Operations
Name the stages in a generator sales pipeline
Define each stage with an event and a date. Keep requested, booked, held, quoted, accepted and paid work distinct.
Define each generator sales stage with a checked event and date: requested, booked, held, quoted, accepted, completed and paid. Keep deposits separate. Paid means the full agreed job amount was received.
A stage should show what happened, not how keen the buyer seems. Keep job progress and payment facts distinct when they happen in a different order.
On this page
Write a short stage dictionary
Start with the steps your business really uses. Do not copy a long list from another firm. Each stage needs a clear entry rule.
Use the list below as a starting point. Change the names if needed, but keep the meaning clear.
- Requested: a real person asked for work.
- Booked: a visit has an agreed date.
- Held: the visit took place.
- Quoted: the quote was sent.
- Accepted: the buyer accepted that scope.
- Completed: the agreed job was done.
- Paid: the full agreed job amount was received.
Keep events that can happen out of order
Some steps do not fit one straight line. A deposit may arrive before work is done. A new quote may follow a second visit.
Keep payment and job dates in their own fields too. Do not mark a whole job paid because one deposit arrived. Do not erase the first quote when a later version is sent.
Agree who changes each stage
The person who has the evidence should own the update. Sales may know a quote was accepted. The job lead knows work was completed. The payment record shows what was received.
Do not let an auto-reply or email click stand in for a held visit. Keep software actions apart from real job events.
Try the rules on four made-up records
Ask two staff to choose the right stage from these facts. If their answers differ, fix the rule before counting real jobs.
Keep the evidence date for each fact. A later stage should not erase the earlier visit or quote date. If a payment is refunded, record that change and review the current payment state.
Test the rules on a few jobs
Ask two staff to stage the same sample records. Use made-up records outside the live lead system. Discuss where their answers differ.
Fix unclear rules before using the totals in a report. Keep lost, stopped and unknown outcomes visible. A clean pipeline shows the work as it is, not as the team hopes it will be.
Watch and learn
Keep each sales stage clear
Watch the path from first request to payment. Each stage needs its own fact, owner and next step.
Selected section: 7:35–8:15.
This is a clip from SwiftSocial's sales system guide. Sample numbers show the math. They do not predict your results.
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Sources and further reading
Sources checked .
