Dimension 1
Pipeline (future)
How many opportunities sit in which stage? What revenue is within reach? How does the pipeline evolve over time? A look ahead at future revenue.
Sales process: how do we consistently win the right work?
The sales process decides which work will carry the firm six months from now. teamspace brings pipeline, activities, clients and forecast together in one view and makes the maturity measurable.
Where it gets stuck
Sales notices too late that the pipeline is running dry
- The pipeline lives in a spreadsheet and is already a week old by the time you read it.
- The forecast is gut feel and turns out differently for every salesperson.
- Half of the important clients have had no documented contact for months.
- Nobody can say for certain which opportunity comes next and who owns it.
Only at quarter end does it become clear where sales really stands. By then it is usually too late to correct course.
Three dimensions of sales steering
An effective sales dashboard combines pipeline, deal quality and activities. Each dimension answers a different question, together they form a complete picture.
Dimension 2
Close (past)
How many enquiries become engagements? At which transition are most opportunities lost? A look back at the efficiency of sales.
Dimension 3
Activities (present)
How active is sales? When was the last contact with important people? A look at the quality of client relationships today.
How an opportunity runs through teamspace
A sales process is a repeatable sequence of stages that turns an enquiry into an engaged client. In teamspace every opportunity moves through five stages, switching from module to module with no media break, from the first contact in CRM to the finished project.
- 1
CRM
Enquiry and lead
The enquiry comes in through a campaign, a referral or proactive outreach and is recorded in CRM, with source, contact and need.
SourceContact - 2
Opportunity
Qualification
The enquiry becomes a scored opportunity with a stage, a target value, a probability and an owner in the sales funnel.
Target valueProbability - 3
Proposal management
Proposal
The proposal is generated from CRM with templates, an item catalogue and price lists, and stays linked to the opportunity.
TemplateItem catalogue - 4
Activities
Negotiation
Meetings, queries and adjustments are logged as activities. Reminders make sure no negotiation drifts away.
ReminderFollow-up - 5
Order and project
Close
A won opportunity becomes an order in one click, and from that a project. The data flows into delivery without being entered again.
OrderProject
The steering object
Every opportunity carries its weighted value
In the sales funnel every opportunity has a stage, a target value and a probability. teamspace computes the current value from those and condenses the stages into a forecast. In the end the won opportunity becomes an order in one click.
Sales funnel Forecast Activities
Pipeline · June 2026
40 open opportunities Σ weighted €294k
Need 30 %
24 opps · target 320 k €
weighted 96 k €
Quote 60 %
11 opps · target 210 k €
weighted 126 k €
Negotiation 80 %
5 opps · target 90 k €
weighted 72 k €
Won One click to order Order · project
Target × probability = current value no re-keying of data
ABC classification
Make client value visible, in every contact
teamspace classifies prospects, clients and suppliers automatically into A, B and C, by the scheme of the best 20 percent, the middle 60 percent and the weakest 20 percent. You set the rating basis yourself for each aspect, for example by revenue potential, by invoices over the last few months or by recorded project hours.
The classification appears where you need it: in CRM, on incoming calls and in email. So everyone on the team sees at once how important a contact is, and prioritises correctly without having to ask.
- A: strategically relevant — Proactive care, fast response, top priority when resources are tight.
- B: development potential — Solid base, targeted growth activities, structured contact frequency.
- C: lower importance — Efficient handling, lean standard flows, no overinvestment.
- No letter — A contact with no basis in the period under review, for example a client whose last revenue was two years ago, stays unrated rather than being forced into a class.
Close analysis
See where the funnel springs a leak
Not every stage loses the same number of opportunities. The analysis by stage shows over the past months at which transition most enquiries are lost. Whoever knows the tightest point improves exactly there.
That is often more effective than pouring ever more leads in at the top. A win rate that is a few points better at the weakest transition moves more than twice as many enquiries that would otherwise drain away again later.
The KPIs that make sales steerable
The KPIs that count are derived from the sales data. Each one gets a status light with individually configurable target values in green, amber and red.
Pipeline value
Sum of the open opportunities, optionally weighted by probability. Shows how much revenue is actually within reach.
Weighted forecast
Every opportunity feeds in with its close probability. That gives a more realistic revenue expectation than the plain pipeline total.
Close rate
Ratio of opportunities to won orders. Makes visible how reliably enquiries turn into orders.
Opportunities without a next activity
Open opportunities with no reminder planned. The earliest sign that something is no longer being actively sold, only administered.
Activities per person
Documented sales activities per handler. The activity analysis answers whether the team is actively selling or just administering.
Last contact with VIPs
Days since the last documented contact with important people. teamspace warns when a relationship has been dormant too long.
Classic sales and sales with teamspace
The decisive difference sits in the data model and in activity steering.
| Feature | Classic (CRM and spreadsheets) | teamspace sales process |
|---|---|---|
| Pipeline | Exported to a spreadsheet, consolidated by hand, often a week old | Live in the system, sorted by stage, value and owner |
| Forecast | Gut feel and a spreadsheet estimate, different from person to person | Target value times probability, condensed across the funnel into a forecast |
| Activities | In Outlook and a notebook, with no link to the opportunity | Linked to opportunity, client and VIP, fully documented |
| Client value | Gut feel, not available across the system | ABC classification in CRM, visible on calls and in email |
| Handover to delivery | Manual switch to the project tool, double data entry | A won opportunity becomes an order in one click, and from that a project |
Where you stand
Where is your pipeline right now?
