Sales Opportunity Workflow

Why should we replace our current CRM stage tracking with this workflow?

Most CRMs track pipeline stages but don't enforce process discipline — reps can send proposals without commercial sign-off, and close reasons often go uncaptured. This workflow builds the commercial review gate and structured close-reason capture directly into the process, so governance happens automatically rather than relying on rep compliance. You get the same pipeline visibility plus enforced controls at the points that matter most to margin and forecast accuracy.

What is the ROI of adding a commercial review gate before proposal issuance?

The commercial review step prevents unauthorised discounts or terms from reaching prospects, protecting margin on every deal that passes through the pipeline. It also creates an audit trail of who approved what and when, which reduces disputes and rework later in the deal cycle. For teams closing high-value or custom-priced deals, this single gate typically pays for itself by catching pricing errors before they become commitments.

How long does it take to get this workflow live for our sales team?

Publishing the template takes minutes inside assess.one — there is no implementation project or software installation required. Once published, your team can immediately start creating opportunity records and running deals through discovery, solution fit, and commercial review live.

Can we customise the stages, approvers, or notification rules?

Yes, every step in the workflow — including stage names, who performs the Commercial Review Approval, and who receives owner notifications — can be edited directly in assess.one. You can add approval tiers for larger deal sizes, change notification channels, or adjust the loop-back logic for revising terms without any external development work.

Who needs access to this workflow, and what permissions do they need?

Deal owners need access to create and progress opportunity records through discovery, solution fit, and proposal stages. Commercial or sales leadership needs approval rights on the Commercial Review Approval step, and onboarding teams need visibility into the Hand Off Account to Onboarding step to pick up won accounts immediately. Access and role permissions are all configured within assess.one.

What happens if the commercial review is rejected?

If the Commercial Review Approval step is not approved, the workflow routes the opportunity back through the Loop Back to Revise Terms step, allowing the deal owner to adjust pricing or terms and resubmit. This prevents proposals with unapproved terms from moving forward to the Set Stage to Proposal Sent step. The loop can repeat as many times as needed until terms are approved.

How does the workflow handle closed-lost deals for future analysis?

The Record Close Outcome and Persist Close Outcome steps capture the reason behind every closed-lost deal, not just the outcome itself. This data is retained and routed through the Route on Closed Outcome step, giving sales leadership a structured dataset for identifying patterns in lost deals — such as pricing, competition, or timing issues — across the pipeline.

What happens automatically when a deal is closed-won?

When an opportunity reaches Closed Won, the workflow automatically triggers the Hand Off Account to Onboarding step, transferring the account to the customer onboarding process without manual data re-entry. Simultaneously, the Notify Owner of Closed Won step alerts the deal owner, keeping them informed without requiring them to check the system manually.

Is this workflow suitable for teams with complex, multi-approver deal desks?

Yes — the Commercial Review Approval step can be configured with multiple approvers or sequential approval logic directly in assess.one to match your deal desk structure. This makes the workflow suitable for organisations where discounting, custom terms, or non-standard contracts require sign-off from more than one stakeholder before a proposal is issued.