Pipeline Stages
One of the key functions of your GTM system is to help you understand how your deals are progressing and approaching closure. Zero allows you to visualise your current pipeline in many different ways, from lists, kanbans to reports, but in order for these reports to be meaningful, you need to make sure that your pipeline steps resemble your process.
Optimize Your Sales Pipeline Stages
An efficient sales pipeline has clearly defined and balanced stages. Too many stages lead to complexity, confusion, and admin overhead. Too few stages can obscure insights and lead to poor sales performance.
How to configure the pipeline stages
Go to workspace settings -> Pipeline
Modify the default Pipeline Stages. You can rename the default steps, add additional steps, or delete steps that are not relevant.
Through drag and drop, you can sort the stages and categorise them to one of four statuses: Lead, In Progress, Won, and Lost.
Set a default stage - newly created deals will automatically be assigned to this stage.
Weighted Deal Values
Weighted Deal Values are useful once you have a fairly good idea of the conversion rates between the Pipeline Stages and want to forecast the closed pipeline value more accurately.
Through the slider, you can activate Weighted Deal Values.
Assign the Confidence (probablity to close) to each stage. The Weighted Deal values are calculated by multiplying the deal value with the confidence.
When you look at the "Deal Value" Column in Lists, the weighted deal value will automatically show. You can also add "Weighted Deal Value" and Confidence as Separate columns.
In reporting, you can refer to "Weighted Deal Value" as a separate metric.
Recommended Approach:
Balance Clarity and Simplicity: Aim for 4-7 pipeline stages. This number strikes the ideal balance, providing sufficient granularity to track progress without overwhelming the sales team.
Reflect the Buyer Journey: Design your stages to mirror your typical customer buying journey. Each stage should represent a distinct customer action or milestone (e.g., Qualified, Demo Scheduled, Proposal Sent, Negotiation, Contract Sent, Closed).
Clear Exit Criteria: Define explicit conditions for moving deals from one stage to the next. Example: To move from "Demo Scheduled" to "Proposal Sent," ensure you've confirmed clear buyer interest, identified decision-makers, and discussed budget.
Concrete Example of Pipeline Stages:
Qualified: Prospect has confirmed interest and meets basic qualification criteria.
Demo Scheduled: Prospect committed to a product demo or initial presentation.
Proposal Sent: You have sent pricing/proposal documents to the prospect.
Negotiation: Prospect is actively negotiating terms and addressing specific questions.
Contract Sent: Contract issued to the prospect for signature.
Closed Won/Lost: Deal outcome finalized.
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