Opportunity Management: Opportunity Stages

When an opportunity is processed by a salesperson, it progresses through various stages. At any particular stage, there is a certain probability that the sale can be successfully closed. The assignment of stages to opportunities gives you the ability to estimate future sales revenue at any time. The accuracy of revenue estimation depends heavily on the correct identification of the opportunity stage and on the accuracy of defining the specified probability.

An implementation consultant or system administrator uses the Stages tab of the Opportunity Classes (CR209000) form to define opportunity stages and their probabilities in your organization. The full list of opportunity stages can be available for selection to all opportunity classes, but every class may have its own set of active stages. For each opportunity class, at least one stage should be active. For details, see Defining Opportunity Classes.

You can specify the current opportunity stage of an opportunity in either of the following ways:

• By selecting an option in the Stage box of the Summary area on the Opportunities (CR304000) form.
• By clicking commands on the More menu and selecting an option in the Stage box of the Details dialog box, which opens.

The system offers the following predefined list of opportunity stages:

• Prospect: The contact or business account associated with the opportunity is a known prospect, but it is not clear whether this prospect is interested in the offered products or services.
• Nurture: A salesperson is collecting information about the prospect or customer's interest in products and services; the salesperson may also be negotiating with the prospect or customer. This stage may be useful if your company decides not to use leads.
• Qualification: A salesperson is determining the prospect or customer's interest in purchasing particular products or services.
• Development: A salesperson is clarifying the prospect or customer's requirements for products or services, as well as the budget, delivery schedule, and project scope (if applicable).
• Solution: A salesperson is negotiating with the prospect or customer about the content of the solution (proposal) and the set of products or services that the prospect or customer wants to buy. The salesperson is creating product demonstrations or other evaluation tools, and the prospect or customer is evaluating the products or services.
• Proof: A salesperson has developed a solution (that is, a proposal), and the prospect or customer is evaluating the solution. The salesperson may select a primary sales quote at this stage.
• Negotiation: A salesperson and the prospect or customer are negotiating the prices, discounts, and terms of the proposed deal.
• Won: The prospect or customer has accepted the proposal and is ready to sign the contract or place an order (or has already done this). Some companies prefer to advance the opportunity to this stage only after the invoice has been issued, or even after a payment has been received.

Depending on your company’s sales processes, any of these stages may be skipped as needed, or new stages can be created. To make a stage inactive, you clear the Active check box for the stage on the Stages tab of the Opportunity Classes form.