CRM

OlenaBondar
Participant

Expansion, Downsell, Renewal Pipeline setup

SOLVE

Hi,

I am trying to set up the right infrastructure for our deal pipeline for New Business, Renewals, Expansion, Downsell. Here, in the community, I saw that the best practice is to create a separate pipeline for each. However, we only have 2 pipelines with our Starter plan.

I am thinking to keep only one Sales Pipeline and introduce naming conventions to be able to filter and report on them, ex. "Expansion - Company XYZ - $50,000".

What are potential consequences and drawback of keeping all deals together? What's the impact on reporting (Closed revenue, funnel stages CVR, Average time in stage, etc). It seems like I can filter everything through "Deal Name Contains" to be able to differentiate. 


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1 Accepted solution
HubSpot_Corey
Solution
Top Contributor

Expansion, Downsell, Renewal Pipeline setup

SOLVE

Hi @OlenaBondar 

 

Given the limitation of having only two pipelines in the Starter plan, I would suggest utilising both pipelines and using deal object tags. These visual cues can quickly inform team members about the nature of a deal without the need for in-depth examination, streamlining the process of managing and navigating through deals. Here's a suggested approach to organize your deal types effectively, incorporating the use of colored object tags for clarity:

Suggested Pipeline Structure

  1. Pipeline 1 - Core Sales Pipeline: This pipeline should focus on capturing New Business and Expansion deals.

    • New Business Deals: Tag these deals with one color (e.g., blue) to indicate fresh opportunities with new or existing clients.
    • Expansion Deals: Use a different color (e.g., green) for deals that represent upselling or cross-selling opportunities with existing clients. These deals typically involve less effort than acquiring new customers but are crucial for growth.
  2. Pipeline 2 - Customer Success Pipeline: This pipeline is dedicated to Renewals and Downsell.

    • Renewals: Apply a specific color (e.g., yellow) for renewal deals, which are critical for maintaining your existing customer base and ensuring recurring revenue.
    • Downsell: Use another distinct color (e.g., red) for downsell opportunities. These deals require special attention to understand the reasons behind the downscaling and to maintain a positive relationship with the customer.

 

Additional Tips

  • Clear Guidelines: Establish and document clear guidelines for how deals should be moved between pipelines and stages, including when and how to apply colored tags.
  • Review and Adjust: Periodically review the effectiveness of this structure and make adjustments as necessary based on feedback from your team and any changes in your business processes.

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4 Replies 4
OlenaBondar
Participant

Expansion, Downsell, Renewal Pipeline setup

SOLVE

After taking some time to research, I am still unsure of the best way to manage different deal types. I am considering maintaining a single Sales Pipeline and introducing naming conventions to filter and report on deals, e.g., "Expansion/New Business/Downgrade/Renewal - Company XYZ - $50,000." Could someone clarify these scenarios, please?

Scenario 1 (Downgrade): Customer A's New Business Deal was Closed Won on November 1, 2023, at $10K ACV. On April 20, 2024, Customer A decides to downgrade the contract, and the new contract value is $6K ACV. How should I manage deal creation/update? How do I ensure the $4K in lost revenue is reflected in forecasting? Do I need to prorate or use discounts for this?

Scenario 2 (Renewal + Expansion): Customer B's New Business Deal was Closed Won on November 1, 2022, at $10K ACV. On November 1, 2023, Customer B renews the contract and expands services, and the new contract value is $16K ACV. On April 20, 2024, Customer B requests another upgrade, and the new contract value increases to $21K ACV. How should I manage deal creation/update? How do I ensure the $6K + $5K added revenue is reflected in forecasting?

0 Upvotes
HubSpot_Corey
Solution
Top Contributor

Expansion, Downsell, Renewal Pipeline setup

SOLVE

Hi @OlenaBondar 

 

Given the limitation of having only two pipelines in the Starter plan, I would suggest utilising both pipelines and using deal object tags. These visual cues can quickly inform team members about the nature of a deal without the need for in-depth examination, streamlining the process of managing and navigating through deals. Here's a suggested approach to organize your deal types effectively, incorporating the use of colored object tags for clarity:

Suggested Pipeline Structure

  1. Pipeline 1 - Core Sales Pipeline: This pipeline should focus on capturing New Business and Expansion deals.

    • New Business Deals: Tag these deals with one color (e.g., blue) to indicate fresh opportunities with new or existing clients.
    • Expansion Deals: Use a different color (e.g., green) for deals that represent upselling or cross-selling opportunities with existing clients. These deals typically involve less effort than acquiring new customers but are crucial for growth.
  2. Pipeline 2 - Customer Success Pipeline: This pipeline is dedicated to Renewals and Downsell.

    • Renewals: Apply a specific color (e.g., yellow) for renewal deals, which are critical for maintaining your existing customer base and ensuring recurring revenue.
    • Downsell: Use another distinct color (e.g., red) for downsell opportunities. These deals require special attention to understand the reasons behind the downscaling and to maintain a positive relationship with the customer.

 

Additional Tips

  • Clear Guidelines: Establish and document clear guidelines for how deals should be moved between pipelines and stages, including when and how to apply colored tags.
  • Review and Adjust: Periodically review the effectiveness of this structure and make adjustments as necessary based on feedback from your team and any changes in your business processes.
0 Upvotes
JWingate2
Top Contributor | Elite Partner
Top Contributor | Elite Partner

Expansion, Downsell, Renewal Pipeline setup

SOLVE

HubSpot's best practice is to create a new pipeline if your stages are different. If your stages are the same, then use the same pipeline, but create a property to identify them and filter them out, as you mentioned.

You shouldn't see any issues with reporting regardless of the route you take.

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OlenaBondar
Participant

Expansion, Downsell, Renewal Pipeline setup

SOLVE

Thanks for responding. What property would you create? I saw that there's a default "Deal Type" property that has 2 options "New Business' and "Existing Business". 


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