If you’re in B2B sales, you know that “out of the box” rarely fits anyone’s real-world process. That goes double for workflow tools that promise to automate your pipeline but end up feeling like a straightjacket. This guide is for people who want to make Face2Face work for their actual sales process—not the one in the marketing video.
Whether you’re wrangling deals across a small team or trying to get your reps to use any CRM consistently, here’s how you can customize Face2Face so it fits your business, not the other way around.
1. Map Out Your Real Sales Process (Don’t Skip This)
Before you crack open any settings, get clear on what your B2B sales process actually looks like. Not what you wish it was, or what the last consultant drew on a whiteboard.
Do this first: - List out the major stages a deal goes through, end-to-end. - Identify who is involved at each step (rep, manager, technical, legal, etc.). - Highlight the “weird” parts—those steps you do that most CRMs ignore (procurement, onboarding calls, custom demos, whatever). - Note where deals get stuck or lost—these are your problem spots.
Pro tip: Actually walk through a few recent deals from start to finish. Look at emails, notes, the whole paper trail. You’ll spot workarounds and extra steps that no standard workflow covers.
If you skip this step, you’ll end up fighting Face2Face instead of customizing it.
2. Get Familiar with Face2Face Workflow Basics
Face2Face organizes work into “workflows,” which are just sequences of steps (or “stages”) that deals move through. Out of the box, you’ll get something generic: Lead → Qualified → Proposal → Closed Won/Lost.
Here’s what you can actually customize: - Stages: Add, rename, or remove stages to match your process. - Fields: Track the info you care about at each stage. - Triggers & automations: Set up automatic emails, reminders, or hand-offs. - Permissions: Control who can see or edit what. - Integrations: Link with your calendar, email, or other sales tools.
Don’t get distracted by: Fancy features you’re not ready for (AI scoring, built-in dialers, etc.). Focus on just the workflow at first.
3. Tailor Stages to Fit How You Actually Sell
This is where most teams go wrong—they just stick with the default stages and try to jam their process into them.
How to make this work: - Create stages for every meaningful step. If you have a stage where “Legal is reviewing” or “Waiting on client’s IT,” add it. - Be picky—don’t add stages for the sake of it. Too many stages make tracking a nightmare. - Name stages in plain English. If your team has inside lingo, use it. (Seriously, no one wants to click “Qualification 2” if you call it “Intro Call” in real life.) - Set required fields for critical info at each stage. For example, don’t let deals move to “Proposal Sent” unless you’ve got a real decision-maker’s name.
Stuff you can ignore: - Don’t bother with “Lost Reason” dropdowns with 20 options. Keep it simple—make it easy to fill out, or people will just pick the first option.
4. Automate the Repetitive Stuff, Not the Nuanced Stuff
Face2Face lets you set up triggers—things like “send a reminder if a deal sits in this stage for a week,” or “auto-create a follow-up task when a proposal goes out.”
Use automation for: - Reminding reps to follow up after key stages. - Assigning tasks automatically (like “Send contract”). - Notifying managers when big deals change stage. - Pushing data to Slack, email, or other tools your team actually uses.
Be careful with: - Automated emails to prospects—these can feel robotic and get ignored. - Too many notifications. If your reps get 20 emails a day from Face2Face, they’ll tune them out. - Complex branching logic. Keep automations simple at first. You can always fine-tune later.
Honest take: Automation is great for nudges and reminders but lousy for anything that requires judgment or a personal touch. Don’t try to automate your way out of real sales work.
5. Customize Fields and Data Capture (But Don’t Go Overboard)
You can add custom fields to deals, contacts, or companies in Face2Face. This is tempting territory, but more fields means more friction.
What works: - Add fields for info you always need—like “Procurement Contact” or “Renewal Date.” - Use dropdowns for things you want to report on later (like “Industry” or “Product Line”). - Hide fields that only matter to managers so reps don’t roll their eyes.
What to skip: - Don’t create a field for every possible scenario. Extra fields slow down your team and clutter reports. - Avoid mandatory fields unless you truly need them. Otherwise, you’ll get junk data.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure whether to add a field, leave it out. You can always add more later.
6. Set Up Permissions and Visibility the Right Way
Not everyone needs to see (or edit) everything. Face2Face has decent permissions controls; use them to reduce noise and avoid mistakes.
Set up: - Managers can see all deals, reps just see their own. - Sensitive fields (like pricing) can be hidden from junior staff. - Only certain users can move deals to “Closed Won” or “Closed Lost.”
Don’t bother with: - Hyper-granular permissions until you actually hit a problem. Most teams overthink this and end up with a mess that’s hard to manage.
7. Integrate with the Tools You Actually Use
Face2Face loves to tout its integration list. Here’s what’s worth your time:
Worth setting up: - Calendar and email integration (cuts down on double entry). - Slack or Teams notifications for key events. - Exporting data to a spreadsheet or BI tool if you actually use them for reporting.
Skip for now: - Deep integrations with tools you’re not using yet. Don’t build for a future that may never come.
Word of warning: Integrations can break or get weird. Test everything with a dummy deal before rolling it out to your team.
8. Test with Real Deals (Not Just Demo Data)
Before you roll out your new workflow to the whole team, try it with a few real deals. You’ll spot holes, missing stages, or automation misfires that aren’t obvious on paper.
How to test: - Walk through the workflow as if you’re a rep, manager, and admin. - Move deals through each stage and see if anything feels clunky. - Ask your most skeptical rep to try it—if they can’t break it, you’re in good shape.
Fix as you go: Don’t wait for a “big launch” to fix obvious gaps. Tweak things live.
9. Train Your Team (But Don’t Overdo It)
Face2Face is pretty straightforward, but any change can throw people off. Don’t just send a doc and hope for the best.
What works: - Short, hands-on training (live or recorded) focused only on what’s new or different. - Cheat sheets for common tasks. - A single point person who can answer “how do I…” questions for the first month.
What doesn’t: - Long training sessions covering every possible feature. - Forcing everyone to use every field or stage from day one.
10. Iterate and Keep It Simple
No workflow survives first contact with reality. Expect to tweak things—stages, fields, automations—after you go live.
Best approach: - Review how things are going after a month. What’s being ignored? What’s causing headaches? - Drop anything that adds friction but no value. - Ask your team for honest feedback (and actually listen).
Remember: The best workflow is the one your team actually uses. Start simple, fix what’s broken, and don’t let “perfect” get in the way of “working.”
Bottom Line
Customizing Face2Face for your B2B sales process isn’t rocket science, but it does take some upfront thinking and a willingness to keep things practical. Start with your real process, build just enough structure to help (not hinder), and don’t be afraid to strip out anything that’s not pulling its weight. Iterate fast, and remember: simpler is almost always better.