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Module 06 — Follow-up, sales and marketing systems

One pipeline you actually use

You'll set up a pipeline with stages defined by what the customer did, one rule that keeps it honest, and a 10-minute daily review.

  • 3 min read + 30 min exercise
  • Lesson 1 of 3
  • Free · No sign-up

The problem

Most small teams have a pipeline in someone's head, a half-used spreadsheet, and a sales app somebody signed up for once. None of them agree. Deals don't die because anyone decided to drop them. They die because nobody knew they were waiting.

Why it matters

The pipeline is where inquiries turn into revenue — and it's the list your follow-ups run on in lesson 6.2. If it isn't complete and current, every system after it works from the wrong list.

1 The method: stages, one rule, a daily look

  1. Stages by customer actionA deal moves when the customer does something — not when you feel good about it.
  2. One ruleNo open deal without a next step and a date.
  3. A daily lookTen minutes, same time, every working day.

2 Step by step

  1. Define five or six stages

    Use the customer's actions: New (they asked) → Talking (they replied) → Quote sent (they have a price) → Deciding (they said they'll think about it) → Won or Lost. Write one sentence per stage saying what moves a deal into it.

  2. Build it where you already work

    A spreadsheet with a Stage column, a board tool like Trello with one list per stage, or the pipeline in software you already pay for. The tool matters much less than having exactly one.

  3. Move today's open inquiries into it

    Every inquiry from your lead log that wasn't a “not a fit” in lesson 4.3 becomes a deal. All of them, today — a pipeline with gaps teaches everyone to ignore it.

  4. Apply the rule

    Every open deal gets a next step and a date. If you can't name one, the deal is Lost: mark it and write down why. Lost reasons are some of the most useful data you'll collect.

  5. Review it for 10 minutes every day

    Sort by next-step date. Do what's due today, reschedule honestly, and close what's dead. Ten minutes every day beats an hour on Friday.

Example · illustrative

The cleaning company's pipeline on a Tuesday

DealStageNext stepWhen
Sam · 3-bed move-outQuote sentFollow up with open datesWed
Priya · weekly cleanTalkingSend photo-quote linkToday
Dental office · 2 floorsDecidingCall after their Friday meetingFri
Leo · deep cleanLostBooked elsewhere — price—

Four lines, and anyone in the business knows exactly what happens today.

Your exercise · about 30 minutes

Build your pipeline

Template · Stage definitions
A DEAL MOVES WHEN THE CUSTOMER ACTS
NEW: they asked about buying
TALKING: they replied to us
QUOTE SENT: they have a price in writing
DECIDING: they said they'll think, check or come back
WON: they booked or paid
LOST: they said no, went quiet after the last follow-up, or aren't a fit

THE RULE: every open deal has a next step and a date.
Template · Pipeline columns
Deal (name + job) | Door | Stage | Approx. value | Owner | Next step | Next step date | Last contact | Lost reason

No deal without a next step and a date.

Your next action

Tomorrow morning, do your first 10-minute pipeline review before you open your inbox.