B2B sales is enough of a grind without software getting in the way. If you’re using Momentum to manage your pipeline, you know it can help keep your team organized and accountable—but only if you don’t overcomplicate things. This guide is for sales leaders, ops folks, and anyone tasked with wrangling a B2B pipeline. We’ll cover what actually works when setting up and managing stages in Momentum, so you spend less time fiddling with software and more time closing real deals.
Why Pipeline Stages Matter (But Not as Much as You Think)
Pipeline stages are just labels for where a deal is in your process. That’s it. Their job: help you track progress, forecast, and know what to do next. If your team can’t tell what stage a deal’s in—or worse, if they all use it differently—your pipeline’s just a fancy to-do list.
With that in mind, let’s walk through a practical approach to managing pipeline stages in Momentum.
Step 1: Map Your Real Sales Process—Not an Idealized One
Before you even log into Momentum, get honest about how deals actually move through your company. This isn’t about what should happen. It’s about what does.
- Talk to your reps. Where do deals get stuck? What steps do they always hit, and which ones do they skip?
- Don’t copy a template. Every company says “discovery” and “negotiation,” but what do those mean for you? Spell it out.
- Keep it simple. More stages mean more admin. If you can’t explain a stage in one sentence, you probably don’t need it.
Pro tip: 5–7 stages is plenty for most B2B teams. More than that and you’re micromanaging.
Step 2: Set Up Stages in Momentum—Make Each One Actionable
Now, set up those stages in Momentum itself. Here’s how to make that work:
- Name stages clearly. “Proposal Sent” beats “Proposal” or “Negotiation.” Make it obvious when a deal moves forward.
- Define entry/exit criteria. For each stage, what has to be true for a deal to enter or leave it? Write this down somewhere your team will see.
- Align with Momentum’s automation. Momentum lets you trigger tasks, alerts, or Slack messages when a deal hits a stage. Use this for real work (e.g., “send contract when deal hits Contract Sent”)—not just notifications for the sake of it.
Watch out for:
Don’t get cute with stage names or add stages for every micro-step. The more you have, the more likely reps will ignore them—or worse, fudge things to make reports look good.
Step 3: Get Buy-In (and Feedback) From the Sales Team
Even the best pipeline design is useless if your team doesn’t use it right. Here’s how to get them on board:
- Explain the “why.” Don’t just say, “We have new stages.” Show how it’ll make their lives easier—less admin, fewer status meetings, clearer next steps.
- Ask for feedback. After a week or two, check in: Are reps confused? Are certain stages always skipped? Fix it fast.
- Document it somewhere obvious. A one-page doc beats a 30-slide playbook. List stages, what they mean, and the criteria for moving deals.
Pro tip: If a stage is always misused or ignored, it’s probably not that useful. Don’t be precious—change it.
Step 4: Set Up Momentum Automations (But Don’t Overdo It)
Momentum’s real power is in its automations. When used well, they keep your team focused and deals moving. Used poorly, they’re just more noise.
What works: - Automatically create follow-up tasks when a deal hits a key stage. - Trigger reminders for next steps (e.g., “Schedule demo” when a deal hits Qualified). - Push important stage changes to Slack for visibility—but only the big stuff.
What doesn’t: - Creating a Slack alert for every stage change. No one needs that much spam. - Auto-updating fields or stages based on vague criteria—this just creates confusion when deals move in weird ways.
Keep automations lean. If you’re not sure you need it, skip it. You can always add more later if reps are still dropping the ball.
Step 5: Audit and Adjust Regularly
No pipeline setup survives first contact with reality. Momentum makes it easy to tweak your pipeline, so don’t set it and forget it.
- Review stage usage monthly. Are deals piling up in one stage? Are reps skipping steps? Dig in.
- Clean up abandoned stages. If a stage hasn’t seen a deal in months, kill it.
- Ask for feedback, again. Your team’s the canary in the coal mine. If they’re frustrated, your pipeline isn’t working.
Pro tip: Involve reps in these reviews. They’ll spot issues before they become reporting headaches.
What to Ignore (Seriously)
A few things you don’t need to worry about:
- Overly granular stages. Nobody cares if the contract is “sent,” “reviewed,” or “signed” if all three happen in a day.
- Tracking every touchpoint. Stages are for big milestones, not every email or call.
- Pipeline “best practices” from companies nothing like yours. What works for a 1,000-person SaaS company may be overkill for a 10-person team.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
-
Analysis Paralysis:
Spending weeks debating if you should have six or seven stages. Just pick something that makes sense and move on. -
Ignoring the team:
If reps don’t use the pipeline, the problem is the pipeline—not the people. -
Automating everything:
Automation is great, but only when it actually saves time. Test it with one or two key workflows before rolling out more. -
Letting things get stale:
A pipeline full of old, dead deals is worse than no pipeline at all. Build regular cleanup into your process.
A Quick Example: A No-Nonsense B2B Pipeline
Here’s what a typical Momentum pipeline might look like:
- Prospecting – Deal identified, not yet qualified.
- Qualified – Confirmed fit and interest.
- Discovery/Needs Analysis – Digging into the customer’s pain points.
- Proposal Sent – Formal proposal delivered.
- Negotiation – Details ironed out, legal review.
- Contract Sent – Contract out for signature.
- Closed Won/Lost – Deal signed or lost.
Each stage has clear criteria. No guesswork, no fluff.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Fix What’s Broken
Pipeline management in Momentum isn’t rocket science. Map your real process, keep stages clear and actionable, use automation sparingly, and check in with your team. Don’t overthink it. Start simple, watch what happens, and don’t be afraid to tweak things as you go.
The goal? Spend less time wrestling with the CRM, and more time actually selling. That’s it. Good luck.