CategoryGetting Started
Article typeDocumentation
Estimated reading time 6 min read
Last reviewedRecently reviewed
Applies toGEVADE CRM accounts where the feature is enabled
Access requiredAccess may depend on your user permissions
Plan/configuration noteFeature availability may depend on your selected plan and account configuration
Summary
Your first pipeline should reflect your primary sales or fulfillment process. Start simple with 4 to 6 clear stages, such as 'Lead Captured', 'Contacted', 'Meeting Booked', and 'Closed Won'.
Who this article is for
This article is for sales managers, business owners, and CRM administrators responsible for defining the sales process.
Overview
Pipelines are the visual heartbeat of your sales process in GEVADE CRM, where available in your account. They allow you to track leads as they move through various stages of your customer journey, providing a clear overview of your potential revenue and identifying bottlenecks in your process. When setting up your workspace, choosing and configuring your first pipeline is a critical milestone. However, the temptation is often to overcomplicate the process by creating dozens of micro-stages. This guide will help you design a streamlined, effective pipeline that your team will actually use. By starting with a clear, fundamental structure, you can ensure high adoption rates among your sales staff and gather meaningful data before expanding into more complex workflows.
Before you begin
- Identify the single most important sales process in your business.
- List the mandatory steps a lead must take to become a customer.
- Keep the initial pipeline to 6 stages or fewer.
- Define clear criteria for when a lead should be moved from one stage to the next.
Step 1: Identify the Core Process
Focus on your primary revenue-generating process. If you run a service business, this might be your 'New Client Acquisition' process. If you sell high-ticket items, it might be your 'Consultation to Close' process. Do not try to build pipelines for every minor operational task on day one; focus on the core sales journey.
Step 2: Define the Stages
Break down the core process into clear, distinct stages. A reliable starting structure includes: 1. New Lead (just captured), 2. Attempted Contact (reached out but no reply), 3. Conversation Started (engaged in dialogue), 4. Appointment Booked (meeting scheduled), 5. Proposal Sent, 6. Closed Won / Closed Lost.
Step 3: Establish Movement Criteria
For a pipeline to be effective, everyone on the team must understand exactly what actions trigger a move to the next stage. Document these rules. For example, a lead should only be moved to 'Proposal Sent' after the document has actually been emailed, not when it is being drafted.
Step 4: Build the Pipeline in GEVADE CRM
Navigate to Opportunities > Pipelines and click 'Create New Pipeline' (contact support if this option is not visible). Name your pipeline clearly (e.g., 'Primary Sales Pipeline') and add your defined stages in chronological order. You can choose to display pipeline values and win probabilities for accurate revenue forecasting.
Configuration note
Pipelines are meant to track active opportunities. Once a lead is 'Closed Won' or 'Closed Lost', they should remain in that final stage or be moved to a separate fulfillment pipeline, rather than cluttering the active sales board.
Important clarification
Creating a stage for every single email sent or phone call made. Pipelines should track significant milestones, while the contact's interaction history logs the individual activities.
Resolution guidance
Can a contact be in multiple pipelines at once?
Yes. A single contact can have multiple active 'Opportunities'. For example, they could be in a 'Sales Pipeline' for a new purchase and simultaneously in a 'Support Pipeline' for an ongoing issue.
Need account-specific help?
If your question requires account access, billing review, workflow inspection, message delivery diagnosis, AI response review, or private configuration review, submit a support request with examples and screenshots.
