Setting up a sales pipeline that actually fits how your team works is harder than it looks. Most CRMs come loaded with default stages and pointless fields that no real salesperson asked for. If you’re trying to build a process that matches your business (instead of the other way around), you’re in the right place. This guide walks you through building a customized pipeline in Withlantern—not just clicking through menus, but making something your team will actually use.
Whether you’re new to CRMs or just tired of fighting with the wrong setup, you’ll get a clear, step-by-step process. No sales theory, no fluff—just what you need to get a pipeline up and running, with honest notes about what matters, what doesn’t, and where you can skip steps if you’re in a hurry.
Step 1: Figure Out Your Actual Sales Process (Before You Touch Withlantern)
I know—you're here for the Withlantern walkthrough, but trust me. The #1 mistake people make is copying someone else’s pipeline stages and hoping for the best. Before you even log in, take 10 minutes and sketch out your real sales process. Here’s how:
- Write down the actual steps your deals go through. Not the "ideal" flow, but what really happens. (E.g., “Inbound lead > Qualify > Demo > Proposal > Close,” or whatever fits.)
- Ask your team what slows them down. Is there a step you always skip? A field you never fill in? Drop it.
- Decide what’s good enough for now. Don’t design for every weird edge case—start simple.
Pro tip: If you’re moving from another tool, don’t just import everything. Most old pipelines are full of junk.
Step 2: Set Up Your New Pipeline in Withlantern
Now that you’ve mapped out your real process, it’s time to get hands-on with Withlantern.
2.1 Log In and Navigate to Pipelines
- Log into your Withlantern account.
- Go to the “Pipelines” or “Sales Pipelines” section (the wording might change as the product evolves, so look for anything with “pipeline” in it).
- You’ll see the default or sample pipelines. Ignore these for now.
2.2 Create a New Pipeline
- Click on “Create Pipeline” (or “+ New Pipeline”).
- Give it a name your team will recognize. (“Sales Q2 2024” beats “Pipeline #2.”)
- Add a short description if you want—honestly, most people skip this.
Step 3: Customize Your Pipeline Stages
Here’s where most people overthink things. Don’t try to capture every scenario. The goal: a pipeline that gives you a clear snapshot of where deals are, not a bureaucratic slog.
3.1 Add and Name Stages
- Start with your core stages (the list you wrote earlier).
- Name each stage clearly—“Demo Scheduled” is better than “Phase 2.”
- Drag to reorder if Withlantern allows. Order matters; it’s your flow.
3.2 Keep the Number of Stages Manageable
- 5–7 stages is plenty for most sales teams.
- If you have more than 10, ask yourself: “Do we actually use all of these?”
3.3 Set Win/Loss Points
- Decide which stage(s) mark a “won” or “lost” deal.
- Withlantern usually lets you set this explicitly. Use it—otherwise, reports get messy fast.
What to ignore: Fancy automation between every stage. Unless you have a big team or volume, automation can wait.
Step 4: Add (or Remove) Fields That Actually Matter
Withlantern, like most CRMs, lets you add custom fields to deals, contacts, or companies. Here’s how to avoid turning your pipeline into a form-filling exercise:
4.1 Review Default Fields
- Hide or delete any fields you never use. (Really—no one cares about “Lead Source” if you always leave it blank.)
- Keep only what you need to move a deal forward.
4.2 Add Custom Fields
- Create fields only for info you’ll actually use or report on.
- Good examples: “Key decision maker,” “Expected close date,” “Deal size.”
- Bad examples: “Preferred font,” “Favorite color,” or anything no one will update.
4.3 Make Fields Required Sparingly
- If you make everything required, people will just fill in junk to get through the form.
- Only make fields required if you truly can’t move forward without them.
Pro tip: You can always add more fields later. Start lean.
Step 5: Set Up Basic Deal Entry and Assignment
Getting deals into the pipeline smoothly is more important than any clever automation.
5.1 Decide How Deals Get Added
- Manual entry: Fine for small teams. Just hit “Add Deal” and fill in the basics.
- Import: If you’re moving from a spreadsheet or another CRM, use Withlantern’s import tool. Double-check column mapping—this is where most imports go wrong.
- Web forms or integrations: If you already have incoming leads from your site or tools like Zapier, set these up after the basics work.
5.2 Assign Owners or Teams
- Assign deals to the sales rep or team responsible.
- If you have round-robin or shared ownership, see if Withlantern supports this natively. If not, keep it simple: assign manually and move on.
What to skip (for now): Don’t worry about automated lead scoring or complex routing rules unless you’re drowning in leads.
Step 6: Test the Pipeline With Real-World Scenarios
Before rolling out to your whole team, run through a few deals yourself. Look for:
- Confusing stage names (“What does ‘Review #2’ mean?”)
- Fields that feel pointless or slow you down
- Any missing steps (does a deal ever get “stuck”?)
6.1 Get Feedback From the Team
- Have 1–2 salespeople walk through adding a deal.
- Ask what feels annoying or unnecessary.
- Tweak as needed—don’t be precious about your setup.
Pro tip: The perfect pipeline doesn’t exist. You’ll tweak this over time.
Step 7: Roll Out and Train (Without Overdoing It)
Now you’re ready to roll out the new pipeline. But don’t turn this into a three-hour meeting.
7.1 Show, Don’t Tell
- Walk through adding a real deal, moving it through stages, and updating fields.
- Share a short cheat sheet or screenshot, not a 40-slide deck.
7.2 Set Expectations
- Make it clear what’s required (e.g., “Move deals to the next stage as soon as the demo is booked”).
- Let people know you’re open to feedback—if something’s broken, you’ll fix it.
7.3 Check In After a Week
- See what’s working, what’s not.
- Be ready to remove steps or fields that aren’t pulling their weight.
What to ignore: Fancy dashboards or analytics until the pipeline basics are nailed down.
Step 8: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Here’s the truth: your pipeline will never be perfect on day one. That’s fine. The goal is to make it easy for your team to track deals and spot what’s coming up next—not to build a monument to process.
- Don’t be afraid to kill a stage, field, or rule that’s not helping.
- Revisit your pipeline every couple of months. What’s working? What’s getting ignored?
- Remember: if your team doesn’t use it, it’s not a real process.
Bottom line: Start simple, get your pipeline working in Withlantern, and be ruthless about keeping only what helps you sell. The rest is just noise. You can always tweak as you go. Good luck—and don’t let the software boss you around.