CRM and pipeline setup

The problem

Most small businesses I see keep their leads in three places: an inbox, a spreadsheet and somebody's memory. Nobody can say how many people are in conversation right now, or who is due a follow-up.

A CRM only helps if its stages and fields match how the business actually sells. A default setup rarely does.

What I built

1. Map the real sales journey

   I start with how a lead actually becomes a client: where they come from, how many calls it takes, what makes a deal stall. The pipeline gets built from that, not from a template.

2. Keep the stages few and honest

   Each stage is named for something that happened, like Call booked or Proposal sent, with a clear rule for when a deal moves on. Four to six stages is usually plenty.

3. Only add fields you will use

   Source, offer, deal value and next step cover most of it. Tags follow a naming pattern so reports don't turn into a mess six months later.

4. Let automations move the cards

   A booked call moves the deal to Call booked. A sent proposal starts the follow-up reminder. Less manual updating means the board stays accurate.

5. Hand it over

   The client gets a one-page guide to how the pipeline works and a short walkthrough, so the setup keeps working after my part is done.

What changed

Every lead and client lives in one place with a clear stage and a next step. Follow-ups stop depending on memory, and the owner can see the pipeline at a glance instead of asking around.

I set these up in HubSpot, Pipedrive and GoHighLevel, and the principles are the same in all three.

• HubSpot
• Pipedrive
• GoHighLevel