How to manage Sales Cycle with HubSpot Pipeline Management? [Free]

Have you ever wondered how successful businesses keep track of their sales, ensuring that no opportunity slips through the cracks?

Imagine running an ecommerce store where customers come in and express interest in your products. How do you make sure each potential sale is followed up, and no customer is forgotten?

This is where a well-managed sales pipeline comes into play, and HubSpot Pipeline Management Software helps you efficiently manage this sales pipeline. 

HubSpot Pipeline Management not only organizes your customer interactions but also ensures you never miss an opportunity to turn interest into a sale. It provides a structured framework for businesses to visualize and manage their sales pipeline.

Let's explore how this tool transforms unorganized sales processes into well-organized, efficient systems. 

What is a Sales Pipeline & why is it important?

A sales pipeline is like a roadmap that outlines the steps a sales team takes to convert a prospect into a paying customer. It serves as a systematic approach to managing and tracking potential customers as they move through various stages of the sales process.

Each deal stage represents a different phase of the sales process. These stages may include lead generation, initial contact, qualification, presentation, negotiation, and finally, closing the deal.

Importance of a Sales Pipeline:

• Organization and Visibility: A sales pipeline helps sales teams organize their efforts and gain visibility into the sales process. With a clear pipeline, everyone involved can easily understand where each potential customer stands in the sales journey.

• Efficient Decision-Making: By categorizing prospects into specific stages, sales teams can make informed decisions about where to allocate resources and focus their efforts, leading to increased efficiency.

• Identifying Bottlenecks: The pipeline helps identify bottlenecks or areas where prospects tend to get stuck in the sales process. 

• Sales Forecasting: A well-managed sales pipeline is a valuable tool for forecasting future sales. Businesses can make predictions about future revenue by analyzing historical data and current pipeline status. 

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Sales pipelines integrate with HubSpot CRM, allowing businesses to track and manage customer interactions more effectively. 

• Continuous Improvement: Regularly reviewing and optimizing the sales pipeline allows businesses to adapt to changing market conditions and customer behaviours. 

A sales pipeline is not just a tool; it's a fundamental aspect of successful sales strategies.

What is HubSpot Pipeline Management Software?

HubSpot Pipeline Management is a tool that helps businesses keep their sales processes organized and efficient. It allows teams to see and control how deals move from the first contact to closing the sale.

With easy-to-use features, users can smoothly guide potential customers through different stages of the sales process. This tool simplifies the complicated job of managing sales, making it straightforward and effective for teams striving to meet their objectives.

What are the different deal stages of the HubSpot Sales Pipeline?

A sales pipeline helps businesses track and manage potential customers as they move through various stages to make a purchase. Each stage in the sales pipeline represents a crucial step in converting a prospect into a paying customer.

Let's delve into the details of each deal stage in the sales pipeline:

• Lead Generation: Lead generation is the initial phase where potential customers, or leads, are identified. These leads can come from various sources, such as marketing campaigns, social media, events, or website inquiries. 

• Lead Nurturing: After generating leads, it's crucial to nurture leads by providing relevant information and building a relationship. This involves engaging with leads through personalized content, emails, and other communication channels to keep them interested in the product or service.

• Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL): A marketing qualified lead is a prospect that has shown interest and engagement with the marketing efforts. These leads are more likely to become customers based on their behaviour and interaction with marketing content.

• Sales Accepted Lead (SAL): Once the marketing team identifies and nurtures a lead to a certain extent, it is handed over to the sales team. The sales team reviews the lead and determines if it fits the criteria for a potential customer.

• Sales Qualified Lead (SQL): A sales-qualified lead is a prospect that the sales team has thoroughly evaluated and deemed ready for direct sales engagement. This involves understanding the prospect's needs, budget, and authority to make purchasing decisions.

• Closed Deal: The closed deal stage marks the successful conversion of a qualified lead into a paying customer. This involves finalizing negotiations, addressing any remaining concerns, and completing the transaction.

