If you’re stuck with a sales pipeline that’s messy, confusing, or just not closing enough deals, you’re not alone. Plenty of teams set up their CRM stages once and never look back—then wonder why leads fall through the cracks. This guide is for sales managers, founders, or basically anyone who wants to get more out of Theirstack, and is tired of guessing what’s actually working.
Let’s cut through the fluff and get practical about optimizing your pipeline stages—so you see higher conversion rates and less pipeline bloat.
Step 1: Get brutally honest about your current pipeline
Before you start tweaking anything in Theirstack, take a hard look at what you’ve got. If your pipeline feels bloated or you don’t know what half your stages mean, you’re not alone. Most pipelines get built in a hurry and never cleaned up.
Ask yourself: - Do your stages match your actual sales process, or did you just copy someone else’s template? - Are there “dead zones” where deals get stuck for weeks? - Is anyone using custom fields or notes to track steps that should really be their own stage?
Quick audit tips: - Pull a report on deals stalled for 30+ days in each stage. - Ask your reps (or yourself) which stages they skip or don’t understand. - Look at your last 10 closed-won and 10 closed-lost deals. What path did they actually take through the pipeline?
Pro tip: If you find yourself justifying a stage’s existence with “well, sometimes…,” it probably doesn’t need to be there.
Step 2: Map out your real-world sales process
Forget what Theirstack (or any CRM) says is “best practice.” Write down—on paper, a whiteboard, or a doc—what actually happens from the moment a lead lands to the moment you get paid.
Break it down: - Where do leads really come from? (Referrals, inbound, cold outreach?) - What are the actual decision points or milestones? (Demo booked, proposal sent, legal review, etc.) - What steps are “nice to have” but don’t actually move the deal forward?
What to ignore: Don’t add a pipeline stage for every single email or call. Stages should reflect milestones, not busywork.
Reality check: If your process changes every time someone sneezes, you don’t need more stages—you need a simpler process.
Step 3: Redesign your pipeline stages in Theirstack
Now it’s time to get into Theirstack and make your pipeline match reality. (If you’re not the admin, now’s the time to bribe them with coffee.)
How many stages do you really need?
There’s no magic number, but most small teams do fine with 5–7 stages. More than 8 and you’re probably splitting hairs.
A basic pipeline might look like: 1. New Lead 2. Qualified 3. Demo/Meeting Scheduled 4. Proposal Sent 5. Negotiation 6. Closed Won 7. Closed Lost
Yes, it really can be that simple.
How to set this up in Theirstack:
- Go to your pipeline settings.
- Rename, reorder, or delete stages to match your map.
- Add clear descriptions to each stage (what must happen for a deal to move here).
- Make sure everyone knows what qualifies a deal to move forward.
Don’t:
- Create stages for “Follow-up #3” or “Waiting for reply.” That’s what tasks and reminders are for.
- Overcomplicate with “Contract Review,” “Legal Review,” and “Procurement” unless they’re truly separate bottlenecks.
Pro tip: If you have stages that are just “holding pens” (e.g., “Stuck” or “No Response”), fix your follow-up process, not your pipeline.
Step 4: Define clear exit criteria for each stage
Most pipeline confusion comes from fuzzy stage definitions. If “Qualified” means something different to everyone, your data is garbage.
For each stage, answer: - What specifically needs to happen for a deal to move forward? - Who is responsible for updating the stage? - What signals a deal should move backward or be lost?
Example: - Qualified: Lead has budget, authority, need, and timeline (BANT). Otherwise, leave it in New Lead or mark as Lost. - Demo/Meeting Scheduled: There’s a confirmed date/time on the calendar. Not “they said maybe next week.”
Make it obvious: If a new rep joined tomorrow, could they follow your stages without a two-hour orientation?
Step 5: Use fields and automations for nuance—not extra stages
Not every detail needs its own pipeline stage. Use Theirstack’s custom fields, tags, or automations for tracking things like:
- Lead source
- Priority rating
- Industry or vertical
- Next action due
Automate the boring stuff: - Reminders for follow-ups after a set number of days - Auto-move to Lost if there’s no activity for 30+ days - Assign tasks based on stage changes
What to ignore: Don’t try to automate qualifying questions into stages. Keep the process human where it matters.
Step 6: Regularly review and prune your pipeline
Set a calendar reminder—every quarter, at least—to review your pipeline stages. Don’t wait for things to break.
How to do a quick review: - Are deals getting stuck in one stage? Figure out why. - Are reps “pipeline stuffing”—leaving dead deals in early stages? Clean them out. - Did you add a stage for a “special project” that’s now over? Delete it.
Pro tip: If nobody’s used a stage in the last 3 months, you don’t need it.
Step 7: Track conversion rates (and actually use the data)
Now that your pipeline matches reality, start measuring conversion rates between stages in Theirstack. This is how you spot real bottlenecks.
What to look for: - Where do most deals drop off? (E.g., from Demo to Proposal, or Proposal to Negotiation) - Do certain reps or sources have better conversion by stage? - Are you spending too much time on leads that never qualify?
Don’t obsess over vanity metrics:
The only numbers that matter are the ones you can act on. If conversion from “Qualified” to “Demo Scheduled” is bad, fix your qualifying questions or your pitch—don’t add another stage.
What actually works (and what doesn’t)
Works: - Fewer, clearer stages - Regular pipeline clean-up - Clear, shared definitions for each stage - Using fields and tasks for details, not more stages
Doesn’t: - Over-customizing for every possible scenario - “Set it and forget it” pipeline design - Ignoring stuck deals until the end of the quarter
Ignore: - Anyone telling you there’s a “perfect” pipeline template. Your process will be a little different—just make it intentional.
Keep it simple—and keep tweaking
Optimizing your sales pipeline in Theirstack isn’t a one-time job. The simpler your stages, the more honest your numbers, and the easier it is to spot what’s working. Don’t get caught up in chasing every “best practice”—just build a pipeline that matches how you actually sell, and keep tuning it as you learn.
The best pipelines aren’t the most complicated—they’re the ones that get used. Now go clean yours up.