CRM sales pipeline template
Six stages for leads from your website chat, forms, calls and messages. Each stage has an exit rule, the fields to fill in and the next action, so every deal moves for a reason. Download the Excel tracker with a weighted forecast or the Word playbook. Free, no sign-up.
Made by Anatolii Ulitovskyi 
Fact-checked by RH Fardin Updated 1. New inquiry
What it means: Someone asked about your service through website chat, a form, a call or a message. Nobody has checked yet whether they fit.
Move to Qualified when
- You replied and know what they need.
- You have their name and an email or phone number.
- You know their area, budget range and start date.
Next actionReply within an hour during working hours and ask your qualifying questions.
Common mistakeLeaving an inquiry without a reply overnight. A short answer now beats a perfect one tomorrow.
2. Qualified
What it means: The lead has a need you solve, a budget in your range, a start date and a known decision-maker.
Move to Meeting booked when
- A call, demo or visit is booked with a date and time.
- The decision-makers know about the meeting.
Next actionOffer two time slots or send your booking link in the same conversation.
Common mistakeMoving everyone who replied into Qualified. If they do not fit, close the deal as Lost with a reason.
3. Meeting booked
What it means: A call, demo or site visit is on the calendar or done. You are learning the scope and how they decide.
Move to Proposal sent when
- You agreed on the scope of work.
- The buyer asked for a price or a proposal.
- You know who signs and when they want to decide.
Next actionSend a recap the same day with the scope and the date your proposal will arrive.
Common mistakeSending a price before the scope is agreed. You get a discussion about price instead of a decision.
4. Proposal sent
What it means: The buyer has your quote or proposal with a price, terms and a start date.
Close the deal when
- Won: they signed, paid a deposit or confirmed the order in writing.
- Lost: they said no, or did not answer after 3 follow-ups.
Next actionSet the follow-up before you send: a call 2 to 3 days later to walk through the proposal.
Common mistakeWaiting for the buyer to come back. Every proposal needs a follow-up date in the CRM.
5. Won
What it means: The buyer signed, paid a deposit or confirmed the order in writing.
Mark as Won when
- A signature, a payment or a written order is on file.
- The final value and close date are filled in.
Next actionHand over to the delivery team with the scope and notes. Ask for a review or a referral after delivery.
Common mistakeMarking a deal as Won after a verbal yes. Wait for a signature, a payment or a written order.
6. Lost
What it means: The buyer said no, chose someone else or stopped replying.
Close as Lost when
- They declined, or 3 follow-ups got no answer.
- A lost reason is picked from the list.
Next actionAsk one short question: what made them choose differently? If the timing was wrong, set a date to get back in touch.
Common mistakeDeleting lost deals. Lost reasons show where your pipeline leaks and what to fix first.
For small sales and support teams
Let your website chat fill this pipeline for you.
The CRMsoftware.pro AI agent answers visitors 24/7 and sends every inquiry to your leads inbox. Turn a lead into a contact, company and deal in one click, then drag it across a Kanban board.
- Leads from chat, forms, email, phone and Telegram in one inbox
- Kanban deal board with live stage and pipeline totals
- Free plan with 1 pipeline. Launch with 3 pipelines from $19 a month, billed yearly
Free plan: 3 users, no credit card.
Filled example
One website lead, from first chat to won
Maria L. from our lead qualification script example becomes a deal for a fictional renovation company. Below is the whole sample pipeline from the Excel tracker.
- Day 1, 10:12New inquiry
Maria asks about a kitchen remodel in the website chat. The AI agent asks what she wants to change, where the house is, when to start, the budget and who decides.
Need, area, start date and budget captured. Lead score 9 of 10.
- Day 1, 10:20Qualified
In the service area, a $35,000 budget within the $25,000 to $45,000 range, a start in March, and both decision-makers will join the call.
Call booked with Dan for Tuesday at 5:30 pm.
