Opportunities

An opportunity has a record number, subject, owner, counterparty and organization. Its stage runs from New to Qualified, Proposal and Negotiation, then Won or Lost. Expected close date and expected value support the working pipeline; probability adds forecast context when entered.

• Record owner. Producer owns opportunity updates. Agency Manager checks stage quality and owner assignments.
• Related work. The opportunity names its client account as counterparty and its producer as owner; activity and later statement records link back to the opportunity.
• Visible outcome. Check the status, expected close date and last activity during the pipeline handoff.

Agree what evidence warrants each stage, who may change an owner and when a loss reason or win date is recorded. The team should test this rule with a realistic client case and decide how corrections are recorded. Check that the people who prepare work can see what they need, while the person responsible for the decision has the correct access.

A producer opens a renewal conversation as a New opportunity for a client account and sets the expected date and value. After confirming interest, the producer marks it Qualified, records a follow-up call, then moves to Proposal. The manager can inspect its owner and expected close date in the pipeline. If the client declines, the producer marks it Lost and records a reason. The earlier activity stays attached to the opportunity.

During the first pipeline review, choose one prospect in each active stage and ask its producer what happened last and what happens next. Compare that answer with the activity record and expected close date. If the opportunity is marked Won, check the recorded win date; if Lost, check the loss reason. Keep a stage change tied to the actual client conversation, so a manager can distinguish a likely close from a stale value left in the forecast.

An expected value is a producer estimate. During review, the manager should ask for the last client contact before relying on the forecast. If a deal changes owner, check that the new producer can open its prior activities and understand the next due item. Keep the original opportunity linked to the same account rather than creating a duplicate prospect.

• Open Opportunity Pipeline — Work active prospects by stage, owner and expected close date.
• Opportunity Board — Compare active stage positions without a date-heavy list.

Read the related process and implementation before rehearsing this handoff.