A solid CRM system revolves around a predictable and trackable sales process. Here's a breakdown of the typical flow followed in most CRM platforms like Salesforce, EspoCRM, Zoho, or your own custom-built solution.
💼 Sales Process Overview:
Lead ➜ Opportunity ➜ Quote ➜ Order ➜ Invoice
This is the backbone of most B2B sales workflows, where each stage reflects a deeper commitment from the potential customer.
1. 🧲 Lead — Initial Interest
A Lead represents someone who has shown interest in your product or service but hasn’t been qualified yet.
📌 Example:
John from “Acme Corp” fills out the Contact Us form on your website, asking about your CRM solution.
Typical Fields in a CRM:
- Name, Email, Phone
- Company Name
- Source (Website, Ad, Referral)
- Assigned Sales Rep
- Lead Score
- Status (New, Contacted, Disqualified, etc.)
📈 Goal: Determine if the lead is a good fit — and if so, convert them into a Contact, Account, and Opportunity.
2. 💰 Opportunity — Qualified Deal in Progress
Once the lead is confirmed to be serious and potentially ready to buy, it's converted into an Opportunity.
📌 Example:
You have a discovery call with John. He's a decision-maker with a budget and wants to purchase a CRM within 30 days.
You create:
📝 Opportunity Name: “CRM Deal with Acme Corp”
Common Fields:
- Deal Value (e.g., \$2,500)
- Stage (e.g., Proposal, Negotiation)
- Expected Close Date
- Probability %
- Linked Contact & Account
📈 Goal: Track deal progress and activities like calls, demos, or meetings.
3. 📄 Quote — Formal Price Proposal
When your customer wants exact pricing, you issue a Quote, which includes itemized costs, terms, and validity.
📌 Example:
🧾 Quote #Q-2025-043
"CRM Pro Plan – 10 users"
Quote Fields:
- Quote Number
- Products/Services
- Unit Price, Quantity, Taxes, Discounts
- Total Amount
- Expiry Date
- Status (Draft, Sent, Accepted, Rejected)
📈 Goal: Share formal pricing → wait for customer acceptance.
4. ✅ Order — Purchase Confirmed
The customer accepts the quote. An Order is generated, indicating commitment.
📌 Example:
📦 Order #ORD-34324
Quote accepted — the sales team triggers account setup.
Order Fields:
- Linked Quote
- Billing Info
- Delivery Terms or Provisioning Status
- Order Date
- Internal Notes
📈 Goal: Fulfill the order → activate services or ship product.
5. 💳 Invoice — Payment Request
Once the service is delivered or the order is processed, the system issues an Invoice to collect payment.
📌 Example:
📃 Invoice #INV-2025-102
\$500 due by June 5, 2025
Invoice Fields:
- Invoice Number
- Linked Order/Customer
- Due Date
- Payment Status (Unpaid, Paid, Overdue)
- Tax Breakdown
📈 Goal: Get paid → mark invoice as settled.
🧭 Recap: Sales Flow in Action
Lead (Interest)
↓
Opportunity (Qualified)
↓
Quote (Price Proposal)
↓
Order (Confirmed)
↓
Invoice (Payment)
Each step involves specific data, people, and workflows that help your team manage and scale the sales cycle efficiently.
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