Short answer
Use six stages – New enquiry, Talking, Quote sent, Deciding, Won and Lost – and give each one a clear rule for when a deal moves in. Give every open deal a value, an owner and a next step with a date. Review the pipeline for twenty minutes once a week and watch three numbers: win rate, average deal value and how long deals stay in each stage.
Six stages and when a deal moves
| Stage | A deal moves here when… |
|---|---|
| New enquiry | Someone has asked about your services – by form, email, phone or in person. |
| Talking | You have spoken or written back and forth, and it is a real fit: they have the need, a rough budget and a time frame. |
| Quote sent | The client has a written quote with a total and a validity date. |
| Deciding | They have reacted to the quote: questions, changes or a decision date. |
| Won | They have accepted the quote or signed – not when they say “sounds good”. |
| Lost | They said no, chose someone else, or did not reply after your last follow-up. Always add the reason. |
The rules matter more than the names. If everyone agrees what “Quote sent” means, the pipeline tells the truth.
What every open deal needs
- A value. Your best estimate is fine. Without values you cannot see what the month may bring.
- An owner. One person, even in a team of two.
- A next step with a date. “Call on Tuesday”, “Send revised quote by Friday”. A deal without a next step is a deal that will quietly die.
The 20-minute weekly review
- Five minutes – new enquiries. Has every one been answered? Move each to Talking or Lost.
- Ten minutes – quotes out. For each quote sent or in Deciding: what is the next step, and is its date in the future?
- Five minutes – clean up. Close deals that have gone cold, with a reason. A smaller, honest pipeline beats a long, hopeful one.
Three numbers worth watching
- Win rate: won deals divided by won plus lost deals over the last few months.
- Average deal value: the total of won deals divided by their number.
- Time in stage: how long deals typically wait in Quote sent and Deciding. If it grows, your follow-up needs attention.
Compare these numbers with your own past months rather than with “industry averages”, which differ widely between businesses.
How GETCORVIDS helps
GETCORVIDS shows your deals on a visual pipeline with values, deadlines, owners and tasks. Stages can be renamed to fit your business. The reports show won revenue by month, win rate, the quote funnel and where your leads come from, and enquiries from your website form arrive as new leads automatically.
Questions
How many pipeline stages should a small business have?
Five to seven is usually enough. Fewer stages with clear rules work better than many vague ones.
When should I mark a deal as lost?
When the client says no, chooses someone else, or does not reply after your final follow-up. Record the reason – it shows you what to improve.
Do I need a CRM for a pipeline?
Not at the very start: a whiteboard or a spreadsheet works for a handful of deals. A CRM helps once several people work on deals, or when you want reminders, quotes and reports in the same place.
Thomas Krajecz builds GETCORVIDS at Digital Supportly. Questions about this guide? Write to hello@getcorvids.com – a person replies within one business day. Follow Thomas on LinkedIn.