If you’ve ever looked at your sales pipeline in a CRM and thought, “Wait, what does ‘Qualify B’ even mean?” — you’re not alone. Most out-of-the-box deal stages are too generic (and sometimes just plain confusing) for real B2B teams. If you want your pipeline to actually reflect how your team sells, you need to make it your own.
This guide is for sales managers, ops folks, and anyone else who’s stuck cleaning up the CRM. We’ll walk through how to customize deal stages in Dealcoachpro so your team can finally stop arguing about what “Negotiation” really means. We’ll cover what’s worth tweaking, what to leave alone, and a few gotchas to avoid.
Why Bother Customizing Deal Stages?
Let’s be blunt: if your deal stages don’t match how your team actually sells, you’ll get bad data, unreliable forecasts, and annoyed reps. Custom deal stages mean:
- Cleaner data (less “miscellaneous” dumping)
- Easier coaching and pipeline reviews
- More accurate forecasting (no more “stuck in Stage 4 for 8 weeks”)
But don’t get hung up on adding tons of stages. More isn’t better. The goal is to reflect the key steps in your sales process, not to document every email sent.
Step 1: Map Out Your Actual Sales Process
Before you touch Dealcoachpro, talk to your team. Find out what really happens between “new lead” and “closed/won.” You’re looking for the real steps, not what’s on your website.
How to do it:
- Whiteboard the journey of a typical deal, from first contact to closing.
- Ask reps where deals get stuck, or where they spend most of their time.
- Identify any stages that are “just for show” — e.g., the ones everyone skips or ignores.
Pro Tip: If your reps are arguing about whether a deal is in Stage 2 or 3, your stages are too vague or too similar.
Step 2: Decide Which Stages You Actually Need
Here’s where most teams go wrong: they create a stage for every little thing. You don’t need a separate stage for “Sent Proposal” and “Followed Up on Proposal” unless your pipeline is massive and complex.
A good deal stage should: - Represent a real, measurable milestone (e.g., "Demo Completed," not "Working on Proposal"). - Be mutually exclusive (a deal can’t be in two stages at once). - Be easy for reps to understand and use.
A typical B2B pipeline might look like: 1. Prospecting 2. Qualified 3. Discovery/Needs Analysis 4. Demo/Presentation 5. Proposal Sent 6. Negotiation 7. Closed Won/Lost
You might need more (or fewer), but don’t go overboard. If you have more than 7-8 stages, ask yourself: “Are these really necessary?”
Step 3: Check Dealcoachpro’s Permissions (Don’t Skip This)
Not everyone can edit deal stages in Dealcoachpro. Usually, only admins or ops folks can make these changes. Double-check your permissions before you spend half an hour planning only to find out you can’t actually do anything.
How to check: - Go to your profile or settings. - Look for “Admin” or “Settings” permissions. - If you’re not sure, ask your CRM admin or check Dealcoachpro’s help docs.
If you don’t have the right permissions, save yourself some frustration and get someone who does.
Step 4: Get Into Dealcoachpro and Find the Deal Stages Settings
Once you’re ready, log into Dealcoachpro and find the deal stages customization area.
Where to look: - Go to “Settings” (usually in the sidebar or under your profile). - Look for “Pipeline,” “Deal Stages,” or sometimes just “Sales Process.” - You’ll see the current list of stages, usually in order.
Heads up: UI changes happen. If you can’t find “Deal Stages,” use the search bar in settings or check the knowledge base.
Step 5: Edit, Add, or Remove Stages
Now you’re in. Here’s where you make the magic happen.
Editing Existing Stages
- Rename stages to match your process. E.g., change “Qualification” to “Discovery Call.”
- Update the stage description, if possible, so everyone knows what belongs where.
- Reorder them to match your workflow.
Adding New Stages
- Click “Add Stage” (or similar).
- Give it a clear, short name.
- Write a description that explains exactly what needs to happen for a deal to move here.
Don’t add a new stage unless you really need it. More stages = more confusion and more admin work later.
Removing or Hiding Stages
- If there are default stages you don’t use, delete or hide them.
- Make sure no active deals are sitting in a stage you want to remove — move them first.
Caution: Some CRMs make it hard to delete default stages. If you can only “deactivate” or “hide” them, that’s fine. Just keep the visible list clean for your team.
Step 6: Define Clear Criteria for Each Stage
A common reason pipelines get messy: nobody agrees when a deal should move to the next stage.
For each stage, write down: - The specific action or event that moves a deal forward (e.g., “Client has agreed to a demo date”). - Who’s responsible for moving the deal (usually the rep). - Any documentation or notes needed.
Example: - Stage: Proposal Sent - Criteria: Formal proposal document sent to the main decision maker via email. - Notes: Attach proposal to deal record.
Share these criteria with your team (in your playbook, a Google Doc, or whatever works).
Step 7: Test Your New Pipeline With Real Deals
Don’t just roll out your new stages and hope for the best. Pick a handful of real deals, and walk through the new pipeline with your reps.
- Does each deal fit neatly into one stage at a time?
- Are there stages where nobody’s sure what to do?
- Is anything missing, or are there bottlenecks you didn’t anticipate?
If something feels off, fix it now. It’s much easier to tweak before you force everyone to use it.
Step 8: Train Your Team (Without the Eye Rolls)
Let’s be honest: salespeople don’t love CRM changes. Keep training short and practical.
- Share a one-pager or quick video on what’s changed and why.
- Focus on how the new stages make their lives easier (faster pipeline reviews, less confusion).
- Be clear about what you expect: “Move deals forward as soon as X happens. Don’t leave deals stuck.”
And listen. If reps tell you something’s confusing, take it seriously.
Step 9: Review and Tweak (But Don’t Overthink It)
Check in after a month. Are deals progressing smoothly? Are stages being skipped, or are reps still dumping everything in “Qualified”?
- Look at your pipeline reports. If most deals are piling up in one stage, something’s off.
- Ask reps what’s working and what’s not.
- Don’t be afraid to simplify — “Less is more” applies here.
Pro Tip: Avoid tweaking stages every month. Change fatigue is real. Make changes, let them stick, and revisit only if you see real friction.
What to Ignore (Most of the Time)
- Color-coding/Emoji Stages: Fun, but not worth the effort.
- Hyper-specific Stages: Like “Legal Review Pending” — unless legal is a huge bottleneck, keep it simple.
- Fields nobody fills out: If nobody uses a field or stage, cut it.
Your CRM should help you sell, not slow you down.
Honest Pros and Cons of Custom Deal Stages in Dealcoachpro
What works: - Tailoring stages makes pipeline reviews and forecasts more useful. - Your team will have fewer “where does this go?” questions.
What doesn’t: - Over-customizing leads to confusion and admin headaches. - Too many stages = analysis paralysis.
What to watch for: - Some integrations (like with marketing automation or reporting tools) might break if you delete or rename stages. Test before you nuke anything. - If you have multiple sales teams with very different processes, you’ll need separate pipelines or careful coordination.
Keep It Simple — and Keep Improving
A sales pipeline should be a tool, not a chore. Start simple, focus on what matters, and don’t be afraid to change things up if your team’s getting stuck. Customizing deal stages in Dealcoachpro isn’t about perfection — it’s about making your CRM fit the way you actually sell.
Get your pipeline right, and you’ll spend less time fighting your CRM and more time actually closing deals. Good luck.