CRM Pipeline
Winning and losing an opportunity
Closing a deal either way, why recording the losses matters as much as the wins, and re-opening one that came back.
Last updated September 2, 2026
Move the opportunity to Closed Won or Closed Lost. It leaves the open pipeline, keeps its closed date, and starts counting towards what your team actually achieved.
Losses are the more useful half
Wins tell you what worked once. Losses, recorded consistently, tell you where deals die — the stage they stall at, the competitor that keeps coming up, the price point that never clears. Write the reason in a note before you close it, while you still know.
What a win should trigger
- The account's lifecycle stage moves forward — by hand, or automatically if a trigger is set.
- The sale, once it lands, can be linked back to the opportunity that won it.
- A follow-up task: delivery, onboarding, or the conversation about the next one.
When a dead deal comes back
A closed opportunity can be re-opened. Do that when the same deal genuinely revives; raise a new one when it is a fresh piece of business, so the history of what was won and lost stays true.
Closed deals are hidden from the list by default. Turn on Show Closed to see them.