Deals
Manage opportunities from first touch to close with stages, values, and forecasting.
By Sebastian StreiffertPublished Jan 10, 2026Updated May 29, 202610 min read
What Is the Deals Pipeline?
The Deals section is where revenue happens. Every qualified opportunity with a potential dollar value lives here. You track deals from initial proposal through negotiation to closed won or closed lost. This is the core of sales management.
Unlike Leads (which track engagement quality), Deals track commercial opportunity. A deal has an expected value, a close date, and a probability. These numbers feed your revenue forecast.
Pipeline Stages
Deals move through stages that represent your sales process. Lumenbase includes default stages, but you can customize them completely.
Default Pipeline Stages
| Stage | Purpose | Default Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Understanding needs and fit | 20% |
| Proposal | Solution presented | 40% |
| Negotiation | Terms under discussion | 70% |
| Closed Won | Deal signed and booked | 100% |
| Closed Lost | Opportunity did not close | 0% |
The probability at each stage feeds into forecasting. A $100,000 deal in Discovery contributes $20,000 to your weighted forecast. Move it to Negotiation and that contribution jumps to $70,000.
Settings → Workspace → Configuration → Funnel stages → Deals pipelines.Creating a Deal
Deals typically come from converted leads, but you can also create them directly for inbound opportunities or referrals.
Required Fields
| Field | Purpose | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Deal Name | Identifies the opportunity | Usually company name + product/use case |
| Company | Who you are selling to | Must exist in your CRM first |
| Pipeline | Which sales process applies | Select if you have multiple pipelines |
| Stage | Current progress | Start at the earliest applicable stage |
| Value | Expected contract amount | Best estimate, update as you learn more |
| Close Date | When you expect signature | Be realistic, not optimistic |
Optional but Valuable
- Primary contact: Who is your main point of person?
- Deal owner: Which rep is responsible?
- Probability: Override stage default if you have specific insight
- Notes: Initial context about the opportunity
The Pipeline View
The Deals page shows your pipeline as a Kanban board by default. Each column is a stage. Cards are individual deals. The visual layout shows pipeline health immediately.
Kanban View
List View
Reading Deal Cards
Each card shows key information: deal name, value, close date, and owner. Color coding often indicates deal health or days since last activity. Hover for more details.
Deal Health Indicators
Not all deals are equally likely to close. Lumenbase tracks signals that indicate whether a deal is progressing normally or showing warning signs.
Health Factors
| Factor | What It Measures | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Activity recency | Days since last logged activity | Stale deals rarely close suddenly |
| Stage velocity | Time in current stage vs. average | Stuck deals may need intervention |
| Close date accuracy | Has the date been pushed multiple times? | Repeated pushes signal trouble |
| Stakeholder engagement | Are contacts responding? | Silent prospects are risky |
| Next step clarity | Is there a defined next action? | Deals without next steps drift |
Lumenbase aggregates these factors into a health indicator on each deal. Green means on track. Yellow means attention needed. Red means at risk. Use these to prioritize your pipeline reviews.
Updating Deals
Deals require active management. Here is what you should update and when:
After Every Interaction
- Log the activity (call, meeting, email exchange)
- Update notes with key takeaways
- Confirm or adjust the next step
- Move stage if exit criteria are met
Weekly Reviews
- Verify close dates are still realistic
- Update values if scope changed
- Adjust probability if confidence shifted
- Flag deals that need manager support
Closing Deals
Every deal ends in one of two places: Closed Won or Closed Lost. Both outcomes matter for your data.
Closed Won
When a deal closes successfully, mark it Closed Won and enter the final contract value. The company automatically becomes eligible for the Accounts section if it is not already. Celebrate appropriately.
- Move deal to Closed Won stage
- Confirm final contract value (may differ from estimate)
- Record actual close date
- Link the signed contract if applicable
Closed Lost
When a deal does not close, record why. This data is valuable for improving your sales process.
| Loss Reason | What to Examine |
|---|---|
| Lost to competitor | Competitive positioning, pricing |
| No decision | Qualification rigor, urgency creation |
| Budget cut | Timing, value demonstration |
| Champion left | Stakeholder mapping, multi-threading |
| Product gap | Roadmap alignment, expectation setting |
Forecasting Integration
Your pipeline feeds directly into revenue forecasting. Lumenbase calculates expected revenue based on deal values and probabilities.
A $50,000 deal at 40% probability contributes $20,000 to your weighted forecast. As the deal progresses and probability increases, so does its forecast contribution.
Forecast Accuracy
Accurate forecasting requires accurate pipeline data. Stale close dates, unchanged probabilities, and zombie deals all distort projections. Clean pipeline hygiene is a prerequisite for reliable forecasts.
Pipeline Best Practices
- Define stage exit criteria. What must be true before a deal can advance? Shared definitions prevent inconsistent staging.
- Update close dates honestly. Pushing a date is not failure. Pretending a date is realistic when it is not hurts forecasting.
- Close lost deals promptly. Dead deals pollute your pipeline. If it is not happening, mark it lost and move on.
- Use activities for accountability. A deal without recent activities is a deal without attention. Log your work.
- Review weekly. Thirty minutes each week reviewing your pipeline prevents surprises at the end of the quarter.
- Multi-thread relationships. Deals with one contact are fragile. Link multiple stakeholders to reduce single-point-of-failure risk.
Quick Reference
Lumenbase 101 · Step 7 of 8
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