CRM Pipeline
Opportunities: what they are and when to create one
The difference between a lead, an opportunity and a sale, and the test for when something has become a deal.
Last updated September 2, 2026
An opportunity is a deal you expect to win: what it is for, what it is worth, and when you think it will close. Everything in your pipeline reporting is built from them.
| Record | Means | Has |
|---|---|---|
| Active lead | Someone you are trying to sell to. | A person and an owner. |
| Opportunity | A specific deal in play. | A value, a stage and an expected close date. |
| Sale | Money that changed hands. | An order in your sales system. |
When to raise one
The test is simple: can you put a number on it and say roughly when it will be decided? If yes, it is an opportunity. If you are still trying to find out whether they need anything, it is a lead.
ONE DEAL, ONE OPPORTUNITY
Raising an opportunity for every conversation inflates the pipeline until nobody believes it. A customer buying three things at once is one opportunity with a value that covers all three — not three deals.
What an opportunity connects
- A company — the account it belongs to.
- One or more contacts, with one marked as the primary decision maker.
- A rep who owns it.
- Optionally, the sales and quotes that eventually came from it.