- Day 2Meeting booked
A 30-minute call with Maria and her husband, then a site visit on day 4 to measure the kitchen.
Scope agreed. They ask for a written quote.
- Day 6Proposal sent
A quote for $34,800: new cabinets and countertops and moving the sink, with a start date of March 2.
Follow-up call set for day 9. Expected close: day 20.
- Day 13Won
Maria signs the contract and pays a 30% deposit.
Handed over to the project crew with the scope and notes.
Deal card on day 6
| Deal | Kitchen remodel · Maria L. |
| Stage | Proposal sent |
| Value | $34,800 |
| Win probability | 60% |
| Weighted value | $20,880 |
| Source | Website chat |
| Owner | Dan |
| Next action | Follow-up call about the quote, day 9 |
| Expected close | Day 20 |
Fictional company and deals
The sample pipeline in the Excel tracker
Deck rebuild · Raj S.
$9,000StaleWindow replacement · Chen W.
$6,400Basement finish · Lena K.
$28,000Bathroom refresh · Owen P.
$12,500Kitchen remodel · Maria L.
$34,800Home office build-out · Sara M.
$15,200OverdueKitchen island · Tom B.
$7,900Garage conversion · Ana R.
$22,0006
Open deals
$105,900
Open pipeline
$42,140
Weighted forecast
50%
Win rate
1
Overdue next actions
1
Stale deals
Win probability × value gives the weighted forecast. Flags come from the time limit and the next action date.
Excel tracker
What is in the Excel tracker
Three sheets: Pipeline for your deals, Stages for your rules and Summary for the totals. Columns marked Auto fill in by themselves. The file opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets (File, then Import).
| Column | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Stage | Pick from a dropdown with your stages from the Stages sheet. |
| Value | Your estimate at Qualified, then the amount in your proposal. |
| Win probability Auto | Taken from the Stages sheet for the current stage. |
| Weighted value Auto | Value × win probability. |
| Stage since | The date the deal entered its current stage. |
| Days in stage Auto | Today minus the stage-since date, for open deals. |
| Next action and date | One next step and when it is due. Every open deal needs both. |
| Flag Auto | Overdue if the next action date has passed, Stale if the deal is over its time limit, Closed for Won and Lost. |
| Lost reason | Pick from a dropdown when a deal closes as Lost. |
Where the probabilities come from
The defaults are 10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 100% and 0%. They are a starting point in line with the defaults CRMs ship with, for example SugarCRM: prospecting 10%, qualification 20%, proposal 65%3. After about 20 closed deals, replace them on the Stages sheet with your own win rate per stage.
How to set up
Set up your pipeline in 5 steps
- 1
Name the stages
Use what the buyer did: asked, fits, met, got a quote, signed. Keep 5 to 7 stages so each one has a different next action.
- 2
Write one exit rule per stage
Use a fact anyone can check, such as a meeting date being set. If two people would put the same deal in different stages, the rule is too vague.
- 3
Keep required fields short
3 to 5 fields per stage. Ask for the deal value at Qualified, not in the first message.
- 4
Give every deal a next action
Each open deal needs one next step and a date. Reply to new inquiries within an hour1.
- 5
Review every week
Clear overdue and stale deals and read the lost reasons. After about 20 closed deals, set the probabilities to your own win rates.
Set it up in CRMsoftware.pro
- Open Deals under Projects in the left menu.
- Open the pipeline menu, choose New pipeline and name it, for example Website leads.
- Add the stages from this template with Add stage.
- Click New Deal and fill in the title, value, stage, expected close date, primary contact, company and Assigned to.
- Write the next action in the deal notes. When the exit rule is met, drag the card to the next stage. Stage and pipeline totals update on their own.
- When a deal closes, change its Status. The Won and Lost / Declined views keep the history.
Leads from your website chat and forms arrive in the leads inbox. Turn one into a contact, company and deal in one click.
