How to Set Up and Manage Your Sales Pipeline

You know the feeling: inquiries come in, you have conversations, send proposals, follow up, and then... some deals close and others disappear. Without a structured sales pipeline, it is hard to know where each opportunity stands, what your expected revenue looks like, or which leads need your attention right now.

Ripluo's sales pipeline gives event planners a visual, stage-based system to track every opportunity from first inquiry to signed contract. This tutorial covers the full workflow - from creating your first opportunity to closing your next deal.

Note: The sales pipeline is part of Ripluo's CRM, available on the Pro plan ($49.99/mo).

Step 1: Understand Your Pipeline View

From the CRM sidebar, click Pipeline to open the board. Each column represents a stage in your sales process, and each card is an opportunity (a potential deal).

The default stages are designed for event businesses:

New Inquiry - Fresh lead, not yet qualified
Consultation - Initial meeting or discovery call scheduled or completed
Proposal Sent - You have sent pricing or a formal proposal
Negotiating - Discussing terms, scope, or pricing adjustments
Contract Sent - Agreement sent for signature
Won - Deal closed, contract signed
Lost - Opportunity did not close

The board gives you an instant read on your sales health. At a glance you can see how many opportunities are in each stage, what total revenue is in the pipeline, and which deals are moving (or stuck).

Step 2: Create an Opportunity

Click "Add Opportunity" or drag a new card onto the board. Fill in the details:

Opportunity Name - A descriptive title (e.g., "Johnson Wedding - June 2027" or "TechCorp Annual Conference")
Contact - Link to the client's contact record
Company - If applicable, link to the company record
Event Type - Wedding, corporate, nonprofit, etc.
Expected Event Date
Stage - Where this deal is right now

Creating a new opportunity in the pipeline

Step 3: Add Line Items and Deal Value

Each opportunity can include line items - the individual services or packages you are offering. For example, a wedding planning opportunity might include:

Full-service planning - $8,000
Day-of coordination - $2,500
Design consultation - $1,500

Line items automatically calculate the total deal value. This value is what shows up on your pipeline board and in your revenue forecasting, so you always know how much potential revenue is at each stage.

You can adjust line items as conversations evolve - adding services, changing prices, or removing items. The deal value updates automatically.

Step 4: Move Opportunities Through Stages

As a deal progresses, drag the card to the next stage or update the stage from the opportunity detail view. The pipeline board updates in real time.

This is where discipline matters. Make a habit of updating stages after every meaningful interaction - after a discovery call, move it to Consultation. After sending a proposal, move it to Proposal Sent. This keeps your pipeline accurate and gives you reliable data for forecasting.

You can also set the probability for each opportunity - your estimated chance of closing the deal. A new inquiry might be 10%, a proposal sent might be 40%, and a contract sent might be 80%. Ripluo uses this to calculate your weighted pipeline value, helping you forecast revenue more accurately.

Moving an opportunity through pipeline stages

Step 5: Log Activities

Every interaction with a prospect should be logged. On each opportunity, you can add activities like:

Calls - "Spoke with Sarah about venue preferences and guest count"
Emails - "Sent proposal v2 with updated catering options"
Meetings - "In-person consultation at the venue"
Notes - "Client prefers outdoor ceremony, budget is flexible on flowers"

Activity logging creates a complete history of every touchpoint. When you pick up a deal after two weeks away, you can scan the activity log and know exactly where you left off without relying on memory.

Step 6: Win and Close

When a deal closes, move it to Won. Ripluo marks the opportunity as closed and records the final deal value and close date. This data feeds into your reporting so you can track revenue, win rates, and average deal size over time.

From a won opportunity, you can convert it directly into an event - but that is covered in the opportunity-to-event conversion tutorial. For now, the key is that your pipeline is the single source of truth for your business development.

Get Started

The sales pipeline is part of Ripluo's CRM, available on the Pro plan ($49.99/mo). Create your Ripluo account to explore the free event planning tools, then upgrade to Pro when you are ready to manage your sales pipeline, proposals, contracts, and invoicing in one place.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I customize the pipeline stages?

Yes. You can add, rename, reorder, and remove pipeline stages to match your specific sales process. See the customize pipeline stages tutorial for a detailed walkthrough.

How is deal value calculated?

Deal value is the sum of all line items on an opportunity. If you add three services totaling $12,000, that is the deal value. Weighted value multiplies the deal value by the probability percentage you set.

Can I see pipeline reports and analytics?

Yes. Ripluo provides pipeline reporting that shows total pipeline value by stage, win rates, average deal size, and revenue trends over time. This data helps you make informed decisions about where to focus your sales efforts.

What happens to lost opportunities?

Lost opportunities are moved to the Lost stage and kept in your records. You can add a reason for the loss (e.g., "Went with competitor," "Budget too high," "Event cancelled") to track patterns and improve your close rate.