Set up pipeline - stages and probabilities

Written By Miro Flemke

Last updated 5 months ago

What is a pipeline?

A pipeline maps out your sales process as a stage-based model. Each stage represents a phase that a deal goes through—from initial contact to closing. You can freely customize stages, colors, probabilities, and the order.

Create a pipeline

  1. Open the pipeline settings in the CRM section.

  2. Click Create Pipeline.

  3. Enter a name.

  4. The pipeline is created with the default stages (Lead, Qualified, Quote, Negotiation, Won, Lost).

Customize Stages

Each stage has the following settings:

Name

Customizable stage name

Color

Displayed as the column color in the Kanban view

Probability

0–100%. Automatically applied to the deal when it is moved to this stage

Won stage

Marks this stage as closed (there is exactly one per pipeline)

Lost stage

Mark this stage as "did not close" (exactly one per pipeline)

Add Stage

Click Add Stage, enter a name and probability, and select a color.

Change Order

You can change the order of the stages using drag-and-drop. The order determines how the stages are displayed in the Kanban view and in the Stage Picker.

Delete stage

Stages without assigned deals can be deleted. Move existing deals to another stage first. The Won and Lost stages cannot be deleted, but they can be renamed.

Default Pipeline

A pipeline can be marked as default. It will then be automatically preselected when creating new deals. On the pipeline settings page, you can see the number of assigned deals next to each stage.

Delete Pipeline

Pipelines with assigned deals cannot be deleted. First, move all deals to another pipeline or delete them.

Tips

  • Adjust the probabilities to match your actual sales process—this makes the pipeline value calculation in the dashboard more meaningful.

  • Use multiple pipelines for different sales processes, such as new customer acquisition and upselling to existing customers.

  • Keep the number of stages manageable (4–7 stages are ideal). Too many stages make the Kanban view cluttered.

Permissions

To view pipeline settings, you need the "View CRM" permission. To create, edit, and delete pipelines and stages, you need the "Manage Pipeline" permission.