> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://guide.smarttask.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://guide.smarttask.io/crm-and-sales-management/creating-a-sales-funnel.md).

# Sales Pipeline

Every sales process has two key stages: generating leads—whether through inbound or outbound efforts—and then qualifying them.

In the initial phase, your ***Leads***** project** might accumulate thousands of unvetted entries. To streamline your pipeline and focus on high-potential opportunities, we recommend creating a separate project called Qualified Leads or simply ***Deals*****.**

This project should house your **Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs)**—contacts who have shown genuine interest and are ready for the next step in the sales journey.

### **Leads Pipeline**

The Leads view is used to **capture and track incoming sales opportunities** before they become active deals.

**Key Elements in the Leads View:**

* **Name**: Lead or company name.
* **Assignee**: The team member responsible for following up on the lead.
* **Priority**: Helps in identifying urgency (e.g., High, Low).
* **Dates**: Due date for follow-up or conversion.
* **Contacts**: The person to reach out to in that company.
* **Qualified Lead**: A Yes/No column to tag leads that meet basic qualification criteria.
* **Interested in Service**: Shows which service the lead is interested in (e.g., Graphic Design, Social Media).
* **Region** and **Lead Source**: Helps with segmentation and marketing analysis.

{% hint style="warning" %}
📌 **Tip**: You can add more custom fields to add more data-points to your leads. **Qualified Lead, Interested in Service, Region** and **Lead Source** are custom fields.
{% endhint %}

![image.png](/files/R4aXV6blPSH3ITr0ISIr)

{% hint style="warning" %}
We highly Recommend **Grouping** by **Due Date** and **Sorting** by **Due Date.** As you take action on a particular lead you would change the due date to reflect the new followup date
{% endhint %}

### **Deal Pipeline**

Once a lead is qualified, it can be moved into the **Deals pipeline** which is structured in a Board format to reflect the sales stages.

<figure><img src="/files/y3Loby7ducaGG1Nykqds" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Deal Stages Include:**

* **Meeting**: For prospects with scheduled discovery or demo meetings.
* **Proposal**: Prospects who’ve received or are in discussion around a proposal.
* **Deal Won**: Successfully closed deals.
* **Deal Lost**: Leads that didn’t convert.
* **Junk**: Irrelevant or spam leads that are disqualified.

This project may contain custom fields like:

1. **Deal Value:** Represents estimated deal value of the deal
2. **Deal Stage:** As noted above

A lead can be moved from **Leads** project to **Deals** Project as following:

<figure><img src="/files/58pvJUXxdlusAYj3bfXm" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### **Steps to Create this Pipeline**

1. **Create a project named “Leads”**:
   * Add custom fields like “Qualified?”, “Lead Source”, “Region”, “Service Interested”, etc.
   * Use filters and grouping (e.g., by Due Date) for better clarity.
2. **Create another project named “Deals”**:
   * Create custom fields like **Deal Value** and **Deal Stage**
   * Deal Stages may be “Meeting”, “Proposal”, “Deal Won”, “Deal Lost”, and “Junk”.
   * **Group and Sort by Due Date** to know exactly which deals to act on today
3. **Transition Workflow**:
   * As leads become qualified, **move** them from the Leads list to the Deals board for pipeline progression.

{% hint style="success" %}
Check out the type of reports you can create from yours sales data [Sales Reports](/crm-and-sales-management/sales-reports.md)
{% endhint %}