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SALES OPERATIONS · MVP SETUP

MVP INPUTS

OPEN OPPORTUNITIES · SALES TEAM · SALES PROCESS
Before implementation begins, three inputs must be gathered. These feed directly into pipeline setup and determine the starting state of the system described below.
01 · OPEN OPPORTUNITIES
spreadsheet for import
Export every currently open deal, including the contact and organization associated with each one.
FORMAT: .xlsx tab — "Open Opportunities"
IMPORT FILE: DATA MIGRATION TAB
Deal TitleContactEmailOrganizationValueExp. Close
CRM ImplementationBob Smithbob@abc.comABC Mfg18,500Jul 15
Annual SupportJudy Jonesjudy@acme.comAcme Ind.6,200Jul 22
Only include deals that are currently open.
02 · SALES TEAM
names, emails & roles
Anyone that touches your sales process is a part of your sales team, whether it's in their title or not.

And it's important to understand the role that your sales team plays in the sales process. Make a list of everyone that does anything in your sales process and include their name, work email, and their role. This is your list of users in Pipedrive.
FORMAT: .xlsx tab — "Sales Team"
IMPORT FILE: SALES TEAM TAB
NameWork EmailRole
Bob Smithbob@yourteam.comSalesperson
Judy Jonesjudy@yourteam.comSales Manager
Chris Millerchris@yourteam.comCRM Administrator
Role must be one of: Salesperson, Sales Manager, CRM Administrator.
03 · SALES PROCESS
basic process outline
Jot down your sales process in your own words: what are the main things you do when you get a new opportunity, and in what order?

Whether you implement the blueprint yourself or hand it off to someone else, a clear process makes it much easier to configure the pipeline, stages, andactvities. It makes it a lot easier to onboard users, too.
FORMAT: .xlsx tab — "Sales Process"
IMPORT FILE: SALES PROCESS TAB
OrderKey ActivityActivity Owner
1Respond to inbound inquirySalesperson
2Schedule a discovery call to define the scope, budget, and timelineSalesperson
3Develop a quote and send it to the customerSalesperson
4Follow up with the customerSalesperson
Use their language, not ours. Mapping to Validation / Discovery / Consideration happens later.
Need starting templates for all three inputs?
GET THE IMPORT FILES
SALES OPERATIONS · MVP SCHEMATIC

