitions-with-real-work "Permalink")Test the definitions with real work --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before rolling out the new stages, choose a few representative opportunities. Include an early conversation, a proposal under review, a delayed decision, and a closed deal. Ask two teammates to classify them independently using the definitions. When their answers differ, inspect the missing evidence or ambiguous wording. Adjust the definition before adding another stage. Then confirm that each open opportunity has a sensible next action. A clean board can still conceal a sales process nobody owns. The test should establish both where the buyer stands and who acts next. Keep the first review focused. You do not need a complete reporting system to discover that Proposal under review means three different things to three people. [](#change-stages-when-the-buying-process-changes "Permalink")Change stages when the buying process changes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Add a stage only when it changes a decision, responsibility, or review. Seller activities usually belong in tasks. When removing a stage, preserve the meaning of existing opportunities with an explicit mapping. Explain the change to everyone using the pipeline. If you are evaluating Relaticle, configure a small sample and check the [current plans](https://relaticle.com/pricing). Choose the system after testing the workflow you need, including its stages, related records, and follow-up ownership. 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