5.2 Creating & Editing Pipelines & Stages (Real Estate Examples)

To make the Opportunities section truly useful and reflective of how your agency operates, you first need to define Pipelines and Stages that accurately map out your specific processes for handling listings, buyers, or other key workflows. Don't just rely on generic templates without tailoring them to your reality.

Accessing Pipeline Settings:

There are typically two ways to get to the Pipeline editor:

1. Via Settings: Navigate to Settings (gear icon, bottom left) → Click on Pipelines in the settings sub-menu.
2. Via Opportunities Section: Navigate to the main Opportunities section → Look for a Pipelines tab or button usually located near the top pipeline selection dropdown → Click it to enter the editing mode.

Creating a New Pipeline:

1. Start New Pipeline: Once in the Pipeline settings area, click the + Create New Pipeline button.
2. Name Your Pipeline: Enter a clear, descriptive name that identifies the process this pipeline represents (e.g., "Buyer Pipeline - Residential", "Seller Listing Pipeline", "Transaction Coordination - Contract to Close", "Lease Listing Pipeline").
3. Add Stages (Columns): Define the sequential steps of your process by clicking the + Add Stage button repeatedly. Enter a name for each stage as it should appear as a column header on the board. Think through your process logically from beginning to end.
   • Example Buyer Stages: New Buyer Inquiry → Consultation Scheduled → Consultation Held → Pre-Approved → Showing Properties → Offer Written → Offer Accepted → Under Contract → Inspection Period → Appraisal Ordered → Loan Commitment → Clear to Close → Closed Buyer Deal → Lost Buyer Deal.
   • Example Listing Stages: New Seller Lead → Contact Attempted → Listing Appt Set → Listing Appt Held → Listing Agreement Signed → Coming Soon/Pre-List Prep → Active Listing → Showing Activity → Offer(s) Received → Negotiating Offer → Offer Accepted → Under Contract → Contingencies Cleared → Closing Scheduled → Closed Listing Deal → Lost/Withdrawn Listing.
   • Include Outcome Stages: It's crucial to include final outcome stages like Closed Won (or your specific term like Closed Deal), Closed Lost (deal fell through), and potentially Abandoned or On Hold at the end of your stage list. These are important for accurate reporting and triggering post-deal workflows.
4. Reorder Stages: Once added, click and drag the stage names up or down in the list (in the settings view) to set the visual order they will appear in from left to right on the Pipeline board.
5. Configure Individual Stage Settings (Pencil Icon): Click the pencil icon next to each stage name to configure specific options for that column:
   • Allow moving to previous stage?: Choose Yes or No. Often Yes makes sense for flexibility.
   • Allow duplicate opportunities?: Choose Yes or No. Controls if the same contact can have multiple deal cards in this specific stage simultaneously. Often No for standard pipelines, but might be Yes for certain stages (e.g., a buyer actively making offers on multiple properties might have multiple cards in an "Offer Written" stage).
   • Visible in Funnel/Pie Chart? (CRUCIAL for Dashboard Reporting): This setting controls whether the count and value of deals in this stage contribute to the summary charts and totals on your main Dashboard.
     • Turn ON for all active stages where deals are progressing (e.g., New Lead, Appointment Set, Active Listing, Under Contract).
     • Turn OFF for your final outcome stages (Closed Won, Closed Lost, Abandoned) so that completed or lost deals don't artificially inflate the value displayed in your "active" pipeline charts on the Dashboard.
   • Card rotting threshold (Days): (Optional) Enter a number of days (e.g., 7, 14). If an Opportunity card remains inactive (no updates or activity logged) in this stage for longer than this threshold, its border might turn red on the board, visually highlighting potentially stalled deals that need attention.
6. Save the Pipeline: After defining all stages and settings, click the main Save button for the entire pipeline.

Editing Existing Pipelines:

• Navigate to Pipeline Settings.
• Click the pencil icon next to the name of the pipeline you wish to modify.
• You can then Add, Rename, Delete, or Reorder Stages, and adjust individual Stage Settings.
• Be cautious when deleting stages that might currently contain active Opportunity cards, as you'll need to decide where those deals should be moved.
• Remember to Save the pipeline after making changes.

Customize Your Starter Kit Pipelines:

If your Close Master account was set up using a Snapshot or Starter Kit, it likely included pre-built example pipelines. It is essential to review these pre-built pipelines thoroughly. Edit the stage names, add or remove steps, and adjust the stage settings (especially the Visible in Funnel/Pie Chart? option) to ensure the pipeline accurately reflects YOUR agency's actual, specific processes for handling listings and buyers, not just a generic template.