If you run sales for a startup, agency, or small business, you’ve probably outgrown spreadsheets but don’t have time (or patience) for a clunky CRM. You want to know: Where is each deal? What’s coming in next month? And you want answers fast, not a dashboard that looks like a NASA control panel. If that sounds like you, this guide will show you how to use Folk to keep deals moving and get a handle on your sales numbers—without losing your mind.
Why Folk? What It Gets Right (and What It Doesn’t)
Folk pitches itself as a “modern CRM” for people who hate CRMs. That’s mostly true—it’s a lot less bloated than the big names, and you won’t spend hours setting it up. You’ll get:
- Simple, flexible pipeline management (you can actually change the stages without an admin degree)
- Contact and company records that aren’t a nightmare
- Basic reporting and forecasting
- A UI that won’t make you want to throw your laptop
But let’s be real: Folk isn’t Salesforce or HubSpot, and that’s both a blessing and a limitation. If you need deep custom automation, crazy integrations, or enterprise reporting, you’ll hit walls. For most small teams, though, it’s enough. Let’s get into how to actually use it.
Step 1: Set Up Your Sales Pipeline
Before you can forecast a thing, you need a clean pipeline. Folk doesn’t force you into a “one size fits all” template, so make it fit your actual sales process.
1.1 Create a Collection for Your Deals
In Folk, “Collections” are buckets for contacts, companies, or deals. Start by making a new Collection just for deals—call it “Sales Pipeline” or whatever makes sense.
- Go to the sidebar, hit “+ New Collection.”
- Choose “Start from scratch” unless you really want to use a template.
- Name it something obvious.
1.2 Define Your Deal Stages
Here’s where most people mess up: copying someone else’s stages. Don’t do that. List out the steps your team actually uses, like:
- New Lead
- Qualified
- Proposal Sent
- Negotiation
- Won
- Lost
Keep it simple. If you have more than 6-7 stages, you’re probably overthinking it. In Folk, these become Kanban columns or dropdown options.
- Add a “Stage” field (type: dropdown or Kanban).
- Enter your stages in the order deals really move.
Pro tip: Don’t get precious about the names—you’ll tweak them later. The point is to see where deals are stuck.
1.3 Add (or Import) Your Deals
You can add deals one by one, but it’s faster to import from a spreadsheet or another CRM if you have one.
- Click “Import” in your Collection.
- Map columns like “Deal Name,” “Company,” “Contact,” “Value,” “Close Date,” and “Stage.”
- Double-check that your “Stage” field lines up with your real process.
If you’re starting from scratch, just add a few test deals to see how it looks.
Step 2: Track Deal Progress Day-to-Day
Now for the part that matters: actually using your pipeline so it stays up to date.
2.1 Move Deals as They Progress
Folk’s drag-and-drop Kanban view makes it easy to move deals between stages. Don’t underestimate how satisfying it is to see a deal hit “Won.”
- Each time a deal moves forward, drag it to the next stage.
- If it dies, don’t fudge it—move it to “Lost.” You’ll get better data.
2.2 Keep Deal Details in One Place
Each deal card can store:
- Company
- Contacts involved
- Deal value
- Expected close date
- Notes, emails, files
You can add custom fields if you need them, but don’t go overboard with 20 fields for every possible scenario. Focus on what actually helps you sell.
2.3 Set Reminders and Next Steps
Deals rot if you don’t nudge them. Use Folk’s reminders or task features:
- Set a “next action” date for each deal.
- Use comments to track calls, emails, or feedback.
- If you need to follow up, set a reminder—you’ll get a nudge in Folk.
What to ignore: Don’t get distracted by “activity” metrics (like number of calls) unless they help you close more deals. The pipeline is about moving real opportunities, not busywork.
Step 3: Forecast Revenue (Without the Guesswork)
This is where most CRMs promise the moon—“AI-powered forecasting!”—and then spit out numbers you can’t trust. Folk keeps it simpler, which honestly is a good thing.
3.1 Add Deal Value and Close Dates
For each deal, make sure you fill out:
- Expected Value (the amount you’ll make if you win)
- Expected Close Date (when you think it’ll close)
If you want semi-realistic forecasts, these fields need to be filled out for every deal. Be honest: don’t put “tomorrow” for everything, and don’t inflate values.
3.2 Use Filters to See What’s Closing Soon
- Use the filter bar to show deals “Expected to close this month” or “in Negotiation.”
- You can save these filters as views—think “Deals to close this quarter.”
This is much faster than running a clunky report. You’ll instantly see:
- Total pipeline value
- Deals at each stage
- What’s actually in reach this month
3.3 Build a Simple Forecast View
Folk lets you sum up deal values by stage or expected close date. Here’s an easy setup:
- Group your deals by “Stage” or “Expected Close Date.”
- Use the sum at the bottom to see total pipeline, or filtered totals for specific stages.
Does this replace complex forecasting? No—if you need weighted forecasts (“80% chance in Negotiation,” etc.), you’ll have to do some math or export your data. But for most teams, seeing “We’ve got $X likely to close in June” is 90% of what you need.
Pro tip: Ignore fantasy pipeline. Only include deals that are real—if you haven’t spoken to the buyer, it’s not a deal.
Step 4: Keep Your Pipeline Clean (or It’s All Useless)
Forecasts are garbage unless your pipeline is real. Here’s how to keep it that way:
- Do a weekly cleanup: Archive dead deals, move things forward, and double-check values.
- Don’t let “maybe someday” deals clog the pipeline. If you’re not working it, mark it lost (you can always revive it later).
- Review close dates: If a deal keeps slipping, ask yourself if it’s really alive.
A clean pipeline means your forecast is actually worth something. Otherwise, you’re just playing CRM dress-up.
Step 5: Share and Report (Without PowerPoint Hell)
You probably need to show your pipeline to someone—your boss, your team, maybe investors. Folk makes this less painful.
- Share views: You can create shared views/links for specific pipeline slices (“Deals closing this month”).
- Export to CSV: If someone needs a spreadsheet, you can export filtered lists in two clicks.
- Skip the endless slides: Just share your screen and walk through the actual pipeline. It’s way more honest.
If you need fancy graphs or dashboards, Folk isn’t built for that. But if you want a clear, real-time look at where things stand, it does the job.
Honest Pros and Cons
Here’s what you’ll like:
- Easy setup and changes: You can tweak stages and fields without begging an admin.
- Fast, visual pipeline: Clean Kanban view that actually helps you spot stuck deals.
- Enough reporting for most small teams: Not overkill, not underpowered.
Here’s what you might not:
- Limited advanced reporting: If you want probability-weighted forecasts or custom dashboards, you’ll hit limits.
- Integrations are basic: It connects to email and a few tools, but don’t expect Zapier-level magic.
- Not great for monster sales teams: Folk is built for small- to medium-sized teams. If you need roles, permissions, or territory management, look elsewhere.
Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Go
You don’t need a NASA-grade CRM to know where your deals stand. Start with a handful of stages, keep your data honest, and don’t obsess over every feature. Folk is at its best when you use it to cut through the noise and focus on what matters: moving deals forward and seeing what’s likely to close.
Set up your pipeline, update it regularly, and don’t be afraid to adjust your process as you learn. The simpler you keep it, the more likely you are to actually use it—and that’s what gets deals done.