Sales forecasting doesn’t need to be a black box. If you’re tired of staring at a “forecast” that feels like someone picked numbers out of a hat, this guide’s for you. Whether you’re a founder, a sales manager, or just the person who drew the short straw for CRM setup, you’ll learn how to track pipeline stages in Luna in a way that makes your forecasts more useful—and less wishful thinking.
Let’s keep it honest: most sales pipelines are a mess. Deals get stuck, stages don’t mean much, and everyone’s “gut feel” is different. Luna can help, but only if you set it up with real-world sales in mind. Here’s how to do it right.
1. Get Your Sales Stages Straight (Don’t Copy-Paste Generic Ones)
Before you do anything in Luna, take a hard look at your actual sales process. Not the one on the whiteboard—the one your team really follows. Most CRMs push a standard set of stages like “Contacted,” “Qualified,” “Proposal Sent,” “Negotiation,” “Closed Won/Lost.” That’s fine if you’re selling widgets by the truckload, but for most teams, it’s not specific enough.
Do this first: - Write out the real steps your deals go through. Be brutally honest. - Cut out stages that don’t matter. If “Demo Scheduled” and “Demo Completed” always happen together, combine them. - Add stages for make-or-break moments (like “Legal Review” if that’s where deals die).
Pro tip:
If your pipeline has more than 7 stages, you’re probably splitting hairs. Too many stages = nobody updates them.
2. Set Up Custom Stages in Luna
Now that you’ve got your list, it’s time to build it in Luna. The platform lets you customize pipeline stages, but it’s easy to get lost in the settings if you’re new.
How to set up your stages: 1. Go to your pipeline settings in Luna. 2. Click “Edit Stages.” 3. Rename or remove the default stages as needed. 4. Add your custom stages, in the actual order deals move. 5. Hit save.
What works: - Short, clear names for each stage (“Needs Analysis” beats “Initial Review”). - Descriptions for each stage so everyone’s on the same page. - Reordering stages as your process evolves—Luna makes this easy.
What to ignore: - Don’t bother with color-coding or emojis in stage names. Looks fun, but just confuses people in the long run.
3. Define What “Done” Means for Each Stage
Most teams trip up here. If nobody knows what triggers moving a deal from “Qualified” to “Proposal Sent,” your pipeline data’s garbage.
Here’s how to lock it down: - For each stage, write a one-sentence rule: “Move to ‘Proposal Sent’ when we’ve emailed the written proposal and got confirmation they received it.” - Share these rules with your team—in writing, not just in a meeting. - Make updating the stage part of your sales process, not an afterthought.
Pro tip:
If reps keep forgetting to update stages, set a recurring reminder or bake it into your pipeline reviews. It’s not fun, but it works.
4. Enter and Update Deals—The Boring Part You Can’t Skip
The best pipeline in the world is useless if nobody enters deals or updates them. Luna’s UI is pretty clean, but it won’t force your team to keep things up to date.
What you should do: - Add deals as soon as there’s a real sales opportunity (not for every cold email). - Update the stage immediately after a deal moves forward—or backward. - Archive or mark as lost any deal that’s gone cold for 30+ days.
Automation:
Luna can automate some tasks (like moving a deal if an email gets sent), but don’t rely on this too much. Automation helps with reminders, not with judgment.
What doesn’t work: - Bulk-editing dozens of stale deals once a quarter. You’ll miss details and lose credibility with your forecast.
5. Use Pipeline Views to Actually See What’s Happening
Luna has several ways to view your pipeline—Kanban boards, lists, and reports. Each has its place.
Kanban board:
Best for daily standups and quick status checks.
List view:
Handy when you want to filter by rep, value, or age of deal.
Reports:
This is where forecasting gets real. You’ll see stage-by-stage conversion rates, deal velocity, and projected revenue.
What’s worth your time: - Set up a saved view for “Deals closing this month” so you’re not hunting every time. - Use filters to spot stuck deals (e.g., “In ‘Negotiation’ for more than 14 days”).
What to ignore: - Fancy graphs that don’t help you take action. If a report looks cool but doesn’t trigger a change, skip it.
6. Forecast—But Don’t Lie to Yourself
Now for the reason you’re here: actually predicting future sales. Luna lets you forecast by stage, but it’s only as good as your input data.
How to get a realistic forecast: - Assign win probabilities to each stage (e.g., “Negotiation” = 40% chance to close). - Multiply deal values by these probabilities for your weighted forecast. - Review the weighted pipeline every week—not just end of quarter.
Reality check: - If every deal in “Proposal Sent” closes, your probabilities are too low—or your stages are too late. - If your forecast is always off by the same amount, adjust your conversion rates, not your hopes.
Pro tip:
Don’t use the forecast as a stick to beat your team with. Use it to spot where deals are getting stuck or lost, and fix that instead.
7. Keep It Clean (Maintain Your Pipeline Weekly)
Pipelines get messy fast. You need a habit for cleanup.
Checklist for pipeline hygiene: - Review every deal in each stage once a week. - Move dead deals out—don’t let wishful thinking clog your view. - Update close dates and amounts if things change. - Ask your team for feedback on stage definitions if you see confusion.
What works: - Regular, short pipeline review meetings (15 minutes tops). - Publicly archiving dead deals so everyone knows what’s real.
What doesn’t: - Letting “zombie” deals sit in late stages for months. You’re only fooling yourself.
8. Don’t Overcomplicate with Custom Fields (Yet)
It’s tempting to add custom fields for every data point (“Competitor name,” “Key contact birthday,” etc.). Resist the urge—at least until your basic pipeline runs smoothly.
When to add custom fields: - You repeatedly wish you had a data point during reviews. - You’ll actually use that info for filtering or reporting.
What to skip: - Anything you’re collecting “just in case.” - Fields nobody fills out after the first month.
9. Keep Tweaking—But Don’t Reinvent the Wheel Every Time
Your pipeline isn’t set in stone. As your sales process changes, your stages might need to change too. But don’t get into the habit of constant tinkering or chasing every “best practice” blog post you read.
Instead: - Review your pipeline structure every 6 months. - Make small, deliberate changes—then give it time to settle. - Ask your sales team what’s actually helping or slowing them down.
The Bottom Line
Tracking your sales pipeline in Luna isn’t rocket science, but it does take a bit of discipline. Start simple, stay honest, and make tweaks as you learn. A clean, realistic pipeline beats a fancy, overcomplicated one every time. Keep your stages meaningful, your data fresh, and ignore the bells and whistles until you’ve got the basics nailed. That’s how you get forecasts—and results—you can actually trust.