If you're tired of endless email chains, scattered notes, and deals slipping through the cracks, you're not alone. Sales teams these days drown in “collaboration tools” but still wind up chasing their tails. If you want to actually work together on complex B2B deals—and stop losing momentum—this guide is for you. We’ll walk through setting up collaborative deal rooms in Prelay, plus a bunch of lessons learned so you don’t just add another tool to the pile.
Why Deal Rooms, and Why Prelay?
Let’s be honest: Most sales “collaboration” is just forwarding PDFs and hoping someone reads them. A deal room gives your team (and sometimes your customer) an actual shared workspace, where you can track tasks, share updates, and keep everyone honest about what’s next.
Prelay stands out because it’s built around real sales workflows—not just generic project management. That said, it’s not magic. If your process is a mess, Prelay won’t save you. But if you’re ready to get organized, here’s how to set up deal rooms that actually help you close.
Step 1: Map Out Your Real Sales Process (Don’t Skip This)
Before you touch any software, get your real sales steps on paper (or a whiteboard, or a napkin). I know, you want to click buttons—but trust me, you’ll save time in the long run.
Ask yourself: - What are the actual stages a deal goes through at your company? - Who really needs to be involved at each step? (Not just “everyone”) - What handoffs or approvals stall deals?
Pro tip: Don’t just copy your CRM stages. Those are usually for reporting, not real work.
What to ignore: Fancy templates that don’t match your reality. It’s tempting, but if you try to force your process to fit a tool, you’ll just create more confusion.
Step 2: Set Up Your First Deal Room Template
Prelay lets you create templates so every deal starts with the right structure. Here’s how to make one that actually works for your team.
2.1. Create a New Template
- Go to the Deal Room Templates section in Prelay.
- Click “Create Template.” Give it a name that makes sense (e.g., “Enterprise SaaS Deal”).
- Add a brief description for your team. Clarity now saves headaches later.
2.2. Define Stages and Milestones
- Add the real stages from Step 1.
- Under each stage, list specific milestones or tasks (e.g., “Confirm technical fit,” “Security review kickoff”).
- Keep it simple. You can always add more later, but too much detail up front just creates noise.
2.3. Assign Roles
- For each stage or task, assign the person or team that’s responsible.
- Don’t default everything to “Sales Rep.” Pull in solutions engineers, legal, etc., where needed.
- Pro tip: Assign backup owners for bottleneck steps. Deals stall when one person’s out sick.
2.4. Add Guidance and Resources
- Link to playbooks, templates, or FAQs directly in the deal room.
- Don’t overload it—just the essentials your team actually uses.
What to ignore: Over-customizing every template. Start with your bread-and-butter deal type, get feedback, then add more as needed.
Step 3: Launch a Deal Room for a Real Opportunity
Now it’s time to put your template to work.
3.1. Create a New Deal Room
- Hit “New Deal Room,” pick your template, and name the deal (e.g., “Acme Corp Renewal”).
- Add core team members right away: AE, sales engineer, CSM, etc.
3.2. Invite the Right Collaborators
- Use Prelay’s invite system to bring in everyone who should have eyes on this deal—no more, no less.
- If you want to loop in external stakeholders (like the customer’s IT lead), set permissions carefully. You don’t want to accidentally show your internal notes.
3.3. Set Deadlines and Priorities
- For each milestone, set realistic due dates.
- Flag any steps that are true blockers (legal review, for example).
- Use Prelay’s notifications, but avoid spamming the team with reminders for every tiny task.
What to ignore: Inviting the whole company “just in case.” More people doesn’t mean better collaboration.
Step 4: Run the Deal—Don’t Just Check Boxes
A deal room isn’t a magic bullet. It’s only as good as the habits you build around it.
4.1. Use the Deal Room as Your Single Source of Truth
- Keep all key documents and updates there—not in email threads or Slack DMs.
- If something changes (e.g., new decision maker, updated requirements), update the deal room immediately.
4.2. Communicate in Context
- Use Prelay’s comments or discussion threads tied to specific milestones. This keeps conversations focused and easy to reference.
- Avoid side conversations outside the deal room, unless they’re truly confidential.
4.3. Track Progress (and Roadblocks)
- Use Prelay’s status tracking to see what’s stuck.
- If a step is blocked, tag the right person and ask for help—don’t let it linger quietly.
What works: Having a weekly deal review using the deal room as your agenda. What doesn’t: Treating the deal room as “extra work” you update after the fact. If your team isn’t using it in real time, you’ll just end up duplicating effort.
Step 5: Iterate and Improve
No process survives first contact with the real world. Expect to tweak your templates and workflows as you go.
5.1. Gather Feedback
- After a few deals, ask your team what’s working (and what’s not).
- Look for stages that always get skipped or steps that are unclear.
5.2. Adjust Templates
- Edit your templates to reflect reality—cut unnecessary tasks, clarify confusing steps.
- If you keep hitting the same roadblocks (e.g., legal review delays), add guidance or escalation paths.
5.3. Don’t Overcomplicate
- Resist the urge to automate everything or add endless integrations right away.
- Get the basics working first: clear steps, clear owners, and a central place to collaborate.
Pro Tips for Real-World Success
- Keep it simple: The more fields and stages you add, the more likely people are to ignore them.
- Use deadlines sparingly: Only set dates for steps that truly need them, or you’ll end up with so many overdue tasks that nobody cares.
- Onboard new hires using deal rooms: It’s a great way to show them your actual process, not just a slide deck.
- Review closed deals: See what worked and what didn’t—update your process accordingly.
- Don’t expect miracles: If your team isn’t bought in, even the best setup won’t help. Start with one or two deals, get some wins, then expand.
Wrap-Up: Don’t Let the Tool Drive the Process
Setting up collaborative deal rooms in Prelay won’t magically fix broken sales processes. But if you put in the work upfront, keep things simple, and focus on real collaboration, you’ll spend less time chasing updates—and more time actually closing deals. Start basic, improve as you go, and don’t be afraid to ignore features that don’t serve your team. Less noise, more deals. That’s the goal.