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Symphony Core Sales Pipeline SOP

Purpose​

This SOP defines the Sales Pipeline configuration, stage definitions, workflows, and operational procedures for converting qualified leads into paying customers using GHL.

Scope: Sized for a 1-2 person sales operation. This intentionally simplifies the Integrated Revenue Lifecycle Framework's dual-path model into a single linear pipeline. Enterprise concepts (round-robin assignment, territory routing, engagement scoring, self-service checkout) are omitted by design.

Pipeline Overview​

Pipeline Name: Sales Pipeline Stages: 5 Input: Prospecting Pipeline handoff, direct inquiries, referrals Output: Client onboarding

StageNameProbabilityTarget DurationTag
1New Lead10%1-2 dayssales-new-lead
2Discovery25%3-7 dayssales-discovery
3Proposal Sent50%3-7 dayssales-proposal-sent
4Follow-Up75%7-14 dayssales-follow-up
5aClosed Won100%1-3 dayssales-won
5bClosed Lost0%Immediatesales-lost

GHL Pipeline Settings​

Pipeline Name: Sales Pipeline
Pipeline Type: Opportunities
Currency: USD
Probability Weighting: Enabled

Custom Fields​

#FieldTypeRequiredPurpose
1lead_sourceDropdown: Prospecting, Referral, Website, Event, Direct, OtherYesAttribution
2lead_source_detailTextNoSpecific referrer or campaign
3company_nameTextYesAccount identification
4industryDropdown: Legal, Healthcare, Home Services, Professional Services, OtherNoVertical analysis
5estimated_deal_valueCurrency (USD)YesPipeline value
6decision_timelineDropdown: <30 days, 30-60 days, 60+ days, UnknownNoUrgency
7discovery_notesLong TextNoCall summary and key findings
8proposal_sent_dateDateNoSLA tracking
9loss_reasonDropdown: Price, Timing, Competitor, No Decision, Poor Fit, OtherConditionalLoss analysis (required on Closed Lost)
10next_stepTextNoCurrent action item

Stage 1: New Lead​

Probability: 10% | Duration: 1-2 business days

Entry Criteria​

  • Prospecting Pipeline handoff (qualified prospect)
  • Demo request or "Talk to Sales" form submission
  • Referral introduction
  • Direct inquiry (phone, email, event)

Activities​

  1. Review lead source and any prior interactions
  2. Research the company (website, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile)
  3. Make initial contact within 24 hours
  4. Determine if discovery call is warranted
  5. Schedule discovery call or disqualify

Exit Criteria​

  • To Stage 2 (Discovery): Discovery call scheduled
  • To Stage 5b (Closed Lost): Unqualified, unreachable after 3 attempts, or not a fit

Workflow: A-WF-5.0. Sales - New Lead Response​

Trigger: Opportunity enters Stage 1

Actions:

  1. Apply tag sales-new-lead
  2. Send welcome email with calendar booking link (from opportunity owner)
  3. Create task: "Initial contact -- qualify and schedule discovery" (due: 24 hours)
  4. Internal notification to opportunity owner (email)

Stage 2: Discovery​

Probability: 25% | Duration: 3-7 business days

Entry Criteria​

  • Discovery call scheduled from Stage 1

Pre-Call Preparation​

Use the Discovery Call Prep Template to prepare for each call.

Activities​

  1. Conduct discovery call -- understand business goals, current tools, pain points
  2. Document findings in discovery_notes
  3. Set estimated_deal_value and decision_timeline
  4. Identify decision maker and any additional stakeholders
  5. Determine which service package fits

Exit Criteria​

  • To Stage 3 (Proposal Sent): Needs identified, prospect requests or agrees to proposal
  • To Stage 5b (Closed Lost): Poor fit, prospect declines to proceed

Workflow: A-WF-5.1. Sales - Discovery Meeting​

Trigger: Opportunity enters Stage 2

Actions:

  1. Replace tag: remove sales-new-lead, add sales-discovery
  2. Create task: "Prepare for discovery call using prep template" (due: day before call)
  3. Post-call task: "Send follow-up summary and next steps" (due: same day as call)

