A solid CRM system revolves around a predictable and trackable sales process. Here's a breakdown of the typical flow followed in most CRM platforms like Salesforce, EspoCRM, Zoho, or your own custom-built solution.

💼 Sales Process Overview:

Lead ➜ Opportunity ➜ Quote ➜ Order ➜ Invoice

This is the backbone of most B2B sales workflows, where each stage reflects a deeper commitment from the potential customer.

1. 🧲 Lead — Initial Interest

A Lead represents someone who has shown interest in your product or service but hasn’t been qualified yet.

📌 Example:

John from “Acme Corp” fills out the Contact Us form on your website, asking about your CRM solution.

Typical Fields in a CRM:

• Name, Email, Phone
• Company Name
• Source (Website, Ad, Referral)
• Assigned Sales Rep
• Lead Score
• Status (New, Contacted, Disqualified, etc.)

📈 Goal: Determine if the lead is a good fit — and if so, convert them into a Contact, Account, and Opportunity.

2. 💰 Opportunity — Qualified Deal in Progress

Once the lead is confirmed to be serious and potentially ready to buy, it's converted into an Opportunity.

📌 Example:

You have a discovery call with John. He's a decision-maker with a budget and wants to purchase a CRM within 30 days.
You create:
📝 Opportunity Name: “CRM Deal with Acme Corp”

Common Fields:

• Deal Value (e.g., \$2,500)
• Stage (e.g., Proposal, Negotiation)
• Expected Close Date
• Probability %
• Linked Contact & Account

📈 Goal: Track deal progress and activities like calls, demos, or meetings.

3. 📄 Quote — Formal Price Proposal

When your customer wants exact pricing, you issue a Quote, which includes itemized costs, terms, and validity.

📌 Example:

🧾 Quote #Q-2025-043
"CRM Pro Plan – 10 users"

Quote Fields:

• Quote Number
• Products/Services
• Unit Price, Quantity, Taxes, Discounts
• Total Amount
• Expiry Date
• Status (Draft, Sent, Accepted, Rejected)

📈 Goal: Share formal pricing → wait for customer acceptance.

4. ✅ Order — Purchase Confirmed

The customer accepts the quote. An Order is generated, indicating commitment.

📌 Example:

📦 Order #ORD-34324
Quote accepted — the sales team triggers account setup.

Order Fields:

• Linked Quote
• Billing Info
• Delivery Terms or Provisioning Status
• Order Date
• Internal Notes

📈 Goal: Fulfill the order → activate services or ship product.

5. 💳 Invoice — Payment Request

Once the service is delivered or the order is processed, the system issues an Invoice to collect payment.

📌 Example:

📃 Invoice #INV-2025-102
\$500 due by June 5, 2025

Invoice Fields:

• Invoice Number
• Linked Order/Customer
• Due Date
• Payment Status (Unpaid, Paid, Overdue)
• Tax Breakdown

📈 Goal: Get paid → mark invoice as settled.

🧭 Recap: Sales Flow in Action

Lead (Interest) 
   ↓
Opportunity (Qualified)
   ↓
Quote (Price Proposal)
   ↓
Order (Confirmed)
   ↓
Invoice (Payment)

Each step involves specific data, people, and workflows that help your team manage and scale the sales cycle efficiently.