Sales Pipeline: from S1 Qualification to Won/Lost

1. Seven pipeline stages

Every sales opportunity flows through these stages (it can exit to Won/Lost from any of them):

1. S1 — Qualification: Initial fit assessment.
2. S2 — Consult Solution: Solution consulting and detailed needs discovery.
3. S3 — Quotation: Building and presenting the quote.
4. S4 — Negotiation: Negotiating contract terms.
5. S5 — Draft Contract: Drafting and finalizing the contract.
6. Won: Deal won, contract signed.
7. Lost: Deal lost or customer not proceeding.

2. Expected win rate per stage

Each opportunity carries an expected win rate (qualitative + quantitative %). Suggested baseline:

3. What to capture on each opportunity

• Priority: Strategic / Important / Standard.
• Project type: Full delivery / Integration / SaaS / Retail…
• Difficulty: Low / Medium / High.
• Expected contract value and variable cost ratio (CBT).
• Delivery duration (days) and man-days (delivery + warranty).
• Internal review status: technical review done, legal review done, approved.
• Link to technical document.

4. When to mark Won?

Mark Won only when:

• The contract has been signed by both parties.
• Internal review (technical + legal) is complete.
• Delivery resources (tech lead, sales AM) have been identified.

After Won, the opportunity is typically handed off to the Projects module for delivery.

5. When to mark Lost?

Mark Lost when:

• The customer formally declined or chose another vendor.
• The customer has gone silent for 60+ days after the last contact.
• An internal decision is made to drop the deal (poor fit, insufficient margin).

Always log the reason in a final update — it's invaluable input for raising future win rates.

6. Tips

• An opportunity that sits in one stage for over 30 days is a warning sign — review immediately.
• Too many opportunities at S1 means lots of leads but ineffective qualifying.