Table of contents
1. Creating deals
Deals in Cone are initiated to track potential sales and client engagement opportunities from inception through various stages to their eventual conclusion as won, lost, or ongoing
Creating a new deal
Navigate to the deals section: You can access deals by clicking on Deals from left navigation bar
Add deal: Click on the Create deal button to start outlining the specifics of a new sales opportunity
Deal details: Input vital information including the deal name, estimated value, associated contact or client, and the current stage within your sales pipeline. This initial setup is crucial for effective tracking and management
2. Managing custom stages
Cone’s flexible deal management system allows you to categorize deals effectively, ensuring your sales process is organized and in line with your business strategies. Here’s how you can create and manage these categories for optimum efficiency
2.a Creating new stage
Navigate to Deals: In your Cone dashboard, go to the ‘Deals’ section where all your sales activities are displayed.
Access manage stages: Look for a ‘Manage stages’ option in tripe dot actions in the header
Create new stage: Under "Manage stages", click on on "Add status". Enter the name of the stage, changes will be auto-saved
Edit the stage: You can rename, edit color or delete stage from the triple dot actions available for each stage
3. Viewing options: List view and board view
3.a List view
List view offers a straightforward, linear presentation of all deals, sortable by stages, values, or associated clients/contacts
This view is ideal for quickly assessing the volume and distribution of deals across different pipeline stages
3.b Board view
Board view provides a kanban-style overview, allowing users to visually track deal progression across different stages
Users can drag and drop deals between stages, facilitating easy updates to deal statuses as they evolve
4. Proposal creation from deals
You have the option to initiate proposal creation directly within a deal. This seamless integration ensures proposals are accurately aligned with the specifics of the sales opportunity, enhancing efficiency and coherence in client communications
4.a Scenarios for proposal creation
Depending on the deal’s associated information (client or contact presence), Cone offers tailored pathways for generating proposals:
Existing client: Auto-fills client details in the proposal editor
Existing contact with no client: Prompts to link the contact to a current client or to a new client profile before proceeding
Contact with multiple client associations: Users can select the relevant client for the proposal or create a new client profile for the contact
Blank slate: If neither a client nor contact is associated, the proposal editor opens for manual client and contact selection
5. Deal actions
The ability to act on deals is key to managing your sales pipeline effectively. Here’s what you can do within each stage:
5.a. New Deal, In Progress, and Proposal category stages
For deals in the New Deal, In Progress, and Proposal categories, the following actions are available:
Edit deal: Update deal information as it evolves
Create proposal: Initiate a proposal directly from the deal
Mark as lost: Move the deal to the Lost stage if it’s no longer viable
Duplicate: Create a copy of the deal for similar future opportunities
This range of actions ensures dynamism and responsiveness throughout the early and middle phases of the deal lifecycle
5.b. Closed category stages
5.b.i Lost stage
Edit deal: Make changes to deal details post-closure
Duplicate: Replicate the deal for re-engagement or analysis
5.b.ii Won stage
Actions mirror those in the initial categories, facilitating continuous engagement and the possibility of new opportunities stemming from successful deal closures
