If you’ve ever tried to wrangle a sales pipeline or nail down a revenue forecast, you know the pain: deals stall, numbers look fuzzy, and everyone’s got a “system” that just adds noise. This guide is for sales leaders, founders, and operations folks who want straight answers on running a real pipeline—and making tools like Spiky actually work for you, not the other way around.
First, what does a “pipeline” even mean?
Let’s clear this up. A sales pipeline is just a way to track where every deal sits in your sales process—from “they might be interested” to “signed, sealed, delivered.” The idea: if you know how many deals are at each stage, you can spot bottlenecks, forecast revenue, and (hopefully) avoid nasty surprises at end-of-quarter.
But here’s the rub: most teams either overcomplicate things with too many stages, or they wing it and end up with a black hole. The best pipelines are boringly simple and brutally honest.
Step 1: Map Out Your Pipeline Stages (Don’t Overthink It)
Before you even open Spiky, sketch your pipeline on a notepad. If you can’t explain each stage in plain English to a new hire, it’s too complicated.
A typical, no-nonsense pipeline: - Lead In: Someone who fits your customer profile (not just a name from a list). - Contacted: You’ve reached out and they responded (not just “sent an email”). - Qualified: You’ve confirmed they have a need, authority, and budget. - Proposal Sent: They’ve seen a real offer or price. - Negotiation: They’re asking questions about terms or price (not just ghosting you). - Closed Won: They’re buying. - Closed Lost: They’re not.
Pro tip:
If you need more than 6-7 stages, you’re probably making up work. More detail doesn’t mean more control—it just means more admin.
Step 2: Set Up Pipeline Stages in Spiky
Now, bring your list into Spiky. Their pipeline tools are straightforward, but don’t get distracted by every bell and whistle.
To set up your pipeline: 1. Log in and go to the “Pipelines” section. 2. Click “New Pipeline” or edit your default one. 3. Add each stage as a column (use your list, not Spiky’s suggestions unless they actually fit). 4. Set clear criteria for each stage. For example: “Contacted” = someone replied, not just “emailed.” 5. Save and invite your team (if it’s just you, even better for now).
What works:
Spiky’s drag-and-drop is actually fast. You can move deals around like sticky notes. Customize stage names—don’t just stick with what the tool gives you.
What doesn’t:
Don’t bother with fancy automations until your basic stages are nailed down. You’ll just create more things to fix later.
Step 3: Add Deals (and Keep It Real)
This is where most teams get lazy: they dump a bunch of half-baked “opportunities” into the pipeline and wonder why their forecasts are garbage.
How to do it right: - Only add real deals. If you haven’t talked to a human, it isn’t a deal. - Be ruthless about moving deals backward or to “Closed Lost.” Hope isn’t a strategy. - Fill in the basics: company, contact, deal size, expected close date. Spiky makes this easy, but don’t skip fields just to move fast—you’ll regret it later.
Honest take:
Your pipeline is only as good as your inputs. Garbage in, garbage out. Don’t pad your numbers to look good for your boss or investors.
Step 4: Forecast Revenue the Simple Way
Fancy forecasting features are everywhere, but most of them are just lipstick on a pig. Spiky has forecasting tools, but the best forecasts are based on reality, not wishful thinking.
How to use Spiky (and your brain) for forecasting: - Assign a dollar value and an expected close date to every real deal. - Use Spiky’s weighted forecast (e.g., Stage Probability × Deal Value), but tweak the probabilities to fit your actual close rates—not the ones from some blog post. - Review deals weekly. Move anything that’s dragging out or gone cold to “Stalled” or “Closed Lost.” Don’t let dead deals pollute your numbers.
Pro tip:
Look at your historical win rates by stage. If you close 30% of deals that get to “Proposal Sent,” use that number—not the default 70% some tools assume.
What to ignore:
Charts that look impressive but don’t actually help you make decisions. If you can’t explain your forecast to your CFO in three sentences, it’s too complicated.
Step 5: Track, Review, and Clean Your Pipeline Regularly
A pipeline isn’t “set and forget.” If you want it to stay useful, you have to keep it clean.
Make this a habit: - Weekly review (30 minutes): Move deals to the right stages, kill off the zombies, update close dates. - Monthly review: Look for stuck deals. Are they worth chasing, or should you call it? - Quarterly: Revisit your stage definitions. Are they still realistic, or has your process changed?
What works:
Spiky’s filters and views make it easy to spot deals that are stuck or overdue. Use them.
What doesn’t:
Don’t rely on Spiky (or any tool) to “remind” you to do the hard thinking. You still need a regular review rhythm.
Step 6: Use Reports—But Don’t Drown in Data
Reports are only useful if they help you act. Spiky’s dashboards show pipeline value, win rates, and forecast—all nice, but don’t get lost chasing “nice to know” metrics.
Stick to these: - Pipeline Value by Stage: Shows where deals are stacking up. - Win Rate by Stage: Tells you where things fall apart. - Forecast for This Month/Quarter: Are you on track or kidding yourself?
Ignore: - Vanity metrics (how many emails sent, how many tasks created). - Any report you wouldn’t share in a team meeting.
Pro tip:
If you need to explain a metric more than once, it’s probably not worth tracking.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
- Too many stages: More detail = more confusion. Stick to the basics.
- Inconsistent stage definitions: Make sure everyone knows what “Qualified” really means.
- Wish-casting: Don’t put “maybe” deals in late stages just to look good.
- Stale deals: If a deal hasn’t moved in 30 days, it’s probably dead. Be honest.
Final Thoughts: Keep it Simple, Iterate Often
Pipeline management and forecasting aren’t magic—they’re just discipline and honesty, plus the right tool. Spiky can save you time, but it can’t do the thinking for you. Start simple, review regularly, and don’t let the process turn into a spreadsheet fantasy. Real revenue comes from real deals, not from fiddling with stages or dashboards.
The best pipeline is the one you actually use—so get it set up, keep it clean, and tweak it only when you learn something new. That’s it. Now get back to selling.