Want a sales pipeline that actually gets results—not just a pretty dashboard for your boss? This guide is for you. We’ll go step by step, with real talk about what works in Unifygtm and what’s just noise. If you’re a founder, sales lead, or just tired of chasing ghosts in your CRM, keep reading.
Step 1: Get Your House in Order
Before you even click into Unifygtm, grab a notepad. What are you actually selling, to whom, and what does a “win” look like? If you can’t answer in one breath, back up. The fanciest pipeline won’t fix a mushy offer or a list full of tire-kickers.
- Define your ICP (ideal customer profile): Not everyone is a fit. Write down who isn’t a fit too.
- Map your real sales stages: Forget those default “Qualification / Proposal / Closing” labels for now. What are the specific steps in your process?
- Decide on one metric that matters: Is it deals won, demos booked, or something else? Don’t get lost in a sea of “engagement” stats.
Pro tip: Many teams waste weeks overcomplicating this. You can always tweak later—just get a working hypothesis down.
Step 2: Set Up Unifygtm for Real-World Selling
Now, open Unifygtm and avoid the urge to click every feature like a kid in a candy store. Start simple.
2.1 Create Your Pipeline
- Go to the Pipelines section.
- Click “New Pipeline.”
- Name it something obvious (“2024 New Business” beats “Growth Initiative Alpha”).
2.2 Customize Your Stages
Here’s where most folks get stuck. Don’t copy some SaaS blog’s “ideal” stages. Use what matches how you actually talk to prospects:
- Example stages:
- New Lead
- Discovery Call Scheduled
- Needs Analysis Done
- Proposal Sent
- Verbal Yes
- Closed Won/Lost
Rename or reorder as needed. Less is more. Five to seven stages is plenty for most teams.
2.3 Set Required Fields
Make it impossible for junk to get in. Require the basics at each stage (name, email, company, deal size). If you need more, add it—but resist the urge to go overboard with 20 fields.
What to ignore: Fancy “lead scoring” automations right now. You’ll end up fiddling with formulas instead of talking to customers.
Step 3: Import and Clean Your Leads
Time to get your leads in—but don’t dump everything in just because you can.
- Export leads from your spreadsheets or old CRM.
- Clean up obvious junk: Remove anyone who bounced, unsubscribed, or never replied.
- Import only what you’ll actually work: Don’t clutter your pipeline with dead weight.
Unifygtm’s importer is decent—just map your columns carefully. If you hit a snag, fix your CSV and try again. No tool is magic here.
Step 4: Build Simple, Actionable Workflows
The best pipelines don’t just hold data; they tell you what to do next.
4.1 Set Reminders That Matter
- For each deal, set a next action with a due date (“Follow up after demo,” not “Check in”).
- Use Unifygtm’s reminders, but don’t let your inbox fill up with pointless notifications.
4.2 Automate Only the Obvious Stuff
- Auto-create tasks for new inbound leads (“Call within 24 hours”).
- Set up email templates for common follow-ups, but personalize the intro.
Skip the temptation to automate every little thing. Spend your time where it matters—actual conversations.
Step 5: Track Progress and Stay Honest
Here’s where most pipelines die: nobody trusts the data after a month.
5.1 Use the Kanban View—But Don’t Live in It
The drag-and-drop board looks nice, but make sure it matches reality. If deals sit in “Proposal Sent” for weeks, the pipeline’s lying to you.
- At least weekly, review stuck deals. Move dead ones out. Archive, don’t delete.
- Celebrate wins, but study losses. Why did they say no?
5.2 Keep Reporting Simple
Unifygtm’s built-in reports are fine for most teams. Look at:
- Win rate per stage
- Average days to close
- Source of won deals
Ignore “vanity metrics” (like number of emails sent) unless they directly tie to revenue.
Step 6: Get the Team on Board (and Keep Them There)
A pipeline is only as good as the people who use it. If you’re solo, this is easy. If not, read on.
6.1 One Owner Per Deal
No “shared” deals. Make sure every opportunity has a clear owner. Otherwise, everyone assumes someone else is following up.
6.2 Short, Regular Pipeline Reviews
Skip the marathon meetings. Do a 15-minute standup once a week:
- What moved forward?
- What’s stuck?
- Who needs help?
If something’s not in Unifygtm, it doesn’t exist. Hold the line here, or your pipeline turns into a graveyard.
6.3 Give Useful Feedback to Unifygtm (and Ignore the Rest)
If something in Unifygtm is slowing you down, tell them. Ignore the “shiny new feature” emails unless they solve a real pain for your team.
Step 7: Tweak, Don’t Overhaul
You’ll never “finish” your pipeline. That’s normal. The trick is to make small changes, not fall for big, disruptive overhauls every quarter.
- Adjust stages only if deals keep getting stuck or skipped.
- Add fields if you need more info to close deals—otherwise, don’t.
- Try one experiment at a time (e.g., new follow-up email), then see if it helps.
Pro tip: Document what you change and why. You’ll thank yourself in six months.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What Works
- Less is more. Fewer stages, fewer fields, more clarity.
- Actual next steps for every deal.
- Cleaning out junk leads before they clog the system.
What Doesn’t
- Over-automating. You’ll just spend time fixing your own Rube Goldberg machine.
- Relying on default stages or templates—customize to your real process.
- Chasing every new Unifygtm feature. Core stuff matters most.
What to Ignore
- Vanity metrics. If it doesn’t help you win deals, skip it.
- Endless “deal scoring” and “AI insights” unless you have thousands of leads a month.
- Pipeline “health scores” that don’t tie to real outcomes.
Keep It Simple, Keep It Moving
A high converting sales pipeline in Unifygtm isn’t built overnight—or by copying some “best practices” blog post. Start with just enough structure, focus on deals you can actually win, and make it stupidly easy for your team to update things. Iterate, don’t overhaul. The goal isn’t a perfect pipeline—it’s one that helps you close more deals, without losing your mind in the process.