Pipeline & Deals

The Pipeline gives you a visual overview of your sales opportunities. Track deals through stages, forecast revenue, and never let an opportunity slip through the cracks.

# Understanding Pipelines

A pipeline represents your sales process as a series of stages. Each deal moves through stages until it's won or lost.

# Default Pipeline Stages

BasedInbox includes a default pipeline:

1. Lead — Initial contact, qualifying the opportunity
2. Qualified — Confirmed interest and budget
3. Proposal — Quote or proposal sent
4. Negotiation — Discussing terms
5. Closed Won — Deal completed
6. Closed Lost — Deal didn't close

# Creating Deals

# Quick Create

1. Navigate to CRM → Pipeline
2. Click + Add Deal in any stage column
3. Enter deal details:
   • Deal name
   • Contact (from your CRM)
   • Value
   • Expected close date
4. Click Create

# Detailed Create

1. Navigate to CRM → Pipeline
2. Click New Deal button
3. Fill in comprehensive details:
   • Basic info (name, value, stage)
   • Contact and company
   • Expected close date
   • Probability
   • Notes
4. Click Save

# Managing Deals

# Move Between Stages

Drag and drop deals between columns to update their stage. This is the quickest way to update progress.

# Deal Details

Click any deal card to view and edit:

• Overview — Key metrics and status
• Activity — Timeline of interactions
• Notes — Internal notes and context
• Tasks — Action items
• Emails — Related communications

# Update Deal Value

As negotiations progress, update the deal value:

1. Open the deal
2. Edit the value field
3. Changes reflect immediately in pipeline totals

# Pipeline Views

# Board View (Default)

Visual kanban board with deals as cards in stage columns. Best for:

• Daily pipeline management
• Quick status updates
• Visual overview

# List View

Tabular view of all deals. Best for:

• Filtering and sorting
• Bulk updates
• Detailed analysis

# Forecast View

Revenue forecast by month/quarter. Shows:

• Expected revenue by close date
• Weighted by probability
• Won vs projected

# Deal Properties

Property	Description
Name	Deal identifier
Value	Expected revenue
Stage	Current pipeline stage
Probability	Likelihood to close (%)
Expected Close	Target close date
Contact	Primary contact person
Company	Associated company
Owner	Team member responsible

# Pipeline Customization

# Custom Stages

Create a pipeline that matches your sales process:

1. Go to CRM → Settings → Pipelines
2. Click Edit Pipeline or New Pipeline
3. Add, remove, or rename stages
4. Set probability defaults for each stage
5. Save changes

# Multiple Pipelines

Create separate pipelines for different sales processes:

• New business vs renewals
• Product A vs Product B
• Enterprise vs SMB

# Deal Activities

Track all interactions on a deal:

# Activity Types

• Call — Phone conversations
• Email — Email exchanges
• Meeting — In-person or video meetings
• Note — Internal notes
• Task — Follow-up actions

# Log an Activity

1. Open the deal
2. Click + Activity
3. Select activity type
4. Add details and outcome
5. Save

# Pipeline Analytics

# Win Rate

Track your conversion rate:

• Overall win rate
• Win rate by stage
• Win rate by team member

# Sales Velocity

How fast deals move through your pipeline:

• Average deal cycle time
• Time spent in each stage
• Bottleneck identification

# Revenue Metrics

• Total pipeline value
• Weighted pipeline (value × probability)
• Won revenue this period
• Lost revenue this period

# Best Practices

# Keep Deals Updated

• Move deals promptly when status changes
• Update close dates as they shift
• Add notes after every interaction

# Use Probability Wisely

Set realistic probabilities:

• Lead: 10-20%
• Qualified: 30-40%
• Proposal: 50-60%
• Negotiation: 70-80%

# Regular Pipeline Reviews

Weekly or bi-weekly:

• Review stalled deals
• Update close dates
• Remove dead opportunities

# Quality Over Quantity

Focus on qualified opportunities:

• Disqualify poor fits early
• Move or close stale deals
• Keep your pipeline realistic

# Integrating with Other Features

# Link to Quotes

Create quotes directly from deals:

1. Open the deal
2. Click Create Quote
3. Quote is linked to the deal

# Link to Invoices

When a deal is won:

1. Convert the quote to invoice, or
2. Create an invoice linked to the deal

# Email Sequences

Enroll contacts in automated follow-ups:

1. Open the deal's contact
2. Enroll in a sequence
3. Track engagement from the deal view