Capture every opportunity
A conversation with a potential client. A promising enquiry. A referral from an existing customer. These moments are the seeds of future revenue, but only if you capture them. Adding a deal to your pipeline ensures every opportunity is tracked, followed up, and given the attention it deserves.
In Officaid, creating a deal takes just a few seconds. You link it to a lead, set a value, choose a stage, and you're ready to start working towards the close.
Before You Begin
Every deal in Officaid is linked to a lead. A lead is a company or contact that represents the person or organisation you're selling to. If you already have leads in your Network module, you can select them when creating a deal.
Don't have the lead in your system yet? No problem. You can create a new lead directly from the deal form using the + Add New button in the Lead dropdown. This lets you capture new opportunities quickly without switching between modules.
Creating a New Deal
- 1 Navigate to Sales → Pipeline from the main menu
- 2 Click the + Add New Deal button in the top left corner
- 3 Fill in the deal details (explained below)
- 4 Click Add New Deal to save
Once saved, your deal appears on the pipeline board in the stage you selected. You can start adding activities, attaching quotations, and working towards closing the deal.
Understanding Deal Fields
The deal creation form contains several fields. Here's what each one means and how to use it effectively:
Deal Name is a short, descriptive title for the opportunity. Choose something that helps you instantly recognise what this deal is about. Good examples include "Ventilation Duct System", "Annual Maintenance Contract", or "Website Redesign Project". Avoid generic names like "New Deal" or "Potential Sale" as these become confusing when you have multiple deals in your pipeline.
Lead is the company or contact associated with this opportunity. Click the dropdown to see your existing leads, or start typing to search. If the lead doesn't exist yet, click + Add New at the top of the dropdown to create them without leaving the form.
Deal Value is the potential revenue if this deal closes. Enter the expected amount in numbers. This helps you prioritise high-value opportunities and forecast potential revenue. If you're unsure of the exact value, enter your best estimate. You can always update it later.
Currency defaults to your company's base currency (e.g., SGD) but can be changed if you're working with international clients. Click the dropdown to select a different currency for this deal.
Estimated Close Date is when you expect the deal to close. This helps with forecasting and prioritisation. Be realistic with your estimates. Deals that consistently miss their estimated close dates may indicate issues with your sales process or qualification criteria.
Deal Stage determines where the deal appears on your pipeline board. The stages are:
- Qualified for new opportunities you've determined are worth pursuing
- Contacted for deals where you've made initial contact
- Meeting Scheduled for deals with upcoming meetings or presentations
- Proposal Made for deals where you've sent a quotation or proposal
- Negotiating for deals in final discussions before closing
Most new deals start at Qualified, but you can select a later stage if appropriate. For example, if you're adding a deal after already sending a proposal, start it at Proposal Made.
Probability is your assessment of how likely this deal is to close. The options are:
- Unknown when you're not sure yet (this is the default)
- Very Low for long-shot opportunities
- Low for deals with significant obstacles
- Medium for deals with a reasonable chance
- High for deals that look promising
- Very High for deals you're confident will close
Probability helps you prioritise your efforts. Focus more energy on high-probability deals while keeping lower-probability opportunities moving forward.
Description is an optional field for any additional context. Use it to note how the opportunity came about, key decision makers, specific requirements, or anything else that helps you or your team understand the deal.
Tips for Creating Effective Deals
The quality of your pipeline depends on how well you set up each deal. Here are some best practices:
Be specific with deal names. Instead of "New Project", use "Office Renovation - Phase 1". This makes it easier to identify deals at a glance, especially when you have many active opportunities.
Enter realistic values. If you inflate deal values, your pipeline forecast becomes unreliable. If you're genuinely unsure, use a conservative estimate and update it as you learn more.
Set honest probabilities. It's tempting to mark everything as High probability, but this defeats the purpose. Be realistic about where each deal stands. A well-calibrated probability helps you focus on the right opportunities.
Choose the right starting stage. Don't automatically start everything at Qualified. If you've already had a meeting, start at Meeting Scheduled. Accurate staging gives you a true picture of your pipeline.
Add context in the description. A few notes about how the lead found you, what they're looking for, or who the decision maker is can be invaluable when you return to this deal days or weeks later.
What Happens After You Create a Deal
Once you save a new deal, it appears on your pipeline board in the appropriate stage column. The deal card shows the deal name, lead name, value, and any activity alerts.
From here, you can:
- Click the deal card to open the Deal Details page
- Drag the card to move it to a different stage as the deal progresses
- Add activities to track your follow-ups and engagement
- Create quotations when you're ready to make a formal offer
The most important next step is usually adding your first activity. Whether it's a follow-up call, a meeting, or a task to prepare a proposal, adding an activity ensures you don't forget to take action on this new opportunity.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, every deal must be linked to a lead. This ensures you always know who the opportunity is with. If the lead doesn't exist yet, you can create them directly from the deal form using the + Add New button in the Lead dropdown.
Yes. Click on the deal card to open Deal Details, then use the Edit Deal button in the Quick Actions section. You can change any field including the name, value, stage, probability, and description.
Yes. A single lead can have as many deals as needed. For example, you might have an ongoing client with separate deals for different projects or contracts. Each deal is tracked independently in your pipeline.
Deal Value is your estimate of the opportunity's worth when you create the deal. The Quotation Amount is the actual figure you propose to the client later. These may differ as you learn more about the client's needs. The quotation is the formal offer; the deal value is your working estimate.
What's Next?
Now that you've created a deal, explore these related articles:
- Navigating Your Pipeline to learn how to view and manage your deals
- Managing Deal Details to explore the full deal page and quick actions
- Tracking Deal Activities to start logging follow-ups and engagement