If your sales team is cobbling together spreadsheets, emails, and sticky notes to manage deals, it’s time for a better system. This guide is for B2B sales teams who want to actually control their process, not just track it. We’re skipping the buzzwords and showing you—step by step—how to build custom sales workflows in Canopy that fit how your team works, not how a software vendor thinks you should.
Why bother with custom workflows?
Let’s be honest: most sales software wants you to fit its mold. That’s great if your process is just like everyone else’s. But real B2B sales are messy. Stages change, handoffs get missed, and if you’re not careful, deals fall through the cracks.
Custom workflows in Canopy help you:
- Map out your actual sales process, not a generic funnel.
- Keep everyone on the same page, so nothing slips.
- Spot bottlenecks before deals stall out.
But don’t expect magic. Workflows won’t fix a broken process—they’ll just make the cracks more obvious. So be ready to adjust as you go.
Step 1: Map out your real sales process
Before you touch Canopy, sketch how your team actually sells. Not the idealized version—the real one.
What to do:
- Grab a whiteboard or a notepad.
- Write down every step a deal goes through, from first contact to closed-won (or lost).
- Call out who does what at each stage (e.g., SDR, AE, Sales Engineer).
- Jot down the key info or docs you need at each step.
Pro tip:
Ask your reps what really happens, not just what’s “supposed” to. You’ll spot the gaps fast.
What to skip:
Don’t overcomplicate things. If you’re not actually using a step (like “Needs Analysis” that always gets skipped), leave it out for now. You can add it later if it becomes real.
Step 2: Set up your pipeline stages in Canopy
Now you’re ready for Canopy. Log in and head to the workflows or pipeline settings (names may vary depending on your version).
How to do it:
- Create a new workflow
- Use a clear name, like “Standard B2B Sales” or “Enterprise Pipeline.”
- Add your stages
- For each step you mapped, add a corresponding stage.
- Examples: “Inbound Lead,” “Qualified,” “Demo Scheduled,” “Proposal Sent,” “Negotiation,” “Closed Won,” “Closed Lost.”
- Set stage owners (if Canopy supports it)
- Assign default owners (e.g., SDR, AE) to each stage.
- If your team is small, skip this for now.
- Define entry/exit criteria
- For each stage, jot a one-liner: “What has to happen to move forward?”
- Example: “Qualified = Contacted and confirmed budget.”
Honest take:
Don’t obsess over getting this perfect. You’ll spot issues after a few deals run through.
Step 3: Add custom fields and data points
Generic fields like “Company Name” and “Deal Value” are fine, but your process probably tracks specifics: contract type, renewal dates, technical requirements, whatever.
How to do it:
- Go to workflow or deal settings.
- Find the “Custom Fields” section.
- Add fields for anything you routinely need (checkboxes, dropdowns, dates—whatever fits).
- Make fields required only if the deal truly can’t move forward without them.
What works:
Keep it lean. Too many required fields slow your team down and lead to fake data. Start with the must-haves; add more only if you’re actually using the info.
Step 4: Build automation (carefully)
Canopy has automation—reminders, notifications, task assignments, maybe even integrations with email or Slack. This can help, but only if you use it sparingly.
What’s worth automating:
- Stage changes: Assign tasks or send reminders when a deal moves forward.
- Follow-up nudges: Automatic reminders if a deal sits too long in a stage.
- Handoffs: Alert the next owner when it’s their turn.
How to do it:
- Under workflow settings, look for “Automations” or “Rules.”
- Set up basic triggers, like:
- “When a deal enters ‘Proposal Sent,’ assign contract review task to legal.”
- “If a deal is in ‘Negotiation’ for 10 days, alert the AE.”
- Test each automation before rolling out to the team.
What to ignore:
Don’t set up automations for every little thing. If your team gets too many alerts, they’ll ignore all of them—including the ones that matter.
Step 5: Customize deal views and dashboards
Your reps, managers, and execs all want different info. Canopy usually lets you create custom views or dashboards.
How to do it:
- Use filters to create saved views (e.g., “Deals closing this quarter,” “Stuck in Qualification”).
- Build summary dashboards for pipeline health, conversion rates, and won/lost reasons.
- Share relevant views with your team so everyone’s looking at the same data.
What works:
Start with a couple of views that answer your team’s top questions. You can always add more—don’t try to boil the ocean on day one.
Step 6: Pilot the workflow with a real deal
Don’t roll out to everyone at once. Pick one or two deals and run them through your new workflow.
What to look for:
- Are stages missing or out of order?
- Are fields confusing or unnecessary?
- Is automation firing at the right moments?
- Did something fall through the cracks anyway?
Honest take:
You’ll find problems. That’s good—it means your workflow is surfacing real issues, not hiding them. Fix what’s broken, then try again.
Step 7: Train your team (briefly)
No one wants to sit through a two-hour training. Show your reps what’s changed, walk through a real example, and answer questions as they come up.
Tips:
- Record a quick screen-share demo for folks who miss the meeting.
- Make it clear why you’re doing this: to make their lives easier, not harder.
- Let people know who to ask when they get stuck.
Step 8: Iterate based on feedback
After a couple of weeks, ask the team what’s working and what’s getting in their way. Adjust your workflow based on real-world use.
What to focus on:
- Steps that always get skipped (maybe they’re not needed).
- Bottlenecks where deals stall.
- Fields no one ever fills out (or always fills with junk).
How to collect feedback:
A quick poll, a Slack thread, or a 10-minute team huddle—all work. Don’t overthink it.
What to skip (for now)
- Complex scoring models: If you’re just starting, skip lead scoring. You’ll end up with a complicated system nobody trusts.
- Heavy integrations: Get your workflow right first, then worry about zapping data everywhere.
- Fancy reporting: Start with the basics. If leadership wants more, you can always add it.
Keep it simple, keep it moving
Custom workflows in Canopy aren’t about impressing your boss with a slick dashboard—they’re about helping your team close more deals with less confusion. Start simple. Get feedback fast. Tweak as you go. If something isn’t working, change it. The best workflow is the one your team actually uses.
And if you’re ever stuck choosing between “more structure” and “just enough to keep things moving,” err on the side of less. You can always add more later—but nobody ever asks for more admin work.