Sales pipeline stages: a practical guide

What a pipeline stage actually is

A pipeline stage is not a mood or a guess about how a deal feels. It is a checkpoint defined by something the buyer has done: replied, booked a meeting, asked for pricing, signed. When stages are defined by buyer actions, your forecast stops being wishful thinking, and anyone on the team can look at the board and know what happens next.

Most teams need five to seven stages. Fewer, and the board tells you nothing; more, and deals stall in bureaucratic limbo. SeaweedBar ships with the six below.

The six stages, and what moves a deal forward

1. 1. New Deal

   A qualified lead has entered the pipeline but no conversation has happened yet.

   Moves on when: You have made a real attempt to reach the prospect and logged the outcome.

2. 2. Contact Made

   The prospect has responded and you know who the decision maker is.

   Moves on when: A discovery call or meeting is on the calendar with a confirmed time.

3. 3. Meeting Completed

   You have heard the prospect's problem, timeline and rough budget in their own words.

   Moves on when: The prospect agrees the problem is worth solving and asks what it would cost.

4. 4. Negotiations Started

   Pricing, scope and terms are being worked through, often with more than one stakeholder.

   Moves on when: Terms are agreed and a contract or order form is out for signature.

5. 5. Contract Signed

   The deal is won and moves to onboarding or delivery.

   Moves on when: Handover is complete and the revenue is recognised in your forecast.

6. 6. Closed Lost

   The prospect chose another option, went quiet, or the timing was wrong.

   Moves on when: The reason is written down so the deal can be revived when the timing changes.

Why spreadsheets lose deals

A spreadsheet records a stage but not the story behind it. The call where the prospect mentioned their renewal date, the follow-up you promised for Thursday, the objection about onboarding time — all of it lives in someone's inbox or memory. When that person is out, the deal quietly stops moving.

SeaweedBar keeps the stage and the story together. Every deal has a Conversations tab where you log timestamped notes about each prospect interaction, so the history sits next to the card you drag across the board. Moving a deal between the 6 stages is a drag, not a copy-paste, and the pipeline value updates as you go.

A simple stage hygiene routine

• Review the board once a week and move anything whose exit criteria are met.
• Log a note after every prospect conversation, even the short ones.
• Give every deal a next step with a date — a deal with no next step is not a deal.
• Close lost deals honestly and record the reason; that list is your best re-engagement list.