Opportunity pipeline

The Relationship Owner opens a hospitality opportunity against one account and operating organization. It has a record number, subject, expected close date, expected value and owner. A probability can inform the weighted forecast shown on Operations Overview. The status distinguishes a new lead in the pipeline from a qualified case, a proposal, an active negotiation and a won or lost outcome.

This is a sales record for a buyer decision. A group stay inquiry can hang off it, but the opportunity keeps the commercial context and the person accountable for the relationship. For a resort group request, the owner should be able to explain the proposed business, expected decision date and value without looking through disconnected notes.

• Qualification. The owner records relationship activity and checks current revision and evidence before moving a new opportunity to qualified.
• Proposal. The owner records proposal scope in the activity outcome or a supporting attachment, then logs the next activity. An independent reviewer checks the exact revision before the proposal stage.
• Outcome. Acceptance or loss evidence is submitted to a reviewer; a verified win records the win date, and a loss carries its reason.

Set a rule for what constitutes qualification evidence in your sales team. Decide who can own a case for each organization and how a Sales Manager is kept independent from the owner whose work is reviewed. Agree when a conversation has truly become negotiation; the proposal stage alone is not evidence that negotiation has started.

The team should also agree how expected value is estimated, when probability is revised and who checks close dates. The value and date are planning inputs even after the outcome is known; preserve them so later reporting can compare what the team expected with what happened.

Take a corporate buyer asking for a meeting and room block. The Relationship Owner opens a new opportunity, records the call outcome, qualifies it on the current revision, and submits a proposal with the next activity. The Sales Manager reviews that revision. If the buyer starts negotiating dates and venue, record the activity before moving the case to negotiation. After acceptance, attach the evidence and have the independent reviewer verify the outcome.

Repeat the review after changing the opportunity revision. A decision for the earlier revision should not silently approve the changed case. If the buyer declines instead, keep the loss reason and the earlier expected value for the outcome review.

• My open opportunities — The owner’s live cases by status, expected close date, value and buyer.
• Opportunity board — Open cases grouped by their real pipeline status for the manager’s review.
• Closing this period — Qualified, proposal and negotiation cases with close dates and expected values.

Qualify and submit a proposal, then verify the customer outcome.