• Post-Sale: The post-sale stage focuses on maintaining a positive customer relationship and ensuring customer satisfaction after the deal is closed. This phase is crucial for fostering customer loyalty and encouraging repeat business.

A well-structured sales pipeline with clearly defined deal stages helps organizations streamline their sales processes, improve conversion rates, and build lasting relationships with customers. 

Steps to set up and manage Sales Pipeline

Let's explore the steps to create, add, edit and manage the sales pipeline within your HubSpot Account. 

Create a deal pipeline                               

Creating a new pipeline is simple! However, you don't need a new one for every sales process. If you're using the same process to sell products for various brands, you can make just one pipeline and control user and team access.

But if there are different stages in the deals, you need to make separate pipelines for each process. Let's go through the steps to create a new sales pipeline in HubSpot.

• Login to Your HubSpot Account: Open your web browser, go to the HubSpot login page, and enter your credentials to access your account.

• Access Settings: Once logged in, navigate to the settings. You can usually find this in the top right corner of the screen. Click on your account name or profile picture and select Settings.

• Navigate to Deals: In the left sidebar of the Settings page, locate the Objects menu. Click on it to expand the menu, and then select Deals.

• Go to the Pipeline Tab: Find the Pipeline tab. Click on it to access the area where you manage your pipelines.

• Create a New Pipeline: In the Pipeline tab, you'll see an option to select a pipeline. Click the dropdown menu and choose Create Pipeline.

• Enter Pipeline Details: A dialogue box will appear. Enter a name for your new pipeline. This name should reflect the sales process or the type of deals you'll be managing with this pipeline.

• Click Create: After entering the pipeline name, click Create to create your new sales pipeline.

Edit or delete the pipeline

Let's dive into the details of how you can edit or delete pipelines in HubSpot, as well as manage access and customize board settings.

• Access Pipeline Options: To edit or delete a pipeline, go to the Pipeline section under Deals in your HubSpot account. Select a pipeline you want to modify and click on it to select it.

• Actions Dropdown: Under the actions dropdown button for your selected pipeline, you'll find 4 menu options.

• • Rename this Pipeline: Choose this option if you want to change the name of your selected pipeline. Enter the new name and save the changes.
  • Reorder Pipelines: If you wish to change the order of your pipelines, use this function. Drag and drop the pipelines to rearrange them according to your preference.
  • Manage Access: Click on this option to assign users and teams that have access to the selected pipeline. This helps in controlling who can view and manage deals within this specific pipeline.
  • Delete this Pipeline: If the selected pipeline doesn't contain any deals, you can delete it using this option. Confirm the deletion when prompted. Be cautious, as this action is irreversible and will permanently remove the pipeline.
    

Board Customization Options:

• Customize Board and Card View: If you want to tailor how information is displayed on the board and deal cards, use this option. Add a title to your board and select up to four properties that you want to display on the board and deal cards for easy reference.

• Customize Deal Tags: This option allows you to add tags and conditions to categorize deals. Tags help in organizing and quickly identifying deals based on specific criteria. You can define conditions that, when met, automatically assign certain tags to deals.

These customization options enhance your ability to manage and visualize your sales processes effectively. By renaming, reordering, managing access, and customizing board settings, you can tailor HubSpot's sales pipelines to match your business's specific needs and workflows. 

Edit, add or remove deal stages

Let's delve into the details of adding, editing, or deleting deal stages in a pipeline using HubSpot's Pipeline Management software.

Deal Stages Overview: Deal stages are like checkpoints that help you keep tabs on how your deals are progressing. In HubSpot's Sales Pipeline, there are default stages to guide you:

• Appointment Scheduled
• Qualified to Buy
• Presentation Scheduled
• Decision Maker Bought-In
• Contract Sent
• Closed Won
• Closed Lost

But here's the great part - you can add, edit or remove these stages based on your unique sales process using HubSpot's Pipeline Management.

