Tracking · CRM Setup & Required Fields

Design a Deal Object Schema for a Retainer Agency

Architect a Deal object that handles MRR, contract length, renewal dates, and expansion deals cleanly — built for retainer agencies, not SaaS.

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When to use

Use this when your CRM was built for one-time deals and now you're trying to shoehorn 12-month retainers into it — your forecast double-counts revenue, renewals get forgotten, and expansions can't be attributed. This prompt redesigns the Deal object for how retainer agencies actually sell.

The prompt

Prompt

You are a CRM architect who has rebuilt the Deal object at 20+ retainer-based agencies and knows where SaaS-flavored CRM defaults break down for services.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] | CRM: [CRM_TOOL] | Service mix: [SERVICE_MIX] | Typical contract length: [CONTRACT_LENGTH] | Expansion frequency: [EXPANSION_FREQUENCY] | Renewal motion: [RENEWAL_MOTION] | Current Deal pain: [DEAL_PAIN]
Design a Deal object schema that cleanly separates: new business, renewal, expansion, and downgrade deals — without double-counting revenue. Cover MRR, one-time fees, contract dates, auto-renewal flags, and the parent/child relationship for renewals and expansions.

- Distinguish Deal Type clearly (New, Renewal, Expansion, Downgrade, Churn) and define the lifecycle for each
- MRR and TCV must be calculated, not manually entered
- Renewal deals must link to the original parent deal
- Forecast must roll up new business without double-counting renewals
- Include the close-won automation that creates the renewal deal automatically

Section 1: Deal Type definitions and lifecycle. Section 2: full field spec table (Field | Type | Required | Calculated? | Notes). Section 3: parent/child relationship diagram in ASCII. Section 4: 3 worked examples (new deal, expansion, renewal).

Variables

[AGENCY_NAME]Your agency's name
[CRM_TOOL]HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, etc.
[SERVICE_MIX]Retainer-only, retainer + projects, etc.
[CONTRACT_LENGTH]Typical contract term (3 mo, 6 mo, 12 mo)
[EXPANSION_FREQUENCY]How often clients expand (rare, common, planned)
[RENEWAL_MOTION]Auto-renew, manual renewal call, hybrid
[DEAL_PAIN]What breaks today (double counting, missed renewals, no expansion attribution)

Example input

Input

Agency: Foundry Marketing | CRM: HubSpot Pro | Mix: 90% retainer + 10% project work | Contract: 6 mo initial, monthly after | Expansion: 30% of clients expand within 6 mo | Renewal: manual call at month 5 | Pain: forecast double-counts renewals, expansion shows as 'new business' inflating growth metrics

Example output

Output

**Deal Types**
- New Business: first contract with a new company. Counts in new-logo MRR.
- Renewal: same company + same services, post-initial term. Counts toward retention, NOT new-logo.
- Expansion: same company, NEW service line or increased MRR mid-contract. Counts in expansion MRR.
- Downgrade/Churn: tracked for net revenue retention.

**Fields** (abridged)
| Field | Type | Required | Calc? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deal Type | Picklist | Y | N | New/Renewal/Expansion/Downgrade |
| Parent Deal | Lookup | Y if Renewal or Expansion | N | Links to original |
| MRR | Currency | Y | N | Monthly recurring |
| Contract Months | Number | Y | N | — |
| TCV | Currency | N | Y | MRR × months + one-time |
| Renewal Date | Date | Y | Y | Close date + contract months |
| Auto-Renewal | Checkbox | Y | N | Drives renewal task automation |

**Parent/Child:**
```
Deal #101 (New, $5k MRR, 6 mo)
  ├── Deal #145 (Expansion, +$2k MRR, parent #101)
  └── Deal #178 (Renewal, $7k MRR, 12 mo, parent #101)
```

**Examples:** (1) New SEO deal = $5k MRR, type New. (2) Add Paid Social 3 mo in = +$2k MRR Expansion deal, parent links to #101. (3) Month 5 renewal call closes 12-mo at $7k = Renewal deal, parent #101, rolls to retention not new-logo.

Pro tips

Never put renewals in the same forecast bucket as new business. It hides churn and inflates growth narratives.
Auto-create the renewal deal 60 days before renewal date — the #1 cause of missed renewals is 'we forgot it was coming up.'
Track expansion as its own Deal Type with a parent link. Otherwise you can't answer 'how much expansion revenue did we close last quarter?'

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