Generating leads is only valuable when the right prospects are identified and given a clear path forward. In Ventry AI, an Opportunity represents a potential business deal, a Pipeline represents the overall sales process, and a Stage represents where the opportunity is currently located inside that process. This guide explains how to build pipelines, track opportunities, and automate follow-up.
Pipelines, Stages, and Opportunities
A pipeline is the overall sales process. Stages are the steps within that process. Opportunities are the potential deals moving through the stages. Contacts are the people associated with those opportunities. This structure gives leadership a clear, real-time view of every deal in flight.
You can run multiple pipelines in parallel — for example one for new business, one for existing client upsells, and one for recruiting placements — so each process has its own stages and reporting.
The Recommended Ventry Sales Pipeline
The recommended Ventry sales pipeline includes: New Lead, Contacted, Qualified, Appointment Booked, Appointment Completed, Proposal, Contract, Payment, Won, Onboarding, Implementation, Live Client, Upsell / Referral, Nurture, and Lost.
Every opportunity should include the contact, opportunity owner, pipeline, pipeline stage, estimated deal value, lead source, notes, and next action. The sales team should update opportunity stages consistently so leadership can accurately forecast revenue.
Creating Opportunities
Create an opportunity manually from a contact record, or let workflows create opportunities automatically when a form is submitted, a call is booked, or a lead is qualified. Automating opportunity creation ensures every inbound inquiry enters the pipeline without manual effort.
Set an estimated deal value and lead source on every opportunity so pipeline value and source attribution reporting stay accurate.
Moving Opportunities Through Stages
Update the stage of an opportunity as it progresses. You can move opportunities manually by dragging them between stages, or automate stage changes with workflows — for example, move an opportunity to Appointment Booked when a calendar event is created.
Consistent stage updates are what make pipeline reporting trustworthy. Coach your team to update stages the same day a milestone occurs.
Automating Follow-Up
Connect pipelines to workflows so follow-up happens automatically. When an opportunity enters a stage, a workflow can send an SMS, schedule a task, notify the owner, and move the opportunity forward after a wait period.
Common pipeline automations include new lead instant response, appointment reminders, proposal follow-up, payment reminders, and reactivation of opportunities stuck in Nurture.
Pipeline Reporting
Pipeline reporting answers the questions leadership cares about: Where are leads coming from? How many leads are converting? Which salespeople are performing? How many appointments are being booked? What is the close rate? What is the pipeline value?
Review pipeline reports weekly to identify stalled deals, coach reps, and forecast revenue. Feature availability may vary depending on your Ventry AI account configuration.
Pipeline Best Practices
Keep stages meaningful and few. A pipeline with too many stages becomes noise; a pipeline with too few hides where deals stall. Review your stages quarterly and remove any that no one actually uses.
Define clear exit criteria for each stage — what must be true before an opportunity moves forward — so every rep applies the same definition of 'qualified' or 'proposal sent.'
Downloadable Resources
Branded PDF guides, SOPs, and cheat-sheets your team can print, share, and distribute.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a pipeline?
A pipeline is the overall sales process. Stages are the steps within it, and opportunities are the deals moving through it.
How do I create an opportunity?
Create an opportunity from a contact record, or let workflows create one automatically when a form is submitted or a call is booked.
How do I move a lead in the pipeline?
Drag the opportunity between stages manually, or use a workflow to move it automatically based on a trigger.
How do I assign a lead?
Set the opportunity owner on the opportunity record, or use a workflow to assign leads by round-robin or rule.
How do I track pipeline value?
Set an estimated deal value on every opportunity and review the pipeline report for total and stage-by-stage value.
Can I have multiple pipelines?
Yes. Run separate pipelines for new business, upsells, recruiting, or any distinct process so each has its own stages and reporting.
How do I automate stage changes?
Use a workflow triggered by an event — like a calendar booking or a form submission — to move the opportunity to the next stage automatically.
What is a stage exit criteria?
The condition that must be true before an opportunity moves to the next stage — for example, 'a discovery call is completed' before moving to Qualified.
How do I forecast revenue from the pipeline?
Multiply estimated deal values by the historical close rate at each stage, then review the weighted pipeline report for a realistic forecast.
Where can I get Ventry AI support?
Schedule a Ventry AI Strategy & Support Session at ventrygroup.com, email dhalli@ventrygroup.com, or call 888.451.8771.
Need help configuring your Ventry AI account?
Schedule a Ventry AI Strategy & Support Session.
