If you’re in B2B sales and tired of chasing emails and scattered notes, you’ve probably heard about “deal rooms.” They sound fancy, but at their core, they’re just a shared online space where you and your buyer can keep everything organized. This guide is for anyone who wants less chaos in the sales process and is considering using Dealpad to make it happen.
Let’s cut through the noise—here’s how to actually set up and share a collaborative sales deal room in Dealpad, step by step. No buzzwords, no filler. Just what works, what doesn’t, and what to watch out for.
Why bother with a deal room in the first place?
Before we dive in, let’s be real about why you’d even want a deal room:
- Centralized info: No more “Can you resend that deck?” Everything’s in one spot.
- Transparency: Everyone (on both sides) sees the same materials, timelines, and next steps.
- Fewer surprises: You know who’s involved, what they care about, and where the deal stands.
But—and this is important—it’s not magic. A deal room won’t close deals for you. It just gives you a better shot at keeping things on track.
Step 1: Get set up in Dealpad
First things first: you’ll need a Dealpad account. If your company already uses it, great. If not, you’ll have to sign up and maybe wrangle a trial/demo.
- Tip: Don’t overthink the setup. If you’re testing, just use your real info and a real deal—playing with fake data is a waste of time.
What to have ready:
- A real, active sales opportunity (not a test deal).
- All the materials you’d usually send buyers: decks, PDFs, pricing sheets, etc.
- A rough idea of who the buyer stakeholders are.
Step 2: Create a new deal room
Once you’re logged in:
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Find the “New Deal Room” button
Usually, it’s right on the dashboard or in the sidebar. If you can’t find it, try “Create Deal” or similar—vendors love to rename things. -
Enter the basic deal info
- Name the room after the opportunity or client (“Acme Corp – Q3 Security Tools” beats “Test Room 2”).
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Fill in the deal owner, value, expected close date, etc. Don’t stress about getting every field perfect—you can adjust later.
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(Optional) Connect to your CRM
- If you use Salesforce or HubSpot, Dealpad can sometimes pull in details automatically.
- Honest take: These integrations are hit-and-miss. If it works, great. If not, don’t waste an hour troubleshooting—just enter the basics by hand.
Step 3: Add your key sales materials
This is where most people overcomplicate things. Don’t dump everything you’ve ever made into the room. Instead:
- Start with must-haves:
- Latest sales deck
- Security or compliance docs
- Demo videos (if you have them)
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Pricing and proposal PDFs
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Organize logically:
Create sections or folders if Dealpad supports it (“Kickoff,” “Security Review,” “Pricing & Contracts”). Don’t make it a scavenger hunt. -
Pro tip:
Less is more. If you’re not sure a file helps move the deal forward, leave it out for now. You can add more later if the buyer asks.
Step 4: Map stakeholders and assign roles
One of Dealpad’s strong suits is letting you track who’s involved on both sides. Don’t skip this step—it’s how you avoid the “who’s actually making the decision?” trap.
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Add your internal team:
AE, sales engineer, manager—whoever’s working on the deal. -
Add buyer contacts:
Start with your main contact, then ask: - “Who else should be involved?”
- “Who’s handling legal/security signoff?”
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“Anyone from procurement?”
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Assign roles or tags:
If Dealpad lets you label people (“Decision Maker,” “Influencer,” etc.), do it. If not, just note it in their name or a comment.
What to ignore:
Don’t obsess over getting every stakeholder on day one. Just get the main players in and update as you learn more.
Step 5: Build out your mutual action plan
This is where collaborative selling actually happens. A mutual action plan (MAP) lays out key tasks, owners, and deadlines—visible to everyone.
In Dealpad, this usually means: - Create a list of milestones (e.g., “Technical review,” “Contract sent,” “Sign-off”). - Assign each milestone to you, the buyer, or someone else. - Add target dates—but don’t treat them like gospel. They’re a guide, not a contract.
Best practices: - Keep it simple. Three to five major steps is plenty to start. - Use plain language—no cryptic acronyms or internal jargon. - Review the plan live with your buyer on a call. Don’t just dump it in and hope they engage.
Watch out for:
- Buyers who won’t commit to any steps or dates. That’s a red flag—address it early.
- Overcomplicating the plan. If you’re spending more time updating the MAP than moving the deal, you’ve gone too far.
Step 6: Invite your buyer (and make it painless)
Here’s where a lot of deal rooms flop: you set it up, send an invite, and...crickets. Getting buyers to actually use the room is half the battle.
How to give yourself a fighting chance:
- Send a clear invite:
Don’t just rely on the automated Dealpad email. Follow up with a quick personalized note explaining: - What the deal room is for (“one place for everything—docs, next steps, questions”)
- Why it’ll save them time (no more digging through email chains)
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How to log in (spell it out; assume they’ve never used Dealpad before)
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Demo it live:
Whenever possible, walk the buyer through the room on a call. It’s less intimidating and shows you’re not hiding anything. -
Set expectations:
Tell them you’ll keep the room updated, and that’s where to find the latest stuff.
What won’t work:
Just sending the invite and hoping they’ll explore it on their own. Most buyers have zero patience for new tools—help them see the value, fast.
Step 7: Use the room in your actual sales process
A deal room isn’t a one-and-done thing. It only works if you keep it updated and actually use it as the hub during the sales process.
What to do:
- Update docs and timelines as things change.
Don’t let it get stale—old info kills trust.
- Encourage buyers to upload their own questions or documents.
If they don’t, that’s normal, but invite them anyway.
- Use comments or chat (if Dealpad supports it) for back-and-forth.
Just don’t let it replace real conversations when things get complicated.
What to avoid: - Treating the deal room like a black hole where you toss files and hope for the best. - Bombarding buyers with notifications or updates for every tiny change.
Step 8: Share access (and manage permissions)
Dealpad lets you control who can see what—use it. Not everyone needs access to everything, especially if there are sensitive docs or internal notes.
- For buyers:
Only grant access to materials they need. You can always add more if they ask. - For your team:
Decide if everyone needs editing rights, or just view-only.
Pro tip:
Once the deal is won (or lost), close out access to avoid confusion or accidental leaks.
What works, what doesn’t, and what to ignore
Works: - A clean, focused deal room replaces endless email threads and keeps everyone honest about next steps. - Mapping real stakeholders—no more guessing who’s who. - Sharing a mutual action plan builds real accountability.
Doesn’t work: - Overloading the room with every asset you’ve got. - Hoping buyers will “just figure it out.” - Treating the deal room as a checkbox item, not a real tool.
Ignore: - Fancy features you’ll never use (AI summaries, “deal intelligence,” etc.). Stick to basics until you and your buyers are actually using the room.
Keep it simple and iterate
Setting up a deal room in Dealpad isn’t rocket science, but it does take a bit of discipline. Start with the essentials, make it easy for buyers to engage, and keep the room up to date. Don’t stress about perfection—just get moving and improve as you go. If a feature isn’t helping you close deals faster or with less pain, skip it. The point is to make selling (and buying) less of a headache—not more.