Sales teams love to talk about “pipeline hygiene” and “deal velocity”—but let’s be honest, tracking how deals actually move (or stall) is usually a mess. If you’re using Akoonu and want to get a real handle on deal progression, this guide’s for you. I’ll walk you through what works, what’s just noise, and how to get answers that actually help your team close deals instead of just looking busy.
1. Understand What “Deal Progression” Means (And Why Most People Mess It Up)
Before you dive into Akoonu, let’s get clear: “deal progression” isn’t just watching a deal move from Stage 2 to Stage 3. It’s about understanding why it’s moving, what’s getting stuck, and what that means for your forecast.
Deal progression should answer questions like: - Are deals moving forward consistently, or getting stuck at the same stage? - Which reps are moving deals faster (and how)? - Are certain types of deals dying early, or dragging on forever? - Is the forecast based on reality, or wishful thinking?
What doesn’t work:
Obsessing over every tiny status change. You want patterns, not just activity logs.
2. Set Up Your Data in Akoonu Properly (Don’t Skip This Step)
If your CRM data is garbage, Akoonu’s not going to magically clean it up. So, before you start analyzing, make sure you have:
- Consistent opportunity stages: Everyone on the team should use the same definitions (“Proposal Sent” should mean the same thing every time).
- Accurate close dates: If reps keep pushing dates “just in case,” your reports will be junk.
- Regular updates: Stale data = useless analytics.
Pro tip: Run a quick audit. Pull a handful of deals, walk through their stage history, and make sure it matches reality. If not, fix your process first—analytics can wait.
3. Get Oriented: Akoonu’s Analytics Tools at a Glance
If you’re new to Akoonu, you’ll find a bunch of analytics options. Here’s what actually matters for deal progression:
- Pipeline Flow/Stage Movement Reports: Shows how deals move between stages over time.
- Aging Reports: Flags deals that are sitting in a stage too long.
- Conversion Rate Analysis: Tells you what percentage of deals make it from one stage to the next.
- Forecast Accuracy Reports: Compares what you thought would close against what actually closed.
Ignore:
The reports that just list “number of activities logged” or pretty graphs with no actionable info. You’re after insights, not dashboards that look good in a board meeting.
4. Step-by-Step: How to Analyze Deal Progression in Akoonu
Let’s get into the weeds. Here’s the workflow that actually works:
4.1. Start with Pipeline Flow
- Go to Akoonu’s analytics tab and pull up the Pipeline Flow or Stage Movement report.
- Filter by a reasonable time window (90 days is usually a sweet spot).
- Look for deals stuck in the same stage for ages, or deals that jump multiple stages at once (often a sign of bad data entry).
What to watch for: - Lots of deals bunching up in one stage? That’s your bottleneck. - Deals skipping stages? Dig in—this usually means reps are gaming the system or inputting data late.
4.2. Layer in Aging Reports
- Pull up an Aging Report by deal stage.
- Sort by deals sitting the longest—these are your “zombie deals” cluttering up the pipeline.
- Cross-reference with rep or deal type. If one rep has all the old deals, have a conversation.
Quick win:
Set up alerts for deals that haven’t moved in 30 days. Don’t wait for quarter-end to clean house.
4.3. Analyze Stage Conversion Rates
- Use the Conversion Rate Analysis tool to see where deals are dropping off.
- Compare conversion rates by rep, product, or deal size.
- If one stage is bleeding deals, that’s your weak spot—fix the process before blaming the rep.
Don’t get distracted:
Conversion rates that bounce around week to week are normal. Focus on trends over months, not days.
4.4. Check Forecast Accuracy (But Don’t Obsess)
- Run the Forecast Accuracy report to compare predicted closes vs. actuals.
- Look for consistent misses. Are deals always slipping? Is the “commit” category just wishful thinking?
- Use this to calibrate—not punish—reps.
Honest take:
No tool can predict the future. Use forecast accuracy to spot patterns and improve your process, not to demand 100% perfection.
5. Reporting: How to Tell a Story (Without the Fluff)
It’s tempting to dump a bunch of charts into a slide deck and call it a day. Don’t. The point of reporting is to drive action, not fill airtime.
What works: - Highlight key trends: “Deals are stalling at Stage 3, especially in enterprise accounts.” - Call out wins and problems: “Rep A moves deals 2x faster, but loses more at proposal stage.” - Recommend specific next steps: “Let’s review our qualification process for big deals.”
What doesn’t:
Charts with no narrative, or “insights” like “Stage 2 deals are up 3%.”
Pro tip:
Write your reports for sales managers and reps, not just execs. If it doesn’t help someone take action, cut it.
6. Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Even good tools like Akoonu can’t save you from these classic mistakes:
- Chasing vanity metrics: More meetings logged ≠ deals moving forward.
- Analysis paralysis: Reviewing every metric under the sun just wastes everyone’s time.
- Ignoring data quality: Bad input = bad output. Fix your CRM hygiene first.
- Relying only on the tool: Numbers never tell the whole story. Talk to your reps about what’s really happening with stuck deals.
7. Iterate and Keep It Simple
Here’s the truth: the best analytics setups are usually the simplest. Start small. Track the basics—stage movement, deal aging, and conversion rates. Review regularly. Tweak as you learn what actually drives change.
Don’t wait for perfect data or the “ultimate” dashboard. Use Akoonu to shine a light on where your process breaks down, fix it, and move on. That’s how you actually close more deals, not just report on them.
Bottom line:
Simple process, clean data, honest insights. That’s how you get value out of Akoonu analytics—and out of your sales pipeline. Now, go make your pipeline work for you.