GrowBD
CRM hygiene: the fields that matter for a forecast
A sales forecast is only as good as a handful of CRM fields: stage, amount, close date, next step and last activity. Which fields to require, which rules keep them honest, and how to check the pipeline every week.
By GrowAxis team · · 2 min read
Most forecasts fail because a few CRM fields are missing or out of date, not because of the forecasting method. Keep stage, amount, close date, next step, last activity, owner and source accurate on every open deal, and a simple weighted pipeline becomes a forecast you can plan with.
The fields to require
- Stage, with written entry and exit rules.
- Amount, updated when the scope changes.
- Expected close date, moved only with a reason.
- Next step, with a date: no open deal without one.
- Last activity date, logged automatically where possible.
- Owner: one person per deal.
- Source: where the deal came from, for marketing and partner reporting.
- Buyer roles on the contacts, including the decision maker.
- Loss reason, from a fixed list, on every lost deal.
Rules that keep the data honest
- 01A deal with no activity for a set number of days is flagged for review.
- 02Open deals cannot have a close date in the past.
- 03A stage change needs the exit criteria of the previous stage met.
- 04Empty required fields block a stage move.
- 05Email and calendar activity is logged by the system, not typed by hand.
A weekly pipeline review
- Deals with no next step, or an overdue one.
- Deals whose close date moved this week, and why.
- Deals that skipped stages.
- Coverage: the pipeline value against the target for the period.
- Win rate and cycle length by source and segment, every month.
How GrowAxis helps
GrowBD sets up HubSpot, Salesforce or Pipedrive around your pipeline stages and rules, and GrowAI adds CRM automation, lead scoring and close forecasts on top. Both go live within 30 days and are measured on pipeline value, close rate, cycle length and forecast accuracy.