OPERATIONAL RULES

Opportunities Only Advance When the Criteria Are Met

Every pipeline stage has specific criteria that must be met before an opportunity is permitted to advance. Moving an opportunity to the next stage is a declaration that the criteria for that stage have been satisfied - not a reflection of optimism or intent. Skipping or anticipating stage criteria corrupts conversion rate data and misrepresents where opportunities actually stand.

Observance of the Rule

  • Stage conversion rates accurately reflect real buyer behaviour and process performance.
  • Pipeline forecasts are built on verified opportunity progress, not wishful thinking.
  • Managers can identify genuine bottlenecks and coach to them.
  • Automations tied to stage transitions trigger at the right time and for the right reason.

Violation of the Rule

  • Stage conversion rates become meaningless because they no longer reflect real buyer progression.
  • Forecasts overstate pipeline health and lead to missed targets.
  • Automations fire prematurely, sending incorrect communications or triggering incorrect workflows.
  • Coaching becomes impossible because the data does not reflect what actually happened.

SALESPERSON

Execution

  • Before advancing an opportunity to the next stage, confirm that all required data is complete and up to date in the CRM.
  • Do not advance an opportunity based on intent or a verbal commitment - advance it when the criteria are demonstrably met.
  • If required fields are incomplete, complete them in real time before attempting to progress the opportunity.

SALES MANAGER

Execution

  • Actively monitor and audit opportunities to ensure stage advances reflect genuine criteria being met, not pipeline tidying.
  • When an opportunity appears to have advanced prematurely, tag the salesperson within the opportunity in the CRM and query it - do not discuss outside the system.
  • Use pipeline reviews to reinforce what each stage entry criteria means in practice.

CRM ADMINISTRATOR

Execution

  • Configure data validation rules that enforce required field completion before an opportunity can advance from one stage to the next.
  • Set up automated alerts to notify you when an opportunity is advanced without meeting the entry criteria for the next stage, so you can catch and correct violations quickly.