Stage 3: Proposal Sent​

Probability: 50% | Duration: 3-7 business days

Entry Criteria​

  • Discovery completed, prospect agreed to receive proposal

Activities​

  1. Prepare proposal using appropriate template from pricing templates
  2. Customize proposal based on discovery findings
  3. Deliver proposal via GHL Document & Contract (see delivery process below)
  4. Set proposal_sent_date
  5. Walk prospect through proposal (call or screen share preferred over email-only)
  6. Confirm decision timeline and next steps

Available Proposal Templates​

TemplateUse When
General Proposal TemplateBundled services, website + platform
CRM Capabilities ProposalFull platform pitch
Other pricing templates in pricing/Specific service scopes

Standard Proposal Delivery Process​

Proposals are delivered as GHL Documents & Contracts with a linked deposit invoice. This gives the client a single flow: read → sign → pay.

Step 1: Author the proposal (markdown)

  1. Create lead folder: 03-sales/lead-folders/lead-[contact-name]/
  2. Draft proposal from template in markdown. Copy to Google Drive lead folder.
  3. No markdown tables. GHL's rich text editor collapses tables into run-on text when pasted. Use bold labels with list items for pricing and timelines (see proposal-template.md for the correct format).
  4. Run white-label audit: search for "GHL", "GoHighLevel", "HighLevel" — must be zero matches in any client-facing document.

Step 2: Create GHL Document & Contract

  1. In GHL, go to Payments > Documents & Contracts > + New.
  2. Open the markdown proposal in a browser preview (e.g., VS Code preview, GitHub).
  3. Copy the rendered content and paste into the document's text element. Bold, lists, and horizontal rules transfer cleanly. Tables do not — this is why Step 1 prohibits them.
  4. Add the GHL Signature element at the bottom (replaces the markdown signature block).
  5. Set the recipient to the contact's email.
  6. Save as draft, preview, then send.

Step 3: Create deposit invoice

  1. In GHL, go to Payments > Invoices > + New.
  2. Add line items matching the "Total Due at Signing" section of the proposal.
  3. Set payment terms: Due on receipt.
  4. Send the invoice immediately after the document is signed, or include the invoice link in the document's follow-up email.

Acceptance = Signature + Payment. The client signs the Document to agree to terms, then pays the deposit invoice to start work. Both must be completed before moving to Closed Won.

Exit Criteria​

  • To Stage 4 (Follow-Up): Proposal delivered, awaiting decision
  • To Stage 5a (Closed Won): Document signed AND deposit invoice paid
  • To Stage 5b (Closed Lost): Immediate rejection

Workflow: A-WF-5.2. Sales - Proposal Follow-Up​

Trigger: Opportunity enters Stage 3

Actions:

  1. Replace tag: remove sales-discovery, add sales-proposal-sent
  2. Create task: "Follow up on proposal" (due: 3 business days after entry)
  3. If no response after 5 business days: create task "Second follow-up on proposal"

Stage 4: Follow-Up​

Probability: 75% | Duration: 7-14 business days

Entry Criteria​

  • Proposal delivered, prospect is evaluating

Activities​

  1. Follow up per agreed timeline
  2. Address questions and objections
  3. Update next_step after each interaction
  4. Negotiate terms if needed (pricing adjustments require owner approval)

Common Objections​

ObjectionResponse Approach
Price too highReframe around ROI and time saved; offer phased implementation
Need to think about itSet specific follow-up date; ask what information would help
Comparing competitorsHighlight white-label branding, local support, unified platform
Bad timingAgree on re-engagement date; move to Closed Lost with timing reason
Need stakeholder approvalOffer to present to stakeholders directly

Exit Criteria​

  • To Stage 5a (Closed Won): Verbal or written agreement received
  • To Stage 5b (Closed Lost): Prospect declines or goes unresponsive (7+ days, 3+ attempts)

Stage 5a: Closed Won​

Probability: 100% | Duration: 1-3 business days

Entry Criteria​

  • Agreement signed or verbal commitment confirmed

Handoff Checklist​

  • Confirm GHL Document & Contract is signed
  • Confirm deposit invoice is paid
  • Apply tag sales-won, remove previous sales tags
  • Update estimated_deal_value to final amount
  • Notify operations team for onboarding setup
  • Schedule kickoff call with client
  • Create onboarding record per client onboarding SOPs

