Opportunity Management

Opportunities represent potential deals in your sales pipeline. This guide covers everything you need to know about tracking, managing, and closing opportunities.

Overview

Opportunities are qualified leads that have a real chance of becoming customers. The opportunity management system helps you:

• Track deal value and probability
• Manage sales pipeline stages
• Monitor expected close dates
• Calculate weighted revenue forecasts
• Convert opportunities to sales orders

Accessing Opportunity Management

Navigate to CRM → Opportunities to access the opportunity management interface.

Understanding Opportunities

Opportunity Fields

Core Information

• Opportunity Name - Descriptive title for the deal
• Value - Expected deal amount
• Probability - Likelihood of closing (0-100%)
• Priority - Low, Medium, High, or Critical

Timeline

• Expected Close Date - Target date for closing
• Actual Close Date - When deal was won/lost
• Days in Stage - Time spent in current stage
• Age - Total days since creation

Relationships

• Lead - Original lead (if converted)
• Customer - Associated customer account
• Contact - Primary contact person
• Owner - Assigned sales representative

Pipeline Stages

Opportunities move through customizable pipeline stages:

Stage Type	Description	Example
Active	Deal is in progress	Qualification, Proposal, Negotiation
Won	Deal closed successfully	Closed Won
Lost	Deal did not close	Closed Lost

Each stage includes:

• Stage name and description
• Sort order for pipeline display
• Color coding for visual identification
• Default probability percentage
• Win/Lost designation

Creating Opportunities

Manual Creation

1. Navigate to CRM → Opportunities
2. Click New Opportunity
3. Enter opportunity details:

Required Fields

• Opportunity Name - Clear, descriptive title
• Stage - Initial pipeline stage
• Owner - Assigned sales rep

Recommended Fields

• Value - Expected deal amount
• Probability - Win likelihood
• Expected Close Date - Target close date
• Customer - Associated account
• Contact - Primary contact

4. Click Save to create the opportunity

Converting from Lead

When a lead is qualified:

1. Open the lead record
2. Click Convert to Opportunity
3. Review and update:
   • Deal value estimate
   • Expected close date
   • Pipeline stage
   • Probability
4. Confirm conversion

Conversion Best Practice

Ensure BANT criteria (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) are confirmed before converting leads to opportunities.

How-To Guides

How to Manage Pipeline Stages

Viewing the Pipeline

1. Go to CRM → Opportunities
2. Switch to Pipeline View
3. Opportunities display as cards in stage columns
4. Drag and drop to move between stages

Moving Opportunities

Method 1: Drag and Drop

• Click and drag opportunity card
• Drop in desired stage column
• System automatically logs the change

Method 2: Edit Record

1. Open opportunity record
2. Change the Stage field
3. Save changes

Stage Transition Rules

• Some stages may require mandatory fields
• Won stages require actual close date
• Lost stages prompt for loss reason
• Activities are logged automatically

How to Calculate Weighted Value

The weighted value helps forecast realistic revenue:

Weighted Value = Deal Value × (Probability / 100)

Example:

• Deal Value: $50,000
• Probability: 60%
• Weighted Value: $30,000

Setting Probability

Probability can be set:

• Manually - Based on sales rep assessment
• By Stage - Using stage default probability
• Combination - Stage default with manual override

How to Track Opportunity Activities

Logging Activities

1. Open opportunity record
2. Go to Activities tab
3. Click Add Activity
4. Select activity type:
   • Call
   • Email
   • Meeting
   • Note
   • Task
5. Enter details and save

Activity Timeline

View complete history:

• All interactions chronologically
• Stage changes logged automatically
• Linked emails and documents
• Team member mentions

How to Set Up Win/Loss Analysis

Recording Won Deals

1. Move opportunity to Won stage
2. Enter actual close date
3. Confirm final value
4. Add win notes (optional)
5. System creates customer record if needed

Recording Lost Deals

1. Move opportunity to Lost stage
2. Select loss reason:
   • Price too high
   • Competitor chosen
   • No decision made
   • Budget constraints
   • Timing issues
   • Other
3. Add loss notes for analysis
4. Save for reporting

How to Manage Multiple Contacts

Adding Contacts

1. Open opportunity record
2. Go to Contacts tab
3. Click Add Contact
4. Search or create contact
5. Assign contact role:
   • Decision Maker
   • Influencer
   • Technical Buyer
   • Economic Buyer
   • End User
   • Gatekeeper

Primary Contact

• Mark one contact as Primary
• Primary contact receives communications
• Shown prominently on opportunity

Advanced Features

Opportunity Scoring

Automatic Scoring Factors

• Deal value (weighted)
• Probability percentage
• Days until expected close
• Activity recency
• Contact engagement
• Stage progression velocity

Score Interpretation

• 80-100: Hot - Likely to close soon
• 50-79: Warm - Active engagement
• 20-49: Cool - Needs attention
• 0-19: Cold - At risk

Forecasting

Individual Forecast

View your pipeline:

• Committed deals (high probability)
• Best case (all active)
• Pipeline total

Team Forecast

Managers can view:

• Team member pipelines
• Aggregate forecasts
• Comparison to targets

Automation Rules

Configure automatic actions:

• Stage change notifications
• Overdue alerts
• Inactivity warnings
• Assignment rules
• Follow-up reminders

Best Practices

🎯 Pipeline Management

• Keep pipeline data current
• Update stages promptly
• Set realistic probabilities
• Review weekly for accuracy

📊 Forecasting

• Use weighted values for planning
• Track forecast accuracy over time
• Adjust stage probabilities based on history
• Review committed vs. best case

📞 Activity Tracking

• Log every customer interaction
• Set follow-up tasks
• Keep notes detailed
• Link related documents

🔄 Deal Progression

• Move deals through stages actively
• Address stalled opportunities
• Set next steps for each deal
• Regular pipeline reviews

Configuration

Opportunity Settings

Navigate to Settings → CRM → Opportunities:

• Default Stage - Initial stage for new opportunities
• Required Fields - Mandatory data points
• Probability Method - Manual, stage-based, or both
• Auto-close Rules - When to mark overdue

Pipeline Stage Configuration

Navigate to Settings → CRM → Pipeline Stages:

1. Click Add Stage or edit existing
2. Configure:
   • Stage name
   • Default probability
   • Sort order
   • Color
   • Win/Lost designation
3. Save changes

Field Customization

Add custom fields:

• Industry-specific data
• Competitor information
• Product interests
• Custom metrics

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Cannot move to next stage

• Check required field completion
• Verify user permissions
• Review stage transition rules
• Contact administrator

Probability not updating

• Check probability method setting
• Verify stage configuration
• Manual override may be in place

Opportunity not in pipeline view

• Check filter settings
• Verify opportunity status
• Confirm stage assignment
• Review date range filters

Forecast discrepancy

• Verify all deals have values
• Check probability accuracy
• Review closed date ranges
• Confirm team assignments

Next Steps

Learn about Contact Management to manage relationships effectively.