How to build your first sales pipeline

A pipeline is a sequence of named stages that a deal moves through. NerdCRM ships a default pipeline; you can edit it, replace it, or run multiple pipelines side-by-side (one per product line, one per region, etc).

Step 1 — Open Pipelines

Pipelines → All pipelines — you’ll see the default pipeline pre-populated. Click it to edit, or click Create pipeline to start fresh.

Step 2 — Pick a template (or start blank)

We ship three templates we’ve seen work for phone-heavy teams:

• Outbound recruiting — Sourced → Screening call → Submitted → Interview → Hired
• EdTech admissions — Lead → Counseling call → Application sent → Application complete → Enrolled
• Real estate — New inquiry → Property viewing → Offer made → Under contract → Closed

Templates are a starting point; you can rename, reorder, add, or delete stages after picking one.

Step 3 — Define each stage

For every stage, set:

• Name — what reps see on the Kanban board
• Order — left-to-right position
• Probability % — used for weighted pipeline reports (e.g., In discussion at 70% means we expect 70% of in-discussion deal value to land)
• Color — visual distinction on the board

For phone-heavy teams we recommend at least one Callback scheduled stage — it surfaces deals that need a follow-up call this week and powers the daily callback report.

Step 4 — Save and assign

Click Save. The pipeline is now available to all your reps. To make it the default for new deals, toggle Set as default.

Step 5 — Add deals

From any contact, company, or directly from Deals → New deal:

• Pick the pipeline
• Pick the starting stage
• Assign an owner (rep)
• Add expected close date and value

The deal appears on the Kanban board immediately. Reps can drag deals across stages or update them inline from the deal detail page.

Per-stage automation (optional)

You can attach simple automations to a stage transition:

• On enter Callback scheduled — create a follow-up activity for the deal owner due in 3 days
• On enter Won — log a payment milestone, mark related contacts as customers
• On enter Lost — capture a reason from a dropdown so you can analyze loss reasons later

Multiple pipelines

You can run as many pipelines as you want. Common patterns:

• One pipeline per product line, so the Kanban view is clean per product
• One pipeline per region or KAM, when team workflows differ
• A separate Renewals pipeline that’s distinct from new business

Reports support per-pipeline filtering everywhere.

Tips

• Keep stages concrete and verb-shaped (Callback scheduled beats Engaged)
• 5–7 stages is a good range; more than 10 starts to slow reps down
• Don’t include Lost as a stage — use the Won/Lost status field instead so lost deals don’t sit on the board

Need ideas? The live demo ships with a fully populated phone-heavy pipeline you can poke at without signup.