If you’re in sales or managing a team, you already know: keeping track of deals isn’t glamorous. Spreadsheets get messy. CRMs promise the world and deliver a pile of tabs. But if you want to actually see where your deals are, spot the ones slipping through the cracks, and help your team close more—without losing your mind—this is for you.
This guide is a no-nonsense walkthrough for using Salesken to track and manage your deal pipeline. You’ll get the basics, some advanced moves, and a few hard-won lessons on what actually works (and what’s just sales tech smoke and mirrors).
Why Even Bother With Deal Pipeline Tools?
Let’s level-set. Deal pipeline tools aren’t magic. They don’t close deals for you. What they do—if you use them right—is help you:
- See what’s real vs. what’s wishful thinking
- Spot deals that need attention before they go cold
- Give managers a clear view (without pestering reps for updates)
- Flag bottlenecks in your process
If you’re not seeing those benefits, you’re either not using the tool right, or it’s not the right tool. So, let’s dig into what Salesken can do—and can’t.
Step 1: Set Up Your Pipeline—Keep It Stupid Simple
Before you dive into features, map your real-world sales process. Don’t copy some “industry best practice” template if it doesn’t fit how you actually sell.
How to do it right in Salesken:
- List your actual sales stages.
- These should match how your team really works: e.g., “Contacted,” “Demo Scheduled,” “Proposal Sent,” “Negotiation,” “Closed Won/Lost.”
- Don’t overcomplicate. More than 6–7 stages? You’ll waste time arguing what counts as “qualified.”
- Set up these stages in Salesken.
- Use the pipeline setup wizard. It’s point-and-click, not rocket science.
- Define what “done” means at each stage.
- Be specific. “Qualified” should mean something concrete—like “decision maker confirmed, budget discussed.”
Pro tip:
If you’re inheriting a messy pipeline, start fresh. Archive the old stuff, or you’ll be sorting through zombie deals forever.
Step 2: Add Deals—Don’t Let Garbage In
This is where most teams go wrong: if you add junk, you get junk out.
Do this:
- Only add actual opportunities—real contact, real interest.
- Fill out the basics: company, contact, stage, estimated value, and close date.
- Skip “hope deals.” You know the ones: “Maybe they’ll call me back someday.” If you wouldn’t bet your lunch money on it, don’t enter it.
Bulk import:
If you’re switching from another CRM or spreadsheet, Salesken lets you import deals via CSV. Clean your data first. Otherwise, you’ll be sorting through duplicates for weeks.
Step 3: Use the Kanban View (But Don’t Live in It)
Salesken gives you a drag-and-drop Kanban board for your pipeline. It’s visual, quick, and makes it dead simple to move deals between stages.
- Drag deals forward as they progress.
- Click into a deal for details, notes, and activity history.
- Filter by owner, stage, close date, or value.
What works:
The Kanban view is great for daily standups and seeing at a glance where you’re stuck.
What doesn’t:
It’s easy to get “Kanban blindness”—just moving cards without actually updating anything meaningful. Don’t let it become a mindless ritual.
Step 4: Track Activities Without Becoming a Data Entry Zombie
Logging calls, emails, and meetings can help—but only if it’s quick and actually used. Salesken tries to automate some of this, depending on your integrations.
Actions:
- Connect your calendar and email.
Salesken can auto-log activities from Outlook or Gmail. Saves you a ton of clicks. - Add notes right after meetings.
Don’t wait until Friday—you’ll forget. Jot bullets, not essays. - Set reminders for follow-ups.
The tool lets you set tasks tied to deals, so you don’t drop the ball.
Ignore:
Filling in a dozen custom fields about every single call. Unless your manager really needs it (and can explain why), it’s busywork.
Step 5: Use Reports—But Don’t Drown in Charts
Salesken spits out a bunch of pipeline reports: deal velocity, win rates, stuck deals, and so on.
Here’s what’s actually useful:
- Deal aging:
Which deals have been stuck in a stage forever? These are your “ghosted” prospects. Act or kill them. - Conversion rates by stage:
Where do most deals die? If it’s always after demo, your demo might stink (or you’re talking to the wrong people). - Forecasting:
Take these numbers with a grain of salt—no system predicts the future. But you can spot trends and see if your quarter’s in trouble before the last week.
What to skip:
Pie charts of “deals by industry” or “deal value by region” unless you actually use that info to change how you sell.
Step 6: Coach Your Team Using Real Conversations
One thing Salesken does differently: it can analyze sales calls (if you turn this feature on). It’ll flag talk ratios, missed questions, or when reps forget to discuss pricing.
How to make this work:
- Pair call insights with pipeline data.
If a rep’s deals always stall at “Negotiation,” listen to a couple of their calls from that stage. - Don’t micromanage.
Use the data to coach, not to nitpick every conversation. - Share best practices.
If someone’s crushing it, see what they do differently—and share it.
Gotchas:
Not every rep likes being recorded or analyzed. Use this feature with consent, and don’t turn your team into robots.
Step 7: Clean House—Regularly
A healthy pipeline isn’t stuffed with wishful thinking. At least once a month, block time to:
- Close out dead deals.
Mark them “Lost” (and note why—so you can spot patterns). - Review stuck deals.
Decide: Is there a next step, or is it time to move on? - Update deal info.
Even basics like close dates and values.
Pro tip:
Celebrate clearing out old deals. A smaller, realistic pipeline beats a bloated, imaginary one every time.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
After using Salesken (and more CRMs than I care to admit), here’s the real story:
What works:
- Simple pipelines that match your real process
- Quick activity logging—especially if automated
- Regular reviews, not just end-of-quarter fire drills
- Coaching based on real data, not just gut feel
What doesn’t:
- Overcomplicating your stages or fields
- Relying on pipeline “health scores” instead of human common sense
- Spending hours tweaking reports no one reads
Ignore the hype:
- AI “deal scoring” is rarely more accurate than your gut.
- Fancy dashboards won’t close deals for you.
- Don’t believe any tool that promises you’ll never have to follow up again.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Actually Close More
Salesken is a solid tool, but like any CRM, it’s only as good as what you put in. Start simple. Focus on what helps you and your team see reality and act faster. Review regularly, prune the deadwood, and don’t be afraid to tweak your process as you learn.
You don’t need every bell and whistle—just a clear view of what matters. The rest is just noise.