In a 15 to 30 minute requirements call we look at your sales funnel together and place it on the maturity model.
Activity steering
Opportunities that do not get left behind
An open opportunity with no next step is usually a lost opportunity. Reminders prompt the follow-up, and teamspace warns when nothing has happened with a contact or VIP for too long.
So every enquiry stays in motion, instead of fading away in the inbox. Sales works the pipeline by priority, not by whatever happens to be on top.
Maturity of the sales process
Not every firm has the same degree of structure and automation. The maturity shows how systematically sales is actually steered, from unplanned to fully automated.
Level 0: unplanned
No structured sales process. Leads are tracked unsystematically and a central view of opportunities is missing.
Level 1: manual
First structure through spreadsheet lists. Opportunities are partly documented, but not maintained consistently.
Level 2: structured
The process with stages and pipeline is defined. Opportunities are recorded systematically, but without end-to-end integration.
Level 3: assisted
A CRM is in use. Pipeline, activities and proposals are managed with system support, first analyses and forecasts appear.
Level 4: largely automated
Automated analyses, forecast and reminders. Activities, campaigns and ABC classification mesh together.
Level 5: fully automated
End-to-end steering with automatic prioritisation and prompts, from sales through the project to billing, with live dashboards.
An operation the mid-market trusts
The sales process runs on software that has been in daily use for years, operated geo-redundantly and in Germany.
20,000+
active users
in daily use across the DACH region
around 400
clients
mostly service providers and mid-market firms
ISO 27001
data centre in Frankfurt
operated geo-redundantly, daily backups
EU
data processing
encrypted transmission via TLS
What matters
Maturity shows in the data, not in the software
Owning a CRM says little about maturity. What counts is whether all opportunities are recorded, whether the pipeline is right at any time, whether activities are documented consistently and whether the system actively supports. Many firms overestimate themselves here, because they mistake an available tool for a process that is actually lived.
The honest assessment comes together along four questions. Whoever answers them quickly sees whether they stand a level lower than they thought, and where the next step lies.
- Completeness: are all relevant opportunities recorded systematically, or only the obvious ones?
- Currency: is the pipeline trustworthy at any time, or does it reflect last month's state?
- Integration: are opportunities, activities, clients, campaigns and proposals connected?
- Automation: does the system support on its own with reminders, forecast and prioritisation?
The modules the sales process touches
The sales process draws on several modules, all on one shared data model.
CRM and contact management
Clients, contacts, VIP structures and history. The foundation of every activity.
Learn moreOpportunities
Pipeline steering with stage, value, probability and ownership. The central steering object.
Learn moreProposal management
Proposals with templates, an item catalogue and price lists, with a transition to the order.
Learn moreActivity management
Contacts, reminders and follow-ups. Relationship steering in one view.
Learn moreCampaign management
Lead sources, mail sequences and mail merges, with a transition into the opportunity.
Learn moreSales controlling
Forecast, pipeline reports and the sales dashboard with status-light logic.
Learn more“Our staff appreciate how simple the system is.”
“Staff in both support and project planning can see orders and invoices. That was not possible before.”
Frequently asked questions about the sales process
We have a CRM, doesn't that already put us at a high maturity?
Not necessarily. A CRM means, to begin with, that the tool is in place. Maturity is measured by whether all relevant opportunities are recorded, whether the pipeline is current at any time, whether activities are documented consistently and whether the system actively supports. CRM in place but used incompletely typically maps to Level 2.
How does ABC classification work concretely?
teamspace splits prospects, clients and suppliers per aspect into the best 20 percent (A), the middle 60 percent (B) and the weakest 20 percent (C). You set the rating basis yourself, for example by revenue potential, by invoices over the last few months or by project hours. The classification is visible in CRM, on incoming calls and in email.
What is the most important leading indicator in sales?
The share of open opportunities with no next planned activity. When this value rises, the team is no longer actively selling in the background, only administering. It often shows here long before it reaches pipeline value or order intake.
How does the weighted forecast differ from the pipeline value?
The pipeline value is the sum of all open opportunities, unweighted. The weighted forecast multiplies each opportunity by the probability of its stage. That gives a more realistic revenue expectation, but it is only reliable when the probabilities are maintained consistently.
What is the difference between a sales funnel and a sales pipeline?
The sales funnel is the volume perspective: many contacts at the top become, through the stages, few closes at the bottom. The sales pipeline, in teamspace the sales funnel object, is the operational steering view: concrete opportunities with a stage, target value and probability that sales actively works. The funnel is the bird's-eye view, the pipeline is the working tool.
How do we move from where we are today to a higher maturity?
Step by step, starting from the current level. The next step is usually to keep the data complete and current and to use activity steering consistently. In the requirements call we place your sales on the maturity model and name the next realistic step.
Can the sales process be introduced independently of the other processes?
Yes. Sales is often a good starting point, because quick wins appear and management recognises the value in pipeline and forecast straight away. Once sales runs cleanly, the next processes, typically project and billing, connect without further migration.
Other processes
Sales is just one of seven core processes. Here are the other six:
Project delivery process
How do we deliver projects reliably, on time and profitably?
Billing process
How do we turn work into revenue quickly and in full?
Cost control process
How do we keep costs and liquidity under control at all times?
Customer care process
How do we serve clients by value and with high quality?
Workforce process
How do we steer capacity, skills and motivation optimally?
Business steering
How do we lead the firm on current data?
What level is your sales process at today?
In a 15 to 30 minute requirements call we place your sales process on the maturity model and show which steps make the next level realistically reachable.