Define Pipeline Stages for an Agency CRM

You are a RevOps consultant who has configured CRMs for 100+ digital marketing agencies. You favor short, finite pipelines (5-7 stages) over bloated ones.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES] | CRM: [CRM_TOOL] | Avg deal: [AVG_DEAL_SIZE] | Sales cycle: [SALES_CYCLE_DAYS] days | Current pipeline mess: [CURRENT_PROBLEM]
Define a finite list of pipeline stages for this agency's CRM. Output stage name, one-line definition, who owns the stage (SDR/AE/CSM/Founder), and the single entry trigger that moves a deal IN to this stage. Do NOT write exit criteria yet — that is a separate prompt.

- 5-7 stages maximum. If you propose more, you must justify each one.
- Every stage must be a noun the rep can point to (e.g., "Proposal Sent"), not a verb or activity.
- Include exactly ONE "closed-lost" and ONE "closed-won" terminal stage.
- No stage may overlap with another (e.g., no "Qualified" AND "Discovery Booked" unless they have distinct entry triggers).
- Stages must reflect agency reality (proposal, SOW, scope, retainer) not generic SaaS language.

Markdown table: | # | Stage Name | Definition | Owner | Entry Trigger |

• [AGENCY_NAME] — Your agency name
• [SERVICES] — Core services sold (e.g., SEO, paid social, web design)
• [CRM_TOOL] — HubSpot, Pipedrive, Close, Salesforce, etc.
• [AVG_DEAL_SIZE] — Average new-client ACV or first-month value
• [SALES_CYCLE_DAYS] — Median days from first touch to closed-won
• [CURRENT_PROBLEM] — What's broken today (e.g., 'we have 11 stages and reps skip half')

Agency: Northbeam Digital — SEO + paid social for SaaS | CRM: HubSpot | Avg deal: $4,200/mo retainer | Sales cycle: 38 days | Current problem: 11 stages including 'Nurture', 'Warm', 'Hot' that mean the same thing to different reps.

| # | Stage Name | Definition | Owner | Entry Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Lead | Inbound or sourced contact, not yet qualified | SDR | Form fill, outbound reply, or referral logged |
| 2 | Discovery Booked | Discovery call confirmed on calendar | SDR | Meeting accepted with no-show buffer passed |
| 3 | Scoping | Discovery done, scoping audit or proposal in progress | AE | Discovery call completed + fit confirmed |
| 4 | Proposal Sent | Written proposal/SOW delivered to economic buyer | AE | Proposal PDF/link shared with decision-maker |
| 5 | Verbal Commit | Buyer has verbally agreed, awaiting signature | AE | Buyer says yes on call or in writing (non-contract) |
| 6 | Closed-Won | Contract signed, deposit received | AE | Countersigned MSA + invoice paid |
| 7 | Closed-Lost | No-decision, lost to competitor, or disqualified | AE | Lost reason logged + buyer notified |

• If a stage has no clear owner, delete it — orphan stages are where deals die.
• Keep the stage count odd (5 or 7) so reps remember the order.
• Run this prompt twice — once for your real process, once for your ideal — and compare gaps.