What should a sales pipeline template include?
A usable sales pipeline template has three parts: five or six stages, an exit rule for each stage written as something the buyer did, and a short list of fields you must fill in before a deal can move. Add a day limit per stage so stuck deals show up. Copy the template below into a spreadsheet or your CRM and change the wording to match how your buyers decide.
| Stage | Exit rule: move on only when the buyer has | Fill in before moving | Example day limit | Example weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Conversation booked | Accepted a call or asked for one | Contact, role, company, source, reason now, call date | 7 | 10% |
| 2. Problem confirmed | Described the problem in their own words and what it costs them | Problem in their words, current workaround | 14 | 25% |
| 3. Buying process known | Named who decides, a budget range or approval route, and a date | Decision-maker, budget range, their target date | 21 | 40% |
| 4. Proposal sent | Asked for a price and agreed a date to review it | Value, proposal date, review date | 14 | 60% |
| 5. Verbal yes | Said yes to scope and price; only paperwork is left | Who signs, start date | 10 | 80% |
| 6a. Closed won | Signed or paid | Close date, final value | None | 100% |
| 6b. Closed lost | Said no, or went quiet past your cut-off | Loss reason from a fixed list | None | 0% |
The day limits and weights are examples to start from, not benchmarks. Once 20 or so deals have closed, replace them with your own: the median days each stage took, and the share of deals at each stage that went on to win. Every exit rule describes the buyer, so a deal can't move because you sent something. Stage 4, for example, needs the buyer to agree a review date, not just your proposal in their inbox.
How do HubSpot, Salesforce and Pipedrive set up pipeline stages?
HubSpot's default deal pipeline has seven stages and Salesforce Classic's default Stage list has ten, and Pipedrive's guide gives a seven-stage example. Many of the names describe what the seller does or schedules rather than what the buyer decided. Here is what each vendor's own pages show, checked on 5 Nov 2026.
| Source | Stages and probabilities |
|---|---|
| HubSpot's default deal pipeline (help page updated 22 Oct 2026) | Appointment scheduled (20%), Qualified to buy (40%), Presentation scheduled (60%), Decision maker bought-in (80%), Contract sent (90%), Closed won (100%), Closed lost (0%) |
| Salesforce's default Stage values (Salesforce Classic article, published 1 Jul 2026) | Prospecting (10%), Qualification (10%), Needs Analysis (20%), Value Proposition (50%), ID Decision Makers (60%), Perception Analysis (70%), Proposal/Price Quote (75%), Negotiation/Review (90%), Closed Won (100%), Closed Lost (0%) |
| Pipedrive's example pipeline (a guide, not a fixed default) | Qualified lead, Contact made, Demo scheduled, Proposal made, Negotiations started, Deal won, Deal lost; no probabilities given |
Three things to take from these. First, the probabilities matter: HubSpot says the weighted amount in its board view is the total amount in each stage multiplied by the stage probability, so the defaults shape your forecast until you change them. Second, Pipedrive's guide describes three of its stages by what the sales rep did (contact made, formal quote delivered, discussing the deal), which is the habit our template avoids. Third, Pipedrive's guide recommends a minimum viable pipeline with milestone-based checkpoints, and suggests a field probably doesn't belong in the first setup if a rep doesn't use it to make a decision. Pipedrive's pipeline design help page (updated 3 Sep 2026) suggests setting a stage probability if you have historical performance data, which is why the template's weights are only a starting point.
Which fields belong on a sales pipeline form?
