Deal statuses explained

Deal status shows where a deal currently stands in the workflow. It is one of the most important fields for visibility, accountability, and operational clarity.

Why status matters

Status helps your team understand:

• what stage the deal is in
• what requires action
• what is waiting on someone else
• what is completed
• what has gone stale or inactive

Without consistent deal status updates, teams lose track of real progress.

What status should represent

A deal status should reflect the current execution reality, not what the team hopes is happening. Examples of what a status might represent:

• draft
• active
• waiting
• delivered
• completed
• cancelled

Your actual available statuses depend on your current implementation.

Good status behavior

A strong deal workflow usually means:

• active deals are genuinely moving
• waiting deals are blocked by external response or pending confirmation
• delivered deals have already had your side completed
• completed deals are truly done
• cancelled deals are clearly closed

When to update status

Update deal status when:

• negotiation begins
• approval is received
• your team completes a required deliverable
• the other side is delaying progress
• a deal is closed or no longer relevant
• the work is fully complete

Why teams should care

Deal status affects:

• how fast leads can review opportunities
• how managers stay accountable
• how founders understand activity
• how reporting reflects real progress

💡Best practices

• update status immediately after meaningful changes
• define internally what each status means
• do not leave active deals sitting in old stages
• review stale statuses often