If your B2B sales process feels more like herding cats than closing deals, you're not alone. Off-the-shelf CRM pipelines can be too rigid for complex, multi-stage sales — especially when you’re juggling long cycles, multiple stakeholders, or custom pricing. This guide is for sales ops folks, sales leaders, and hands-on sellers who want to set up custom pipelines in Roinnovation that actually fit the way you work.
No sales-tech hype here — just the steps you need, the stuff to skip, and a few hard-won lessons from teams who’ve tried to make complex B2B sales look simple.
1. Get clear on your real sales process (not the one in the brochure)
Before you even open Roinnovation, map out how your deals actually move from first contact to closed/won. Don’t just copy the vendor’s pipeline template or your old CRM’s stages. Talk to your team. Ask:
- What are the real steps in your biggest deals? (Be honest — is it really "Demo > Proposal > Closed," or is there a lot more negotiation and legal back-and-forth?)
- Who needs to sign off at each stage?
- Where do deals stall or get lost?
Pro tip: Draw your process on a whiteboard or in a Google Doc. Keep it messy. You can clean it up later.
What to ignore: Don’t stress about making it perfect or official. The point is to get real visibility, not to create a pretty flowchart for the CEO.
2. Decide what needs to be custom (and what doesn’t)
Roinnovation lets you customize a lot, but that doesn’t mean you should. Over-engineered pipelines get ignored faster than you can say “quarterly review.” Focus on:
- Stages: Create stages that match your actual process. If you’ve got a “Legal Review” bottleneck, make it a stage.
- Fields: Only track what you’ll actually use. Custom fields for “Number of stakeholders” or “Pricing model” can help — but skip the fluff.
- Automations: Start simple. You can always add automated emails or reminders later.
What works: Custom stages and fields that match your deals, not someone else’s playbook.
What to skip: Fancy automations or “AI insights” you won’t use. If it sounds like a demo feature, it probably is.
3. Set up your custom pipeline in Roinnovation
Here’s how to actually build your pipeline in Roinnovation. (Note: The UI changes from time to time, but the steps are mostly the same.)
Step 1: Log in and head to Pipeline Settings
- Go to your Roinnovation dashboard.
- Find “Pipelines” or “Sales Process” under settings or admin. (If you can’t find it, you probably don’t have admin rights — ask your ops lead or Roinnovation support.)
Step 2: Create a new pipeline (or edit the default)
- Click “Create Pipeline” or select the default one to edit.
- Name it something obvious, like “Enterprise Sales 2024” — not “Pipeline 2.”
Step 3: Add or edit stages
- Add stages that map to your real process. Typical B2B complex sales might look like:
- Discovery
- Solution Design
- Stakeholder Buy-in
- Proposal/Quote
- Legal Review
- Procurement
- Closed Won/Lost
- You can add as many as you need, but keep it under 8–10. Too many stages = confusion.
- For each stage, add clear entry/exit criteria. This avoids deals getting “stuck” because no one knows what comes next.
Pro tip: Use plain English for stage names. “Legal Review” beats “Stage 4.”
Step 4: Customize fields and data capture
- Decide what info you want to collect at each stage.
- Add custom fields for things like:
- Decision-makers involved
- Estimated deal value
- Renewal date (if you sell subscriptions)
- Key risks or blockers
- Make fields required only if you must have the info. Too many required fields = salespeople making stuff up.
Step 5: (Optional) Add basic automations
- If your team reliably updates the pipeline, you can set up:
- Automated alerts for stalled deals (e.g., “No activity in 14 days”)
- Reminders to update fields before moving to the next stage
- Skip complex integrations until your team has lived with the basics for a quarter.
4. Roll it out (without a revolt)
Nobody likes having a new process dumped on them. Here’s how to avoid the classic “new system, same old problems” trap:
- Do a dry run: Walk a few real deals through your new pipeline with the team. Fix what’s confusing before you go live.
- Train for real-world use: Don’t just show slides. Have sellers update deals together in Roinnovation. Answer “what if?” questions on the spot.
- Set expectations: Make it clear why this pipeline matters (hint: it’s so you don’t lose deals in the cracks).
- Keep feedback open: Let people flag what isn’t working — and actually fix it.
What works: Iterating based on live deals, not theory.
What doesn’t: Making the pipeline “mandatory” and then ignoring complaints. People will work around it (and you’ll be back here in six months).
5. Track, tweak, and avoid common traps
Your first pipeline setup won’t be perfect. That’s fine. The trick is to treat it as a living process, not a one-and-done project.
- Check the data: After a few weeks, see if deals are actually moving as expected. Are stages too broad? Too narrow? Are fields being filled out or skipped?
- Watch for bottlenecks: If 60% of deals are stuck in “Legal Review,” that’s a hint to fix the process or offer more support.
- Cut what isn’t used: If a custom field is always blank, kill it. If a stage is always skipped, merge or remove it.
- Ask for feedback: Once a month, ask the team what’s working (and what’s making life harder).
Stuff to ignore
- Over-relying on reports: Fancy dashboards don’t close deals. If your pipeline isn’t helping reps focus on real work, it’s just busywork.
- One-size-fits-all templates: What works for SaaS doesn’t always work for hardware, services, or multi-year contracts. Don’t be afraid to be weird if it helps your team.
6. When to get help (and when to DIY)
Roinnovation’s support is decent, but don’t expect miracles. If you’re stuck:
- Ask your sales ops or admin: They know your process better than the vendor does.
- Use vendor help docs — with a grain of salt: They’re written for the simplest use cases. Useful for basics, but not for tricky stuff.
- Get outside help if needed: If you’ve got a ton of legacy data or integrations, it might be worth hiring a consultant for a few hours. But don’t throw money at the problem unless you really need to.
Final thoughts: Keep it simple, keep it honest
Custom pipelines in Roinnovation can make complex B2B sales less painful — if you build for real life, not for a demo. Start simple, fix what breaks, and don’t be afraid to cut features or stages that don’t help. The goal isn’t a “perfect” pipeline. It’s one your team actually uses, so you spend less time chasing updates and more time closing deals.
Iterate, listen, and remember: the best pipeline is the one that actually gets used.