If you’re juggling sales deals and your pipeline always feels like a mess, you’re not alone. This guide is for people who actually want to close more deals (not just move cards around). We’ll walk through how to manage and prioritize sales opportunities using the Discolike pipeline view—what works, what doesn’t, and how to keep things simple so you can focus on selling, not just updating a tool.
What Is Discolike Pipeline View—And Why Bother?
Let’s get something out of the way: pipeline views are everywhere, but not all of them make your life easier. Discolike’s pipeline view is basically a visual board (think Kanban, but for sales) where every deal sits in a stage—like “Qualified,” “Demo Scheduled,” or “Negotiation.” You drag deals from left to right as they move forward.
Why bother using it? Because it gives you a bird’s-eye view, so you can see which deals are stuck and which ones are ready to close. If you use it right, your pipeline tells you what to do next without digging through spreadsheets or emails.
But let’s be real: just staring at a board doesn’t close deals. You need a system.
Step 1: Set Up Your Stages—But Don’t Get Cute
Setting up your pipeline stages is step one. This should take minutes, not hours. The point is to reflect your actual sales process, not what some “best practices” blog says.
What works:
- Keep it simple: 5–7 stages is plenty for most teams.
- Use real-world language your team actually uses. (“Contract Sent” beats “Proposal Phase.”)
- Make sure every stage means something actionable—can you actually do something to move a deal from one stage to the next?
What doesn’t:
- Endless, nitpicky stages. You’re just giving yourself more admin work.
- Fancy jargon. Nobody’s impressed, and it just confuses people.
Pro Tip: If you can’t tell what a stage means without a cheat sheet, it’s too complicated.
Step 2: Get Every Deal Into the Pipeline—No Excuses
You can’t manage what you can’t see. Every active opportunity should be in Discolike. Yes, even the “long shots.”
- Add new leads as soon as they’re qualified—don’t wait for the “perfect” info.
- Put in the real deal value. If you’re guessing, make it a conservative guess.
- Assign an owner so there’s always someone responsible.
What to ignore: Don’t clutter the pipeline with cold leads that aren’t moving. If they’re not in play, archive or park them somewhere else. You want a working list, not a graveyard.
Step 3: Prioritize—Don’t Treat Every Deal the Same
This is where most people get tripped up. Not all deals are equal. Here’s how to cut through the noise:
1. Sort by Stage
- Deals further right (closer to “Closed Won”) usually deserve more urgent attention.
- But don’t let early-stage deals rot—set reminders to check in, so nothing falls through the cracks.
2. Look at Deal Value
- High-value deals: Worth the extra effort, even if they’re harder.
- Small deals: Move them quickly or let them go. Don’t let them clog up your board.
3. Check Last Activity
- If you haven’t touched a deal in a week (or whatever makes sense for your cycle), it’s probably stalled.
- Many tools, including Discolike, let you filter or sort by last activity—use it.
4. Realistic Close Date
- Deals with close dates in the past are wishful thinking. Update them or chase them down.
- Be honest—don’t sandbag or stuff your pipeline with fake optimism.
Pro Tip: Tag or color-code “must win” deals for quick scanning. But don’t overdo it; too many colors and everything blends together.
Step 4: Use Filters and Views to Avoid Overwhelm
One common mistake: staring at a wall of deals and hoping inspiration strikes. Instead, use filters and saved views:
- By Owner: See just your deals, or help a teammate who’s overloaded.
- By Stage: Focus on deals in “Negotiation” if that’s your bottleneck this month.
- By Value: Filter out the noise and home in on the big fish.
What works: Block out time each week to review your filtered lists, not just the whole board.
What doesn’t: Don’t get sucked into tweaking filters all day. Set them up once, adjust as needed, and get back to selling.
Step 5: Review, Update, and Move Deals—Ruthlessly
A pipeline is only useful if it’s up to date. Here’s a simple weekly routine:
- Move deals forward: If you’ve completed the next action, drag the card to the next stage.
- Update details: Adjust value, close date, or notes as you learn more.
- Kill zombie deals: If it’s not moving, close it out. Don’t let your pipeline become a fantasy novel.
Pro Tip: Block 15 minutes every Friday to clean up your pipeline. You’ll be shocked how much clearer things get.
Step 6: Focus on Next Actions, Not Just Stages
A pretty pipeline doesn’t win business—actions do. For each deal, always know the next step:
- Schedule the next call or follow-up before you leave the previous one.
- Add notes or tasks directly to the deal card in Discolike.
- If there’s no clear next action, ask yourself if the deal’s still real.
What to ignore: Don’t get bogged down writing novel-length notes. Bullet points or quick reminders are fine.
Step 7: Use the Data—But Don’t Worship It
Discolike (and most pipeline tools) will spit out lots of data about win rates, conversion ratios, and so on. Here’s what’s actually useful:
- Pipeline coverage: Do you have enough deals at each stage to hit your target?
- Stuck deals: Which ones have been in the same stage forever?
- Win/loss reasons: If you keep losing at the same stage, figure out why.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over every metric. Dashboards are for spotting patterns, not hiding from the real work.
Step 8: Keep It Human—Pipelines Don’t Sell, People Do
Remember, the tool is there to support your process, not the other way around. If your pipeline view is making things harder, not easier, rethink your setup.
- Talk to your team—what’s working, what’s not?
- Be honest about what you’re actually using. If a field or stage is always blank, get rid of it.
- Don’t be afraid to break your own rules if it helps you close more deals.
What Actually Works—and What’s Just Hype
Let’s cut through the noise:
Works: - Simple, clear stages. - Consistent updates (even if it’s just 10 minutes a week). - Focusing on what needs action, not just what looks impressive on a board.
Doesn’t: - Over-engineering your pipeline. - Tracking every possible detail “just in case.” - Letting tools run your process instead of the other way around.
Wrap-Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Managing and prioritizing sales deals in Discolike’s pipeline view isn’t rocket science, but it does take discipline. Set up a simple flow, keep it current, and focus on actions—not just appearances. Don’t be afraid to tweak your process as you go. The best system is the one you’ll actually use.
Now, get back to selling. The pipeline is just a tool—don’t let it become your full-time job.