Not every business fits into a cookie-cutter sales process. If you’ve ever tried to shove your deals into a “standard” pipeline and ended up tracking half your work on sticky notes or in spreadsheets, you’re not alone. This guide is for anyone who wants to actually own their sales workflow—whether you’re a founder, sales lead, or just the person who has to herd the deals.
Let’s talk about building custom sales pipelines in Floqer that actually match how you work—not just how the software thinks you should.
Why bother with a custom pipeline?
Floqer’s default pipeline is fine if your sales process is simple. But if you:
- Have multiple product lines or services
- Need to track renewals, onboarding, or post-sale steps
- Want to avoid “deal limbo” (hello, stuck in “Proposal Sent” forever)
- Or just need more visibility and sanity
…then a custom pipeline is 100% worth it.
The good news: Floqer’s pipeline builder is flexible, but not so complex you need to hire a consultant. The bad news: it’s easy to overthink things or build something so complicated no one uses it.
Step 1: Map your real sales process (before touching Floqer)
Don’t start by clicking around. Seriously. Grab a whiteboard, piece of paper, or open a doc and jot down:
- Where do leads come from?
- What actually happens between “new lead” and “closed deal”?
- Where do things get stuck?
- Who’s involved at each step?
You want 5–8 stages, max. Any more, and you’ll lose people (and your own patience). Try to stick to meaningful milestones, not just busywork.
Example:
- New Lead
- Qualified
- Demo Scheduled
- Proposal/Quote
- Negotiation
- Closed Won/Lost
If you do renewals, onboarding, or upsells, you might need a separate pipeline (more on that later).
Pro tip: Ask your team what really happens, not just what’s supposed to happen.
Step 2: Set up your custom pipeline in Floqer
Now that you know what you want to track, here’s how to set it up in Floqer:
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Log in and head to Pipelines:
Find the “Pipelines” or “Sales Pipelines” section in your sidebar. If you’re new to Floqer, you may only see the default pipeline—don’t worry, you can add or edit from here. -
Click “Create Pipeline” (or edit existing):
Give it a name that makes sense. “Main Sales” or “Consulting Projects”—whatever fits. -
Add stages:
- For each stage you mapped out, add a new stage.
- Name them clearly: “Qualified,” not “Stage 2.”
- Drag and drop to reorder.
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You can add, rename, or delete stages later—nothing’s set in stone.
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Set up stage details (optional, but helpful):
- Add descriptions or criteria so your team knows when to move a deal forward.
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Example: “Qualified = Contacted, confirmed budget, timeline, and authority.”
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Save your pipeline.
That’s it—you’ve got your own process, not someone else’s.
Step 3: Tweak fields, automations, and views (but don’t go nuts)
Now for the part where folks usually get lost: customizing fields and automations.
Custom Fields
Floqer lets you add fields to deals—stuff like “Industry,” “Deal Value,” “Contract Type,” or whatever matters for your business.
- Add only what’s useful.
If you never filter or report on it, don’t add it. - Required fields:
Make fields required only if you’ll actually need the info every time. Otherwise, you’ll just annoy your team.
Automations
Floqer offers basic automations, like sending notifications or moving deals when something happens.
- Start simple:
Automated reminders for deal follow-up? Great.
Auto-closing deals after 60 days of inactivity? Maybe not—you’ll just annoy people. - Avoid “set it and forget it.”
Automations break when your process changes. Review them every few months.
Views and Filters
Set up saved views for common questions:
- “Deals closing this month”
- “Stuck in Negotiation > 14 days”
- “Renewals due next quarter”
Don’t bother with views you’ll never check.
Step 4: Test your pipeline (before unleashing it on the team)
Before rolling this out company-wide, run through a handful of deals yourself. Move them from start to finish:
- Are any stages confusing or redundant?
- Did you forget a common step?
- Are your custom fields actually useful, or just clutter?
Ask a teammate to try it, too. You’ll uncover weird edge cases fast.
If you’re part of a team:
Show, don’t tell. Walk through a real example in Floqer. Ask for feedback, not just blank stares.
Step 5: Roll it out and get real-world feedback
Once you’re confident, make the new pipeline live for your team.
- Keep it simple at first.
Don’t launch three pipelines and 20 custom fields all at once. - Check in after a week.
Are deals getting stuck? Are people using the new fields? - Adjust quickly.
Don’t wait for “next quarter.” If something’s not working, fix it.
Pro tip: If you’re in a bigger org, consider a short training call or screencast. People are more likely to use what they understand.
Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)
- Too many stages: More than 8, and you’ll just create confusion. Combine where possible.
- Making everything required: Your team (and your future self) will hate having to fill in 10 fields for every deal.
- Ignoring the “real” process: If your pipeline looks good on paper but no one follows it, you’ve missed the point.
- Over-automating: Automations that feel clever in setup can quickly become annoying or break when your process changes.
If you find yourself constantly working outside Floqer, your pipeline isn’t right—go back and tweak.
When should you use multiple pipelines?
Floqer lets you create more than one pipeline. This is useful only if you actually have distinct sales processes. For example:
- You sell products and services, and the steps are totally different.
- You handle new sales and renewals separately.
- You want to split out onboarding or implementation.
Don’t create multiple pipelines just because you “might need them someday.” It’s more work, and you’ll just end up with deals in the wrong place.
Keeping your pipeline healthy (without making it a chore)
- Review your pipeline every few months.
- Prune unused stages or fields.
- Ask your team what’s working (and what isn’t).
- Don’t be afraid to simplify—complexity usually creeps in over time.
Remember, your pipeline is a tool, not a straightjacket. It should make your life easier, not harder.
Final thoughts: Keep it simple, iterate often
The best sales pipelines are living documents. Don’t aim for perfection right away. Start simple, get real feedback, and tweak as you go. If you’re spending more time managing your pipeline than selling, you’ve gone off track.
Floqer gives you the tools—but the process is yours. Build what actually works for your business, and don’t be afraid to change it when reality (inevitably) intervenes.