MINIMUM VIABLE PIPEDRIVE BLUEPRINT

STRUCTURE · OBJECT RELATIONSHIPS · OPERATING RULES · ROLE OWNERSHIP
01
PIPELINE STRUCTURE AND DEAL PROGRESSION
01 · VALIDATION
Northwind Retail — POS Refresh
$12,400 · R. Chen
Delta Freight — Fleet Mgmt
$28,000 · T. Brooks
▸
02 · DISCOVERY
Bramble & Co — CRM Migration
$19,500 · M. Alavi
Foster Clinics — Multi-site
$41,200 · R. Chen
▸
03 · CONSIDERATION
Vega Industries — Platform Rollout
$84,000 · M. Alavi
▸
WON
14 deals
$612K closed
LOST
6 deals
$113K closed
02
OPERATING RULES
CRM data is operational truth. If it isn't logged in Pipedrive, it never happened.
OPPORTUNITY REQUIREMENTS
  • Every opportunity is created in Pipedrive once vendor intent is first observed.
  • Missing or outdated required fields must be updated before the expected close date.
ACCOUNTABILITY
  • Every deal has exactly one accountable owner at any given time.
  • Ownership can be transferred as many times as needed.
PIPELINE STRUCTURE
  • Stages represent buyer reality, not seller activity.
  • There are three fundamental sales stages: Validation, Discovery, and Consideration.
  • Forbidden stage names are Qualification, Closed, Won & Lost.
DEAL PROGRESSION
  • Work directly within the deal to email, call, schedule activities, and log notes.
  • Advance stages only when buyer evidence fulfills the current stage's exit criteria.
  • Deals only move forward, never backward, and never skip stages.
  • Always have a valid next activity scheduled, until the deal closes.
DEAL CLOSURE
  • Deals can only be won from the final sales stage. Deals can be lost at any stage.
  • Lost reasons must be selected from a list of mutually exclusive values.
03
THE ANATOMY OF A DEAL
Deals, Contacts and Organizations are objects related to each other. Activities and evidence both live on the deal.
DEAL
STATUSOpen
VALUE$84,000 USD
SCOPE OF WORKPlatform implementation + 3 months support
EXPECTED CLOSE DATEAug 29, 2026
NEXT STEPContract Review Call — Aug 12, 2026
DEAL OWNERJ. Smith
EVIDENCE
Signed LOI — Jul 30
Call with Bob — Jul 18
Estimate — Aug 02
Indicative Scope — Aug 02
SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES
Discovery Meeting · Jun 15
Follow-up · Jun 18
HISTORY
Introductory Call
Completed: Jun 5, 2025
Scope discussed. Contact confirmed interest in...
Follow-Up Email
Completed: Jun 7, 2025
Subject: Follow-up from introductory call. Hi Bob, it…
Note
Completed: Jun 8, 2025
Scope is expanding. Timeline may need adjustment.
CONTACT
Bob Johnson bob.johnson@acme.com
ORGANIZATION
Acme Corporation Industrial Software
TITLE
MINIMUM VIABLE PIPEDRIVE BLUEPRINT
PROVIDER
Firefly Consulting Int'l
REV
A5
SCALE
N.T.S.
DATE
2026-08-06
SHEET
1 OF 1
04
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Human agents supply the judgment-bearing action, and Pipedrive performs every defined deterministic consequence of that action.
SALESPERSON RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Create opportunities directly in Pipedrive
    • Deal Title
    • Status
    • Stage
    • Value
    • Scope of Work
    • Expected close date
    • Next step
    • Buyer information
    • Organization information
    • Deal Owner
  • Log buyer evidence (calls, emails, meetings, etc.) in real time
  • Make CTAs based on buyer evidence
SALES MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Maintain pipeline hygiene
  • Monitor forecast validity
  • Identify and reconcile duplicate records
  • Reassign ownership when needed
  • Coach salespeople based on recorded buyer evidence
  • Review lost reason patterns for trends
  • Take corrective actions when defects are found
CRM ADMINISTRATOR RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Establish and maintain the approved CRM architecture
  • Establish and enforce approved data validation rules
  • Manage user roles & permissions
  • Audit CRM data
  • Take corrective actions for duplicate, invalid or incorrect records
  • Monitor Pipedrive's Agentic Behaviors
  • Establish and maintain CRM architecture documentation
PIPEDRIVE PLATFORM AGENT
Automations
  • Triggers workflows based on a predefined condition.
Automatic Assignment
  • Routes new leads and deals to the correct rep.
  • Reassigns ownership when trigger conditions are met.
Email Sync
  • Establishes two-way email sync with Gmail or Outlook.
  • Logs emails on contacts, deals, or organizations automatically.
Calendar Sync
  • Syncs your calendar with Google, Microsoft 365, Outlook, or Exchange.
  • Automatically syncs activities you create in Pipedrive to your external calendar.
Duplicate Management
  • Detects and merges duplicate contacts, organizations, or deals.
Reporting & Goals
  • Creates real-time reports showing deal statistics, revenue won, KPIs, and revenue forecasts.
  • Tracks company and individual user goals in real time.
Visibility & Permissions
  • Restricts visibility of leads, deals, contacts, and product inventory by group.
  • Enforces permission sets that define what each user can do.
Security
  • Authenticates users via SAML SSO.
  • Enforces two-factor authentication.
  • Surfaces security alerts on suspicious activity.
Data Validation
  • Enforces required fields before a deal can progress.
  • Flags important fields without blocking deal progression.
Deal Rotting
  • Identifies deals that have stalled.
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