Let’s be honest: most sales pipeline advice is either too vague, too complicated, or written like you’re running a Fortune 500 company with a dozen sales ops people. If you want clear, no-fluff steps on actually creating and managing sales pipelines in 2xconnect, this guide is for you. Whether you’re a sales manager, team lead, or the one-person sales army, you’ll find what you actually need to hit your B2B numbers—with none of the “synergy” nonsense.
1. Know What a Sales Pipeline Actually Is (and Isn’t)
Before you dive into 2xconnect, you need to get real about what a pipeline is. A sales pipeline is just a way to see where all your deals are, what’s stalled, and what needs a push. It’s not a magic “close more deals” button. If you don’t have a basic sales process in mind, no tool—2xconnect or otherwise—will fix that.
Here's what a pipeline should do: - Show you every deal and what stage it's in - Make it obvious what your next move is - Help you spot stuck deals before they die on the vine
If your pipeline is stuffed with dead leads or confusing stages, you’re just making busywork.
2. Set Up Your First Pipeline in 2xconnect
First time using 2xconnect? Good news: setup isn’t rocket science. But don’t get lost in the weeds—focus on what you need for your sales process.
How to Get Started
- Log in and find Pipelines: Go to the main dashboard. There’s usually a ‘Pipelines’ tab or menu option. Click it.
- Hit ‘Create Pipeline’: Simple enough. Give it a clear name (e.g., “New B2B Sales” or “Enterprise Deals Q2”—not “Pipeline 1”).
- Add stages that match your actual sales process: Don’t use the default stages if they’re not right. Typical B2B stages might look like:
- Lead In
- Qualified
- Demo Scheduled
- Proposal Sent
- Negotiation
- Closed Won/Lost
Pro tip: Fewer stages = less confusion. If you’re not sure, start with 4-5. You can always tweak later.
- Set stage criteria: Write a one-liner for what it means to move from one stage to the next. This isn’t busywork—it keeps everyone honest.
What to Ignore
- Fancy automations you don’t understand yet
- Overly granular stages (“Sent Brochure,” “Awaiting Reply #2”)—these just slow you down
- Any field you have to Google to understand
3. Add and Organize Your Deals
A pipeline with no deals is just a pretty chart. Here’s how to get your real-world leads into 2xconnect:
- Import your existing leads: Use the CSV import if you’ve got a spreadsheet. Otherwise, add deals manually. Don’t waste time cleaning up every field—focus on name, company, contact info, and deal value.
- Assign deals to the right stage: Be honest. If a lead hasn’t replied in two months, don’t pretend it’s “hot.” Start clean, even if it hurts your ego a bit.
- Set reminders and owners: Assign a responsible person (even if it’s you) and a next step for each deal. If you skip this, things will fall through the cracks—guaranteed.
What works:
- Keeping deal info minimal at first. You can fill in more as you go.
- Setting up one or two custom fields that actually matter to your process (like industry or deal source).
What doesn’t:
- Making every deal “high priority.” If everything’s urgent, nothing is.
- Letting dead deals clog up your view. Archive or close them fast.
4. Make the Pipeline Useful (Not Just Pretty)
A pipeline is only as good as what you do with it. Here’s how to actually get value out of 2xconnect:
Daily/Weekly Pipeline Review
- Drag and drop deals: Move deals to the next stage as they progress. If you can’t remember why a deal is in a stage, it probably shouldn’t be there.
- Follow up: Use built-in reminders, tasks, or just your own calendar. The tool can nudge you, but you still have to do the work.
- Spot bottlenecks: If you see a bunch of deals stuck in “Qualified,” figure out why. Are you not sending enough proposals? Is your demo process broken?
Use Filters and Views
- Filter by owner, value, or stage: This makes it easy to focus on what matters today.
- Save views for common filters: For example, “Deals closing this month” or “Stalled > 30 days.”
Don’t Waste Time On…
- Customizing dashboards for hours. Get the basics working first.
- Over-engineering reports. If you’re not going to use the data, skip it.
5. Tweak and Improve (But Don’t Overthink It)
No pipeline is perfect from day one. The good news: 2xconnect makes it easy to adjust.
What to Watch For
- Stages nobody uses: If a stage stays empty for weeks, kill it.
- Deals that never move: Figure out if you need to change your process or just be more ruthless about closing dead leads.
- Feedback from your team: If people avoid the system or constantly ask what to do next, your pipeline isn’t clear enough.
When to Add Automations
Don’t mess with automations until your team is using the pipeline regularly. Once you’re ready: - Set up automatic reminders for follow-ups - Trigger emails when deals hit certain stages - Create simple automations for recurring tasks (but only if they actually save you time)
Skip:
- Complicated scoring systems unless you have the data and discipline to use them
- Integrations with every tool under the sun (until you actually need them)
6. Maximize B2B Conversion without Burning Out
The pipeline isn’t the end goal—conversion is. Here’s how to keep your process sane and effective:
- Focus on moving deals forward, not just filling out fields
- Use your pipeline to have smarter 1:1s or team meetings (not just status updates)
- Regularly clear out junk leads so you’re not wasting time
- If something in the process feels dumb or repetitive, fix it fast. Don’t wait for “the right time”
Quick Checklist to Stay on Track
- [ ] Have you set up stages that match your real sales process?
- [ ] Are deals assigned to real people with next steps?
- [ ] Are you reviewing and moving deals at least weekly?
- [ ] Is your pipeline free of obvious junk and dead leads?
- [ ] Have you kept things as simple as possible?
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t fall for the myth that more complex = better. A good pipeline in 2xconnect is one you and your team actually use, not one that impresses your boss with fancy charts. Start simple, review regularly, and make small improvements as you go. If you’re closing more deals and wasting less time, you’re doing it right.