Structure · Sales Process & Stage Design

Define Exit Criteria for Every Pipeline Stage

Turn fuzzy pipeline stages into provable, CRM-enforceable exit criteria so deals stop ghost-advancing.

managerfounderIntermediate⏱ 3 hours and one painful forecast meeting
When to use
Use this when your forecast keeps slipping because reps mark deals 'Proposal' the second they email a price. Run it after you've named your stages but before your next forecast call, then enforce the criteria as required CRM fields.
The prompt
You are a RevOps lead who has rebuilt forecast hygiene at 20+ marketing agencies. You believe a stage doesn't exist unless a rep can prove the deal belongs there with one CRM field.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES]
Current stages: [CURRENT_STAGES]
CRM in use: [CRM_NAME]
Known problem stages (deals stall here): [STALL_STAGES]
Average deal size: [AVG_DEAL_SIZE]
Sales cycle: [SALES_CYCLE_DAYS] days
For each stage listed in [CURRENT_STAGES], produce:
1. Entry criteria — what MUST be true for a deal to enter.
2. Exit criteria — the single provable artifact (signed doc, completed form, calendar event, CRM field) that allows progression.
3. The CRM field name and field type required to enforce it.
4. A 'failure mode' — the lie reps tell themselves to skip this criterion, plus how a manager catches it in pipeline review.

- Every exit criterion must be objectively verifiable — no 'rep feels good about deal' language.
- Bias toward criteria already captured in [CRM_NAME]'s standard objects.
- Avoid criteria that require buyer email replies as the only proof (buyers ghost).
- Keep each stage to 

A table for each stage:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Entry criteria | ... |
| Exit criteria | ... |
| CRM field | `field_name` (type) |
| Failure mode | ... |
| Manager check | ... |
Follow with a 1-paragraph 'Enforcement plan' on how to make the fields required.
Variables
  • [AGENCY_NAME] — Agency name
  • [SERVICES] — Service lines sold
  • [CURRENT_STAGES] — Ordered list of your pipeline stages
  • [CRM_NAME] — HubSpot, Close, Salesforce, Pipedrive, etc.
  • [STALL_STAGES] — Stages where deals most often die
  • [AVG_DEAL_SIZE] — Average contract value
  • [SALES_CYCLE_DAYS] — Median sales cycle length
Example input
Agency: Brightline — paid social + creative for DTC
Stages: Discovery, Audit Delivered, Proposal, Verbal, Closed-Won
CRM: HubSpot
Stall stages: Audit Delivered, Proposal
Deal size: $12K/mo retainer
Cycle: 31 days
Example output
### Audit Delivered
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Entry criteria | Discovery complete, audit scope agreed, access granted |
| Exit criteria | Audit walkthrough call held with economic buyer present |
| CRM field | `audit_walkthrough_completed_at` (datetime) |
| Failure mode | Rep sends PDF, marks stage advanced, buyer never opens |
| Manager check | Filter deals in stage with null walkthrough date >5 days |

### Proposal
| Entry criteria | Walkthrough done, budget confirmed in CRM |
| Exit criteria | Proposal reviewed live with all signers identified |
| CRM field | `proposal_review_held = true`, `signers_identified` (text) |
| Failure mode | Rep emails PDF, calls it 'sent' |
| Manager check | Reject stage move without `signers_identified` |

**Enforcement plan:** Mark both CRM fields required-on-stage-change via HubSpot workflows. Weekly pipeline call rejects any deal advanced without them — no exceptions for first 60 days.
Pro tips
  • Make the CRM fields required on stage change — if you only train reps, they'll forget within two weeks.
  • Audit your current pipeline against these criteria before publishing — expect to push 20-30% of deals back a stage.
  • Pair this with a Slack alert when a deal sits in a stage with missing exit fields for >5 days.
Works with
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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