Step one: define the sales process in plain language
Describe how deals actually move, from first interest to signed contract, in stages with entry and exit criteria. A stage should mean something you can verify, such as a decision-maker identified, a budget confirmed, or a proposal sent. Document the activities expected at each stage and who is responsible. If different teams sell differently, decide whether they share one process or have variants, and be prepared to simplify.
- Name the stages and write what must be true to enter each.
- Record the required information at each stage, and no more.
- Agree how win and loss reasons are captured.
Step two: design objects, fields and the account model
With the process defined, decide what information must be stored. Start with standard objects such as accounts, contacts, leads, and opportunities, and add custom fields only where the process needs them. Define the account model carefully, since parent and child relationships, territories, and ownership rules are difficult to change later. Keep pages short, with the most important fields first, so reps can update records in seconds.
Step three: lead management and routing
Decide where leads come from, how they are scored or qualified, and who receives them. Assignment rules should be simple and transparent, and response targets should be measured. Define what happens to a lead that is not worked, and how leads convert to accounts, contacts, and opportunities without creating duplicates. Matching and de-duplication rules protect data quality from the first day.
Implementation and integration services →Step four: opportunities, quotes and approvals
Opportunity pages should guide reps through the stages, showing the information needed next. If you quote in Salesforce, define the product catalog, price books, discount rules, and approval thresholds, so reps can produce accurate quotes quickly and managers see what they are approving. Connect to the finance system where orders and invoices originate, so closed deals flow without re-keying.
Revenue and pricing solutions →Step five: forecasting, reports and dashboards
Forecasts are only as good as the stage definitions beneath them. Agree how forecast categories relate to stages, who submits and who reviews, and how often. Build a small set of reports and dashboards for each role: reps see their pipeline and tasks, managers see coverage and slippage, and executives see trend and conversion. Resist the temptation to build dozens at the start.
Step six: data migration, training and adoption
Migrate accounts, contacts, and open opportunities after cleaning and deduplicating them, and leave dead data behind. Train reps on the daily workflow with their own accounts, and train managers on pipeline reviews run from Salesforce. Make the system the only place the pipeline is discussed. Adoption comes from usefulness and from leadership using it, not from reminders.
Training and user enablement →Decisions to settle before configuration
- Stage definitions. Sign off the stages and exit criteria across sales and leadership.
- Ownership rules. Define who owns accounts and how territories or segments are assigned.
- Required fields. Limit required information to what the process truly needs.
- Integration scope. Decide what connects to Salesforce at go-live and what follows later.
A realistic first 90 days
- Days 1 to 30. Define the sales process, account model, and required data, and clean the source data.
- Days 31 to 60. Configure lead, opportunity, and quoting flows, and build the core reports, testing with a pilot team.
- Days 61 to 90. Train all users, migrate data, go live, and run pipeline meetings from Salesforce from the first week.
Pitfalls to avoid
- Configuring before agreeing the process. You will rebuild when the arguments resurface.
- Too many required fields. Reps fill them with placeholders. Ask only for what is used.
- Dirty data on day one. Duplicates and stale records undermine trust. Clean before loading.
- Leaders who stay in spreadsheets. If management reviews pipeline elsewhere, reps will too.
