Deal
In B2B CRM, a Deal (often used interchangeably with Opportunity) is an active sales prospect that has been qualified and entered into the pipeline as a specific commercial pursuit, with an identified buyer, an expected value, a target close date, and a current stage in the sales process. Deals are the fundamental unit of sales pipeline management: they represent potential revenue in flight, and their collective status, volume, value, stage distribution, and velocity, determines the forecast for any given period. The quality of deal data in a CRM directly determines the reliability of revenue forecasts: incomplete deal records, inaccurate stage classifications, and absent close dates all undermine a leadership team's ability to manage the business with confidence.
A deal is an active, qualified pursuit in the pipeline with a buyer, an expected value, a target close date, and a current stage. It is the basic unit of pipeline management: the collective volume, value, stage spread, and velocity of deals produce the forecast. That is why deal data quality matters so much. Missing close dates, optimistic stages, and incomplete records all erode how much leadership can trust the numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
An active, qualified sales pursuit in the pipeline with an identified buyer, expected value, target close date, and current stage. Deals are the building blocks of pipeline and forecast.