Weekly pipeline review, 15 minutes
- Overdue next actions: do them or set a new date.
- Stale deals: move them forward or close them as Lost with a reason.
- Proposals without a follow-up date: add one.
- New inquiries older than a day: reply now.
- Lost reasons this month: fix the most common one.
Spreadsheet or CRM
When a spreadsheet is enough, and when to move to a CRM
Start with the Excel tracker if you get a few leads a week and one person sells. Move to a CRM when leads arrive from chat and forms every day or several people share the pipeline.
| Excel tracker | CRMsoftware.pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free plan for 3 users with 1 pipeline |
| New leads | Typed in by hand | Leads from website chat, forms, email, phone and Telegram land in one inbox |
| Duplicates | You spot them yourself | Matched by email, phone and company domain |
| Moving a deal | Change the Stage cell | Drag the card on a Kanban board |
| Totals | Formulas on the Summary sheet | Stage and pipeline totals update live |
| Team access | File sharing settings | Owner, admin and employee roles |
FAQ
CRM sales pipeline questions
What is a CRM sales pipeline template?
It is a ready-made set of stages, rules and fields for tracking deals from the first inquiry to won or lost. This one is built for leads from your website: chat, forms, calls and messages. It gives each stage an exit rule and comes with an Excel tracker and a Word playbook.
What are the stages of a sales pipeline?
This template uses six: new inquiry, qualified, meeting booked, proposal sent, won and lost. Salesforce describes seven: prospecting, lead qualification, demo or meeting, proposal, negotiation and commitment, opportunity won and post-purchase2. For website leads, the inquiry itself replaces prospecting.
How many stages should a sales pipeline have?
Most teams use 5 to 7. Use as few as you can while each stage still has a different next action. If deals often skip a stage, merge it with the next one.
What are exit criteria in a sales pipeline?
Exit criteria are facts that must be true before a deal moves to the next stage, for example a meeting date is set or the buyer asked for a quote. They keep stages consistent, so your totals and forecast mean the same thing for everyone on the team.
How do you calculate a weighted pipeline?
Multiply the value of each open deal by the win probability of its stage, then add the results. In the sample tracker, 6 open deals worth $105,900 give a weighted forecast of $42,140. The Excel file does the math for you.
What is the difference between a sales pipeline and a sales funnel?
A pipeline tracks deals and the actions your team takes at each stage. A funnel shows how many leads drop out between stages. The same stages feed both: the Summary sheet counts the deals in each stage, which is your funnel view.
How do I make a sales pipeline in Excel or Google Sheets?
Download the Excel tracker and open it. In Google Sheets, choose File, then Import, and upload the file. Pick a stage from the dropdown, and the probability, weighted value, flag and totals fill in.
When should you mark a deal as lost?
When the buyer says no, chooses someone else or does not answer after 3 follow-ups. Pick a lost reason, and if the timing was the problem, set a date to get back in touch.
Can I use this pipeline in CRMsoftware.pro?
Yes. Create a pipeline in Deals, add these stages and drag deals across the Kanban board. Leads from your website chat and forms arrive in the leads inbox and become deals in one click. The Free plan includes 1 pipeline, Launch 3, and Growth and Scale have unlimited pipelines.
Related templates
Free tools for sales teams
Sources
- Response time and lead qualification: James B. Oldroyd, Kristina McElheran and David Elkington, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads, Harvard Business Review, March 2011
- Seven pipeline stages, updated August 2026: Salesforce, What are the stages of a sales pipeline?
- Default win probability by stage in a CRM: SugarCRM, Understanding Sugar Sales Stages
- Plans, prices and features, checked October 5, 2026: CRMsoftware.pro pricing
Move your website leads into a real pipeline.
Start free with 3 users and 1 pipeline. Paid plans from $19 a month, billed yearly: Launch for 8 users and 3 pipelines, Growth for 20 users and Scale for 50, both with unlimited pipelines.