Course 06 · Lesson 3 of 21
The stages
Thirteen states: ten stages plus three closed states. Move a deal only when the exit test is met, with the evidence in the CRM.
| Stage | Means | Exit test | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target | A researched account (fits the profile; named trigger) | A named person has replied, been introduced or met us | Seller |
| Engaged | A real person is talking to us | First call held with an up-front contract and a dated next step | Seller |
| Discovery done | We understand their situation in their words | Qualified (all six tests) or closed as Disqualified; motion decided | Seller |
| Demo done | They have seen Holly do their work | Demo shown; first success agreed; next step dated | Alex or John |
| Proposal | They have our one recommendation | Value card walked through live, then sent; price stated; response recorded | Seller |
| Committed | Yes said; paperwork moving | Payment taken at sign-up, or for considered deals the paper process complete | Seller (Alex or John for any non-standard term) |
| Won | Paid | Handover held; set-up complete (LinkedIn connected per invited seat, voices built, Holly level and approval rules set) | Seller, then onboarding owner |
| Onboarded | Set up and using it | Activation definition met by day 14 | Onboarding owner |
| Active | Activated; the habit is forming | Expansion conversation opened after measured value | Account owner |
| Expanding | More seats, teams or workspaces | Seats or a second team added | Account owner |
| Lost (closed) | They chose an alternative (including ChatGPT, a ghostwriter, another tool) | Reason code; the alternative chosen | Seller |
| No decision (closed) | They stopped without choosing anything | Reason code; where it stalled | Seller |
| Disqualified (closed) | Failed a qualification test or hit a disqualifier | Reason code DQ; which test failed | Seller |
Activation (planning hypothesis). By day 14 after payment, every paid seat that has been invited has LinkedIn connected; at least one voice is built; at least 5 posts have been approved; at least one feature beyond scheduling has been used; and, for accounts with 3 or more seats, a second seat has an approved post. An account not activated by day 14 stays at Onboarded, flagged "not activated by day 14": a customer success play, not a stage.
Stage rules.
- No decision is not Lost. Track it separately: it is our biggest lever.
- Self-serve buyers enter at Won. They count in total wins and time to first deal, sit on a separate "self-serve wins" line, and are excluded from qualified win rate. Offer a welcome call within one working day and build their SPICED record from it.
- No dated next step means stalled. Fix it or close it as No decision.
- Slippage is the warning light: in one large vendor benchmark, win rates fell from 18% when a late-stage deal slipped a week to 3% beyond six months (Ebsta and Pavilion, 2025). A deal a week past its agreed date is raised at the weekly review.
- "Commit" means in Committed, with a dated paper process and, for considered deals, two active people on the buyer's side.
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