Workflow: A-WF-5.3. Sales - Closed Won Handoff​

Trigger: Opportunity enters Closed Won

Actions:

  1. Replace tag: add sales-won, remove all other sales-* tags
  2. Internal notification: "Deal closed -- [Company Name] -- [Deal Value]"
  3. Create task: "Complete Closed Won checklist and initiate onboarding" (due: 1 business day)

Stage 5b: Closed Lost​

Probability: 0% | Duration: Immediate

Entry Criteria​

  • Prospect declines, goes unresponsive, or is disqualified at any stage

Required Actions​

  1. Set loss_reason (required field at this stage)
  2. Add context in discovery_notes or opportunity notes if valuable
  3. Apply tag sales-lost, remove previous sales tags
  4. If loss reason is Timing: note re-engagement date in opportunity notes

No automated nurture campaign. For timing-based losses, set a manual reminder to re-engage in 60-90 days.

Workflow Summary​

#Workflow NameTriggerKey Actions
1A-WF-5.0. Sales - New Lead ResponseOpp enters Stage 1Tag, welcome email, task, notification
2A-WF-5.1. Sales - Discovery MeetingOpp enters Stage 2Tag swap, prep task, follow-up task
3A-WF-5.2. Sales - Proposal Follow-UpOpp enters Stage 3Tag swap, follow-up task sequence
4A-WF-5.3. Sales - Closed Won HandoffOpp enters Closed WonTag, notification, onboarding task

All workflow names follow the GHL Naming Standard A-WF- prefix convention. Sales workflows use the 5.x series.

Tags​

TagApplied AtRemoved At
sales-new-leadStage 1 entryStage 2 entry
sales-discoveryStage 2 entryStage 3 entry
sales-proposal-sentStage 3 entryStage 4 entry or close
sales-follow-upStage 4 entryClose
sales-wonClosed Won--
sales-lostClosed Lost--

Tags follow the SC Tagging Standard sales-[status] convention.

KPIs​

MetricTargetMeasured
Response time (new lead to first contact)< 24 hoursPer lead
Discovery call show rate75%+Monthly
Discovery-to-proposal conversion60%+Monthly
Proposal-to-close rate40%+Monthly
Overall win rate25%+Monthly
Average sales cycle length< 30 daysMonthly
Pipeline valueTrack trendWeekly

Weekly Pipeline Review​

Run this checklist every Monday:

  • Review all open opportunities -- is each in the correct stage?
  • Follow up on any opportunity idle for 5+ business days
  • Update next_step for every active opportunity
  • Check pipeline value against monthly target
  • Move stale opportunities to Closed Lost (14+ days no response, 3+ attempts)
  • Review Closed Lost from past week -- any worth re-engaging?

Collateral Index​

CollateralStatusLocation
Prospecting email templates (6)Activeprospecting-outreach-email-templates.md
Prospecting email strategyActiveprospecting-email-outreach-strategy.md
Discovery call prep templateActivediscovery-call-prep-template.md
CRM capabilities proposal templateActivecrm-capabilities-proposal-template.md
General proposal templateActiveproposal-template.md
Pricing templates (5)Activepricing/
Video scripts (3)Activevideo-scripts/
Event networking playbookActiveevent-networking-playbook.md
Sales call scriptsPlannedNot yet created
Onboarding pipeline SOPPlannedNot yet created (client-onboarding SOPs exist separately)
schedule-my-demo landing pagePlannedURL referenced but not documented
Standalone objection handling guideDeferredCondensed version inline in Stage 4

Document History​

VersionDateAuthorChanges
1.0.02025-10-04Symphony Core Sales Operations TeamInitial implementation guide (7 stages, 22 fields, 9 workflows)
2.0.02026-03-03Symphony Core Systems TeamSimplified for 1-2 person operation: 5 stages, 10 fields, 4 workflows, 7 KPIs. Removed enterprise concepts (round-robin, territory, scoring, self-service). Added collateral index.
2.1.02026-03-12Symphony Core Systems TeamAdded standard proposal delivery process to Stage 3 (Document & Contract → Invoice flow). Updated Closed Won checklist. Added general proposal template to collateral index.