The short answer
Judge a stage by what the customer has done and confirmed for a particular purchase opportunity. An email sent, a proposal written or a quotation generated is an action by the seller; none of these alone proves customer progress. Record the customer's statement or document, its date, remaining gaps and next action. If the evidence is incomplete, label the stage provisional rather than inventing a precise win probability.
Use stages to decide what to do next, not to replace the salesperson's judgment. A new project from an existing customer may start at an early stage again. Waiting, paused, lost and do-not-contact are separate statuses; do not move an opportunity up or down merely to make a pipeline look tidy.
Method source and adaptation: The underlying nine-stage sales funnel draws on Fu Yao's Sales Funnel approach to major-account sales. This Broadlatus guide applies it to industrial B2B export work and the seven-role expert team, specifying customer evidence, seller actions that do not justify a stage change, and points requiring human review. It is an independent practical adaptation, not a reproduction of the book or an endorsement by its author.
The nine stages at a glance
Scroll horizontally to read the full table ↔
| Stage | Customer evidence for entering | Most useful action now | Evidence needed next |
|---|---|---|---|
| S0 — Create the record | An identifiable company or contact lead; no substantive two-way business exchange yet. | Verify the entity and contact, research with sources and choose one relevant reason to reach out. | A substantive business reply and a known role or handoff. Sent, read and auto-reply are insufficient. |
| S1 — Establish contact and trust | A substantive two-way exchange has occurred. | Answer the existing question, keep small promises and identify users, buyers and approvers. | The customer confirms a real problem, use case, objective or business effect. “Thanks for the information” alone is insufficient. |
| S2 — Discover and confirm the need | The customer has confirmed a problem, objective or effect. | Clarify current practice, impact and desired outcome; restate the customer's words for confirmation. | The customer confirms a project or purchasing evaluation, with relevant people and a path forward. A problem inferred from public sources is not a confirmed need. |
| S3 — Confirm the opportunity | The customer confirms a project or purchasing evaluation. | Check value, sponsor and approval path, timing, budget source and reasonable effort. | The customer confirms key requirements, evaluation or acceptance criteria and their priorities. |
| S4 — Define requirements and evaluation | The customer confirms the use case, key requirements and how options will be assessed. | Separate must-haves, preferences and unknowns; prepare verifiable solution and test evidence. | The customer starts evaluating a specific solution, model or quotation, or confirms an evaluation arrangement for that option. Our quotation alone is insufficient. |
| S5 — Evaluate solution and quotation | The customer is evaluating a specific option or has confirmed an evaluation plan for it. | Address feedback and tests; track quote versions, lead-time assumptions and open questions. | Substantive discussion of specific commercial or contract terms, risk treatment or purchasing commitment. Budget progress alone does not create S6. |
| S6 — Secure commitment and resolve concerns | The customer discusses a purchasing commitment, contract terms or concrete risk, but there is no formal order yet. | Turn technical, delivery, financial and organizational concerns into authorized, deliverable terms. | A traceable formal order, contract or authorized purchase confirmation, together with agreed fulfillment arrangements. Verbal interest is insufficient. |
| S7 — Manage delivery and acceptance | Formal purchasing evidence exists and fulfillment has begun. | Track production, testing, shipment, arrival, acceptance and changes against the agreement; resolve deviations. | Reach the agreed acceptance or settlement milestone with receivables, disputes and responsibilities identified. This does not mean full payment was received. |
| S8 — Reconcile payment and review | The opportunity reaches a settlement or acceptance-review milestone. | Compare contract, invoices, acceptance and actual receipts; record amounts due and received, differences and disputes. | Verify settlement using actual evidence, or record what remains open and who owns it. A new need starts a new opportunity. |
A common stage error
Suppose a contact says, “We would like the selection sheet by the end of the month,” while the model and purchasing plan are still unconfirmed. That is a customer expectation worth recording. The next action may be to verify the model and prepare selection information. It is not a lead-time commitment by the seller, nor proof that the customer is evaluating a concrete offer or discussing a purchase. Keep the customer's statement, the seller's assessment, team advice and unresolved questions distinct.
One action card for the current opportunity
Daily work does not require all nine stage templates at once. Create one useful action card:
- Stage and evidence: the customer's statement, email or document and date; list uncertainty separately.
- Goal for this round: one thing to learn or move forward.
- Up to three actions: each has an owner and due date. If product, engineering, a manager or a supplier must confirm something, prepare a focused internal request first.
- Materials: only the facts, versions, evidence and open items needed for this decision.
- Progress condition: the customer behavior or confirmation needed for the next stage, review date and conditions for waiting or stopping.
An AI assistant may read records, organize evidence, draft material and remind people. A person still checks customer facts, commercial commitments, external messages and stage changes against the real record. If a customer asks something beyond the seller's verified information or authority, obtain an internal or upstream answer before replying.
Where to start
- To research a company from a card or domain and create continuing records, see the Industrial Customer Research & Records skill.
- To connect stage assessment, business clarification, strategy, drafting and independent review, see the seven-role B2B Export Customer Development Team 1.1.0. This is a website preview; check the product page for the current WorkBuddy listing status.
- To retain customer files, updates and decision requests on your computer, see the desktop app and workbench and customer information and action guide.