What is an opportunity pipeline and how is it different from a sales pipeline?
An opportunity pipeline is the pipeline of qualified pursuits (opportunities, sometimes called deals) that a sales team is working. The term opportunity comes from the Salesforce lineage and is standard in enterprise CRMs. A sales pipeline is a broader umbrella term that sometimes includes unqualified leads and sometimes refers specifically to the opportunity pipeline. Most mature revenue organizations separate the lead pipeline (unqualified prospects) from the opportunity pipeline (qualified pursuits) because the motion and the metrics differ. Strkr supports both as distinct objects: leads live in the lead pipeline and convert to opportunities when qualified, while opportunities live in the opportunity pipeline through to closed-won or closed-lost.
What stage model should an opportunity pipeline use?
The stage model depends on the sales motion. A high-velocity SMB motion typically runs 4 to 5 stages (Prospecting, Discovery, Proposal, Negotiation, Closed) with short expected durations and tight criteria. An enterprise motion typically runs 6 to 8 stages (Prospecting, Discovery, Technical Validation, Business Case, Proposal, Negotiation, Legal Review, Closed) with longer expected durations and more rigorous entry criteria. The right stage count is the smallest number of stages that each have distinct entry criteria, distinct exit criteria, and distinct activities. More stages than that create friction without insight; fewer stages lose granularity on the motion.
How do forecast categories work alongside stages?
Forecast categories (Commit, Best Case, Pipeline, Omitted) are a separate axis from stage. The stage reflects where the deal is in the lifecycle; the forecast category reflects the rep confidence in the deal closing in the forecast period. A deal in Discovery is almost always in Pipeline (not yet forecastable). A deal in Negotiation might be in Commit (the rep is confident), Best Case (the rep is less confident but believes it could close), or Pipeline (the rep thinks it slips). A deal in Omitted is in the pipeline but explicitly excluded from the forecast (long-shot, strategic bet, slip to next quarter). The two-axis model gives the manager a clearer forecast picture than conflating stage and probability.
What pipeline metrics should a sales leader watch?
Six metrics matter for most B2B motions. Pipeline coverage (open pipeline divided by quota, healthy at 3x to 4x). Win rate by stage (the conversion between adjacent stages, surfacing the leaky stage). Sales cycle (median time from opportunity creation to closed-won, trending over quarters). Average deal size (revenue per won opportunity, by product and segment). Stage velocity (actual days in stage versus expected, surfacing stuck deals). Forecast accuracy (Commit forecast against closed-won, revealing forecast discipline issues). Mature teams watch all six on a weekly cadence; the executive dashboard rolls them up for the leadership view with drill-through to the deals contributing.
How does Strkr enforce stage entry and exit criteria?
Strkr opportunity pipelines carry configurable entry and exit criteria per stage. Entry criteria define what has to be true for a deal to arrive (identified buyer, confirmed pain, scheduled next meeting for Discovery). Exit criteria define what has to be true for a deal to move forward (budget confirmed, decision maker identified, next-step action booked for Discovery exit). The enforcement is configurable per team: strict mode blocks the transition until criteria are met, soft mode warns and logs the override. The RevOps lead picks strict for critical stages (anything feeding Commit) and soft for early stages where friction would hurt velocity. The audit log captures every override with the actor, the timestamp, and the justification.
Can an account carry multiple opportunities?
Yes. An enterprise account typically carries multiple opportunities over time: the initial land, a cross-sell to a second product, the renewal, the upsell. Each opportunity has its own stage, amount, close date, and owner. The account roll-up on the account detail page shows the full picture: all open opportunities, all closed-won in the past 12 months, all closed-lost with reason codes. The account carries the ongoing relationship context (contacts, support history, product usage, NPS); each opportunity carries the pursuit. The two-level model matches real B2B motion where a single buyer can have multiple active pursuits of different products at different stages.
