Sales funnel stages
What each stage is, the criteria for a lead to enter it, the healthy timeframe, and how this works when the funnel runs inside WhatsApp.
The five stages that work in practice are new lead, qualified, in proposal, closed and lost. Each one needs an objective entry criterion, a defined action and a maximum timeframe. Below you'll find each one detailed and the ready-to-download template.
Sales funnel stages are the statuses an opportunity moves through between the first contact and the close. Theory usually talks about top, middle and bottom, but that doesn't say what to do in the conversation. In practice, what works is a small set of stages with an objective entry criterion, a timeframe and a clear action.
The 5 stages, one by one
1. New lead
Every contact that arrives and hasn't been triaged yet enters here. Entry criterion: a conversation has started. What to do: reply fast, understand the reason for contact and ask the qualifying questions. Healthy timeframe: leave this stage within 24 hours.
2. Qualified
The lead has proven relevant: has the need, has a timeline and has a compatible budget range. Entry criterion: the three qualifying questions answered. What to do: show how you solve their problem, with proof or a similar case. Healthy timeframe: up to 3 days.
3. In proposal
Price, terms and timeline have already been sent. Entry criterion: proposal recorded in writing. What to do: sustain follow-up with a defined cadence, without disappearing and without pushing every day. Healthy timeframe: up to 10 days, after that the chance drops sharply.
4. Closed
Paid or signed. Entry criterion: confirmation recorded. What to do: start delivery and log the sale. From here the person leaves the sales funnel and enters customer follow-up.
5. Lost
Said no, chose another provider or stopped responding. Entry criterion: explicit refusal or deadline passed. What to do: log the reason in a closed list of options and schedule a reactivation. A well-logged lost lead is the best campaign list there is.
Traditional funnel vs a funnel running on WhatsApp
| Traditional funnel | Funnel inside WhatsApp | |
|---|---|---|
| Who moves the card | The salesperson, after the conversation | The conversation itself, as it happens |
| History | Summarized, incomplete notes | The entire conversation linked to the contact |
| Follow-up | Manual reminder in another tool | Triggered by time without a reply |
| Delay in a stage | Discovered in the weekly meeting | Flagged the same day |
| Report reliability | Depends on the team's discipline | Reflects what actually happened |
How many stages your funnel should have
Five solve most businesses. A funnel with ten columns tends to get abandoned within a few weeks, because nobody remembers the criteria for each one and the team starts pushing cards by guesswork. If you need more detail, use tags within the stage instead of creating a new column.
The test is simple: if two people on the team look at the same lead and disagree on which stage it's in, the criterion isn't clear enough.
How to know if the stages are working
- Conversion from each stage to the next, always over the same period.
- Average time stuck in each stage, to find the real bottleneck.
- Number of cards past deadline today.
- Most frequent reason for loss in the last 30 days.
Want the funnel built with your business's stages?
We set up the stages, the criteria and the follow-up cadence together with you, already running inside WhatsApp.
Talk to a specialistFrequently asked questions
What are the sales funnel stages?
In the classic reading, top, middle and bottom, or discovery, interest, consideration, decision and action. In day-to-day operation, what works are five objective statuses: new lead, qualified, in proposal, closed and lost.
What's the difference between funnel stages and the buyer's journey?
The journey is the customer's point of view, as they notice a problem, research and decide. The funnel stages are the company's point of view, meaning how you track that path. Good stages mirror your audience's real journey.
Can I adapt the stages to my business?
Yes, and you should. A clinic might have scheduling instead of proposal, and a realtor might have a scheduled visit. What doesn't change is the rule: each stage needs an objective entry criterion and a maximum timeframe.
Do I need software to set up the stages?
Not to get started. The free follow-up spreadsheet already comes with the stages ready and calculates the conversion. Software starts to make a difference when there are several reps on the same number and manual entry starts failing.