Keep the deal form to the fields someone will use to decide what to do next. Our post on CRM rules that keep a database usable argues for six required fields: contact, company, stage, value, next step and next step date. The template above adds a few that become required at later stages. Names below are samples.
| Field | Type | Sample entry | Why it's there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deal name | Text | Acme: reporting, 12 seats | One line you can read on a board |
| Contact and role | Text | Priya, Head of Operations | Who you are talking to |
| Source | Fixed list | LinkedIn post, referral, inbound form, cold email | Shows which channel produces deals that close |
| Reason now | Text | Hiring two analysts for reporting | Why this deal exists this month |
| Stage | Fixed list | 3. Buying process known | Drives the board and the weights |
| Stage entered | Date | 3 Nov 2026 | Lets you flag deals past the day limit |
| Value | Number | 6,000 | Feeds pipeline and coverage |
| Next step and date | Text and date | Call with finance lead, 12 Nov | A deal without one is drifting |
| Decision-maker | Text | Sam, CFO (sample) | Required from stage 3 |
| Their target date | Date | Start by 1 Jan | The buyer's date, not your hoped-for close |
| Loss reason | Fixed list | No budget, chose another vendor, no decision, poor fit, went quiet | Only countable if it's a list |
In a spreadsheet, make Stage, Source and Loss reason dropdowns. Google's help page for Sheets says that once a cell has a dropdown, data that doesn't match an item on the list is rejected, unless you change the rule to show a warning instead. That stops "Proposal sent" and "proposal - sent" from becoming two stages.
What is pipeline coverage? A worked example
Pipeline coverage is the value of your open deals divided by the target for the same period. The number you need depends on your own win rate, which is why a single ratio such as 3x misleads small teams. Here is the arithmetic for a sample company, Northwind Ltd, with a quarterly target of $60,000, using the example weights from the template.
| Stage | Deals | Value | Weight | Weighted value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Conversation booked | 8 × $5,000 | $40,000 | 10% | $4,000 |
| 2. Problem confirmed | 5 × $5,000 | $25,000 | 25% | $6,250 |
| 3. Buying process known | 4 × $6,000 | $24,000 | 40% | $9,600 |
| 4. Proposal sent | 3 × $8,000 | $24,000 | 60% | $14,400 |
| 5. Verbal yes | 2 × $7,500 | $15,000 | 80% | $12,000 |
| Total | 22 | $128,000 | $46,250 |
Coverage is $128,000 ÷ $60,000 = 2.1x. The weighted value, $46,250, is $13,750 short of target. Now use Northwind's own history instead: suppose 1 in 4 deals that reach stage 1 end up won. Covering $60,000 then takes $60,000 ÷ 0.25 = $240,000 of open pipeline, which is 4x. The gap is $240,000 − $128,000 = $112,000, or about 23 more booked conversations at $5,000 each ($112,000 ÷ $5,000 = 22.4), and only if they can close inside the quarter.
The weighted value is a rough guide, not a forecast. For a method that works with 20 deals, see how to forecast sales with only 20 deals.
What is the 10-3-1 rule in sales?
The 10-3-1 rule says 10 qualified prospects lead to 3 booked appointments and 1 new client. It comes from insurance selling. In a 2014 article for Insurance Portal, Jim Ruta, coach and president of Advisorcraft, names the late Al Granum as the formula's likely father and says many people misread it as ten calls producing three appointments and one sale. In Jim Ruta's reading, the 10 are qualified prospects, people known to have a need, appreciate it and be able to buy, and the client comes over time, not immediately, then can lead to several sales.
Treat it as a shape to measure, not a target. Your template already holds the numbers: count deals that entered stage 1, stage 3 and closed won over the last two quarters. If 40 entered stage 1, 12 reached stage 3 and 4 were won, your own ratio is 10-3-1. If it is 40, 6 and 2, the leak is between a first conversation and a known buying process, and that is the stage to fix.
What goes on a sales pipeline dashboard?