Head to the Pipeline tab in HubSpot and locate the Configure sub-tab

Add a Deal Stage:

Delete a Deal Stage:

Edit Deal Stages with Pipeline Rules:

Edit Properties:

Automate Deal Stages with Workflows:

HubSpot also allows you to automate deal stages using workflows. This helps streamline tasks, making your sales process more efficient.

By following these steps, you have the power to tailor your deal stages to match your specific sales process. Whether it's adding new stages, deleting unnecessary ones, or automating the progression,

HubSpot's Pipeline Management provides the flexibility you need to optimize your sales pipeline. This customization ensures that your sales journey aligns perfectly with the unique needs of your business.

Manage user access

If your deal pipeline is shared among multiple teams, it's important to ensure that each team has the right access without affecting the deals assigned to other teams.

Let's walk through the detailed steps on how to manage access to deals in HubSpot, especially when your deal pipeline is assigned to multiple teams:

• Log in to your HubSpot account.
• Click on Settings, and then navigate to Users & Teams located in the left sidebar panel.

• Choose the user name or multiple names for which you want to manage permissions.
• Click on Edit Permissions to proceed.

• In the right sidebar, find and click on CRM.
• Within the CRM settings, you'll see access options for various properties.
• Go to the Deals tab and locate the dropdown menu for View, Edit, and Delete access.
• Select the appropriate access levels for the team from the dropdown menu.
• After setting the desired access levels, click on Save to apply the changes.

By following these steps, you can configure deal access for specific users or teams in your HubSpot CRM. This ensures that teams can collaborate on deals within a shared pipeline without interfering with the deals assigned to other teams.

Benefits of HubSpot Pipeline Management

HubSpot Pipeline Management Software offers several benefits for businesses looking to streamline their sales processes and enhance overall efficiency. Here are some key advantages:

• Centralized Data Management: HubSpot Pipeline Management Software provides a centralized platform for managing all aspects of the sales pipeline. It consolidates customer information, communication history, and deal details in one place, allowing sales teams to access real-time data easily.

• User-Friendly Interface: The software features an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy for sales professionals to navigate and use the tool effectively. This reduces the learning curve for new users and ensures that teams can quickly adapt to the system.

• Customizable Pipelines: HubSpot allows users to create and customize multiple sales pipelines based on different sales processes, products, or customer segments. This flexibility ensures that businesses can tailor their pipelines to match their unique workflows and sales strategies.

• Automated Task Management: The software automates routine tasks and reminders, helping sales teams stay organized and focused on high-priority activities. Automated notifications for follow-ups, appointments, and deadlines ensure that no critical steps are overlooked.

• Lead Tracking and Scoring: HubSpot Pipeline Management Software includes lead tracking and scoring capabilities. This enables businesses to identify and prioritize leads based on their level of engagement and interest. By focusing on high-scoring leads, sales teams can improve their conversion rates.

• Real-time Analytics and Reporting: The software offers robust analytics and reporting features that provide insights into the performance of sales pipelines. Users can track key metrics, identify bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions to optimize their sales processes continually.

• Forecasting Accuracy: With the ability to track deal stages and progress, HubSpot helps improve forecasting accuracy. Sales managers can better predict revenue, allocate resources effectively, and make informed decisions based on the current state of their sales pipelines.

In conclusion, HubSpot Pipeline Management Software provides a comprehensive solution for businesses seeking to enhance their sales processes, improve collaboration, and achieve better visibility into their pipelines.

Are you maximizing Sales Potential with HubSpot Pipeline Management?

HubSpot Pipeline Management Software is a powerful tool for organizing and streamlining your sales journey. It lets you create, edit, and customize pipelines to match how you sell products, whether it's for one brand or many.

You can add, delete, or tweak deal stages, making it fit perfectly with your unique process. Plus, it lets teams work together without stepping on each other's toes.

Have you tried managing your sales pipeline with HubSpot? What's your favourite feature? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

And remember, if you ever need a hand with HubSpot Pipeline Management, feel free to contact us. We're here to help you make the most of this powerful tool!

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