If your sales funnel feels like a black box—leads go in, deals sometimes come out, and you’re never sure what happens in between—this one’s for you. Tracking customer journey stages in B2B isn’t just “nice to have”; it’s how you find the leaks (and the wins). If you’re thinking about using Mote to actually see what’s happening at each step, you’re in the right place.
This guide isn’t fluffy. I’ll show you how to set up Mote to track your sales funnel, what works, and what you can skip (seriously, ignore the dashboards you’ll never look at). You’ll walk away ready to stop guessing and start fixing real problems.
Why Track Customer Journey Stages, Anyway?
Before diving into buttons and settings, let’s get clear on why you’d bother. In B2B sales, the journey from “Who are you?” to “Let’s sign” takes forever and involves a maze of emails, calls, and second-guessing. If you don’t know where leads are stalling, you can’t fix it. Tracking journey stages lets you: - Spot where leads get stuck (and why) - Know which reps are good at which stages - Give marketing real data to work with (not just “more leads, please”)
If you don’t track stages, you’re left with guesswork. That’s how good deals slip through the cracks.
Step 1: Get Your Sales Stages Straight
Mote can’t read your mind. You need to name the stages of your funnel before you track them. Typical B2B stages look like: - Lead Captured: Someone filled out a form or dropped you a line. - Qualified: You’ve decided they’re worth your time. - Demo Scheduled: The meeting is on the calendar. - Proposal Sent: They’ve got your numbers. - Negotiation: You’re hashing out details. - Closed-Won / Closed-Lost: The deal’s done (or dead).
Pro Tip: Don’t overcomplicate. If you need a cheat sheet to remember your own stages, you’ve gone too far.
What to Ignore
- “Awareness” and “Consideration” stages are for marketers tracking web visits. For sales, focus on what gets you closer to a signed contract.
- Fluffy “engagement” metrics. Unless you can act on it, skip it.
Step 2: Set Up Your Stages in Mote
Once you’ve sketched out your stages, time to put them into Mote. Here’s how:
- Create Custom Stages
- In Mote, head to your pipeline or workflow settings.
- Add each stage as a distinct column or status. Use clear, action-based names (“Demo Scheduled,” not “Engaged”).
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Set the order to match how deals actually move. Don’t just copy a template.
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Define Entry/Exit Criteria
- For each stage, write down what counts as “entering” or “leaving.” If a stage is “Qualified,” does that mean a rep called them, or just checked a box? Be picky here—it keeps your data clean.
Honest Take: The first version of your stages won’t be perfect. That’s fine. The point is to start and adjust later—don’t let “stage paralysis” keep you stuck.
Step 3: Connect Your Data Sources
Mote’s only as good as the info you feed it. Here’s what you’ll want to bring in:
- CRM Data: Sync your CRM (like Salesforce or HubSpot) with Mote if possible. Most B2B sales teams already live in their CRM, so don’t double-enter data.
- Meeting Tools: If you track demos or calls via Zoom, Calendly, or similar, connect those accounts. This helps auto-update stages (e.g., when a demo is booked).
- Email/Notes: If you use email tracking or note tools, see if Mote can hook in. But don’t sweat it if you can’t automate everything—manual updates work too.
Pitfall to Avoid: Don’t get lost in integrations. Start with your CRM and add more later if it’s actually useful.
Step 4: Build (Useful) Views and Reports
Now, make it easy to see where deals actually are. In Mote:
- Kanban/Bucket Views: Set up a board where each stage is a column and deals are cards. It’s the fastest way to spot bottlenecks.
- Basic Funnel Reports: Build a simple report showing how many leads are at each stage and how long they stay there.
- Stage-Change Alerts: If possible, set up notifications for deals that stall in one stage too long. Don’t go alert-crazy—pick what really matters.
What Works: - Start with a single, shared view that the team actually uses. Fancy dashboards are useless if no one looks at them. - Track “time in stage.” That’s often where you’ll spot deals rotting away.
What to Ignore: - Overly granular reports (“number of calls per deal per stage per week”). Unless you’re running a call center, you don’t need that level of detail. - Vanity metrics. If a report doesn’t change what you do tomorrow, skip it.
Step 5: Roll It Out to the Sales Team
Here’s where most tracking projects die: sales reps see it as just another tool to keep updated. Here’s how to avoid that:
- Keep It Simple: Show reps how to move a deal from one stage to the next—ideally, it takes one click.
- Explain the Why: If reps know you’re using this to spot real bottlenecks (not just “monitoring” them), they’ll buy in.
- Set a Weekly Habit: Make checking/updating Mote part of your regular team meeting. Five minutes tops.
Pro Tip: Have one person do a weekly sweep for deals stuck in limbo. Don’t rely on memory.
Step 6: Actually Use the Data
This seems obvious, but it’s where most teams fall down. Don’t just collect data—act on it.
- Spot Bottlenecks: Are demos getting booked but not happening? Are proposals going out but not closing? Dig in.
- Share Wins and Losses: Use real examples in your team meetings. “Here’s a deal that sat in ‘Negotiation’ for 45 days—what happened?”
- Iterate Your Stages: If you realize a stage doesn’t make sense (or nobody uses it), change it. This isn’t a tattoo.
What Works: - Review your funnel once a month and ask, “Where are we losing people, and why?” - Use the data to prioritize fixes (e.g., better demo scripts, faster follow-up).
What to Ignore: - Endless tweaking. Don’t let “optimizing the funnel” become a second job. If you’re spending more time in Mote than on calls, you’re missing the point.
Step 7: Watch for Common Pitfalls
Even with a solid setup, you’ll run into a few classic problems:
- Dirty Data: If reps aren’t updating stages, your reports are garbage. Make it easy, and check in regularly.
- Stage Inflation: Don’t add more stages just because you can. Every extra stage is another thing to update.
- Over-automation: Automated updates are great, but sometimes human judgment matters (e.g., someone verbally says “yes,” but the paperwork isn’t in yet).
Summary: Keep It Simple, Make It Useful
Setting up Mote for B2B journey tracking shouldn’t be rocket science. Start with clear, simple stages. Make updates easy. Actually look at the data and fix what isn’t working. Skip the features you’ll never use.
You’ll get more value from a basic, easy-to-update funnel than from a fancy setup no one touches. Start simple, fix what matters, and don’t be afraid to change things as you go. That’s how you actually improve your sales funnel—and close more deals.