Six numbers, each computed from the fields in the template. If a dashboard tile can't be traced to a field, it can't be trusted.
| Number | Formula from the template | Northwind example |
|---|---|---|
| Open pipeline | Sum of Value where Stage is 1 to 5 | $128,000 |
| Weighted pipeline | Sum of Value × stage weight | $46,250 |
| Coverage | Open pipeline ÷ period target | 2.1x |
| Stuck deals | Count where today minus Stage entered is more than the day limit | Count them each Monday |
| Stage conversion | Deals that reached the next stage ÷ deals that entered this one, last 90 days | Shows where deals leak |
| Win rate and days to close | Won ÷ (won + lost); median days from stage 1 to won | Feeds the coverage you need |
CRMs can flag stuck deals for you. Pipedrive's rotting feature lets you set a number of inactive days per stage, after which the deal tile turns red; its help page (updated 3 Sep 2026) notes that the timer ignores the next activity date, so a deal with an activity booked far ahead can still go rotten. Bring the stuck-deal list to a weekly pipeline review and decide each one: move it, fix the next step, or close it lost.
How do you set this template up this week?
Pick one place, enter the stages and exit rules, and move your current deals in one sitting. Plan about an hour.
Write the stages and exit rules
Copy the first table. Change any exit rule your buyers don't follow; keep each one as something the buyer does.
Build it where you already work
In HubSpot, the help page says to go to Settings, then Data Management, Objects, choose the object, open the Pipelines tab, click the pipeline and use + Add stage, picking a deal probability for each. Its conditional stage properties show chosen fields when someone moves a deal into a stage, and with the Required box ticked the record can't be updated until they are filled in, which is how you make "fill in before moving" happen. The same page says free accounts get no custom pipelines beyond the default one. Siela's built-in CRM also shows deals on a visual pipeline.
Re-stage every open deal against the rules
Ask of each deal what the buyer has actually done. Expect some to move back a stage and some to close lost.
Set the Monday check
Every Monday, list stuck deals and deals without a dated next step, and fix them before adding new ones.
If you are unsure whether you need a pipeline or a funnel view, our explainer on sales funnel vs sales pipeline covers which question each answers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a sales pipeline and a sales funnel?
A pipeline tracks individual deals and what has to happen next on each one, stage by stage. A funnel tracks how many people or accounts make it from one step to the next, as conversion rates. You manage deals in the pipeline every week; you look at the funnel to see where volume is lost over a quarter.
How many stages should a sales pipeline have?
Five or six open stages plus won and lost is enough for most small B2B teams. HubSpot's default deal pipeline has seven stages including won and lost, and Salesforce Classic's default Stage list has ten. Fewer stages with strict exit rules tell you more than many stages nobody can tell apart.
What are the 7 stages of the sales funnel?
The vendor pages we checked don't share one list. HubSpot's default deal pipeline has seven stages, from appointment scheduled to closed lost, Pipedrive's example has seven with different names, and Salesforce Classic's default Stage list has ten. Name your stages after the decisions your buyers make, and count how many people reach each one.
What pipeline coverage ratio do I need?
Divide one by your own win rate from the first stage. If one in four deals that enter your pipeline is won, you need about four times your target in open pipeline; if one in three, about three times. Use deals that can close within the period, and recalculate each quarter from your own closed deals.
Can I use a spreadsheet as a sales pipeline template?
Yes, until shared editing and reminders get messy. Use one row per deal, the fields from the form above, and dropdowns for stage, source and loss reason so values can't drift. Sort by stage entered date each Monday to find stuck deals. Move to a CRM when several people update deals or you start missing follow-ups.
Sources
- HubSpot Knowledge Base: Set up and customize pipelines (checked 5 Nov 2026 (updated 22 Oct 2026))
- Salesforce Help: Default standard picklist field values in Salesforce Classic (checked 5 Nov 2026 (published 1 Jul 2026))
- Pipedrive: Ways to foster CRM adoption (checked 5 Nov 2026)
- Pipedrive Knowledge Base: The Rotting feature (checked 5 Nov 2026 (updated 3 Sep 2026))
- Google Docs Editors Help: Create an in-cell dropdown list (checked 5 Nov 2026)
- Insurance Portal: Persistence drives success of 10-3-1 formula, Jim Ruta (23 Apr 2014)
- Pipedrive Knowledge Base: Pipeline: how to design your sales process (checked 5 Nov 2026 (updated 3 Sep 2026))