If you’re in sales, you know the drill: too many deals, too little time, and way too many “systems” that promise clarity but deliver more confusion. This guide is for sales managers and reps who want real visibility—not just pretty charts—by actually tracking sales pipeline stages in Membrain. No sales jargon, no pretending a CRM will solve all your problems. Just practical steps to get Membrain working for you, not the other way around.
Why Bother Tracking Pipeline Stages, Anyway?
You might be thinking: “Do I really need another process?” Fair question. Here’s the thing—if you don’t track pipeline stages, you’re flying blind. You’ll waste time chasing dead leads, forget who to follow up with, and have zero clue what’s stuck or slipping.
Membrain, for all its bells and whistles, is actually pretty solid at helping you see where each deal stands—if you set it up right. This guide walks you through that setup, minus the corporate nonsense.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Sales Process Before Touching Membrain
Don’t skip this. If your sales stages are a mess, Membrain won’t magically fix them.
- Write down your actual sales steps. Not the “ideal” process, but what your team really does. Think: “Initial Contact,” “Discovery Call,” “Demo,” “Proposal Sent,” “Verbal Yes,” “Closed Won/Lost.”
- Keep it simple. Too many stages = confusion. Too few = no insight. Aim for 5–7 key steps.
- Get your team’s input. If you’re the only one who understands the stages, no one will use them.
Pro tip: Don’t copy templates you find online. Your pipeline should match how you sell.
Step 2: Set Up or Adjust Your Pipeline in Membrain
Once you know your stages, you can actually use Membrain’s pipeline features.
- Log in and go to the Process Manager.
- Click the gear icon (settings) in the left menu.
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Find “Sales Process” or “Process Manager.”
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Create a New Sales Process (or Edit an Existing One).
- Click “Add Process” or choose an existing process to edit.
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Name it something your team recognizes.
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Add Your Stages.
- For each stage, use the real-world names you decided on.
- You can drag and drop to reorder.
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Add a brief description—keep it to one sentence so reps don’t have to guess.
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Set Stage Criteria (Optional, but Useful).
- Define what needs to happen for a deal to move to the next stage (e.g., “Discovery call completed”).
- Don’t overcomplicate—just enough info so anyone can understand.
What works: Naming stages after clear milestones (e.g., “Demo Completed”) beats vague terms (“In Progress”).
What to ignore: Fancy color-coding or emojis for every stage. It’s distracting after the novelty wears off.
Step 3: Customize Fields for Better Tracking
Membrain lets you add custom fields to each stage or the whole pipeline. Here’s how to set things up without creating busywork.
- Decide What to Track.
- Typical fields: Deal value, close date, decision-maker, next step.
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Only add fields you’ll actually use.
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Add Custom Fields.
- In the process setup, look for “Fields” or “Custom Fields.”
- Choose field types (text, dropdown, date).
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Set required fields carefully—too many required fields slows everyone down.
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Map Fields to Stages (If Needed).
- You can show or hide certain fields at different stages.
- Example: “Proposal Amount” only appears after “Demo.”
Honest take: Less is more. The more fields you add, the less likely your team will keep things updated.
Step 4: Tracking Deals Through the Pipeline
Here’s where the rubber meets the road.
- Add a New Opportunity.
- From the main dashboard, hit “Add Opportunity” or similar.
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Fill in the basics: company, contact, deal name.
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Assign it to the Right Pipeline and Stage.
- Pick the correct process if you have more than one.
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Set the current stage based on what’s actually happened—not wishful thinking.
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Update Stages as Work Progresses.
- Move deals forward only when the criteria are met.
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Don’t fudge the numbers to make the pipeline look better than it is.
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Log Notes and Next Steps.
- Add quick notes or tasks directly on the opportunity.
- Use @mentions to loop in teammates—don’t rely on email for follow-ups.
What works: Updating live during a call or immediately after an action keeps data fresh.
What doesn’t: Batch updating at the end of the week. You’ll forget details, and data quality suffers.
Step 5: Use Filters and Views to Stay Focused
Membrain’s main value is helping you see what matters. Customize your views so you’re not just looking at a sea of deals.
- Filter by Stage. Want to see all deals in “Proposal Sent”? Easy.
- Sort by Close Date or Deal Value. Prioritize your time.
- Save Views. If you always check “Deals Closing This Month,” save that filter.
Pro tip: Don’t fall for the trap of checking every metric. Focus on deals that are actually moving.
Step 6: Review and Adjust Regularly
No pipeline setup is perfect forever. Here’s how to keep things tight:
- Run a quick pipeline review weekly. What’s stuck? What’s moving? Where’s the bottleneck?
- Ask your team what’s working (and what’s a pain). If everyone ignores a stage, maybe it’s unnecessary.
- Tweak stages or fields as you learn. Don’t be afraid to simplify.
What works: Treating your pipeline process as a living thing. Stagnant pipelines = stagnant sales.
What to Ignore (Seriously)
- Don’t obsess over “win probability” percentages. Unless you’ve got years of clean data, these are mostly guesswork.
- Don’t build the pipeline for your boss’s dashboard. Build it for the people actually selling.
- Don’t let Membrain run you. It’s a tool, not a strategy.
Wrap-Up: Keep It Simple, Keep It Moving
Sales pipelines get messy when you overthink them. The trick with Membrain—or any CRM—is to set up just enough structure that you know what’s happening, without drowning in admin. Start small, iterate, and don’t be afraid to change things when they stop working.
Most important: Make the pipeline work for you, not the other way around. Now go clean up those stages and get back to closing deals.