Creating deal flows

Deal flows define your sales processes. Each deal flow is a sequence of stages that deals move through from first contact to close. Create different flows for different sales channels — inbound leads might follow a different process than outbound sales or partnership referrals.

Understanding deal flows

A deal flow consists of:

• Name and description – Identify the flow (e.g., "Inbound Sales Pipeline")
• Stages – The steps deals move through (e.g., "Discovery", "Demo", "Proposal")
• Default settings – Pre-filled values for deals created in this flow

Deal flows vs. standard stages

Mantle has two ways to organize deals:

• Standard lifecycle stages – High-level categories (Prospect, Lead, Deal, Closed Won, etc.) that apply to all deals
• Custom deal flow stages – Your specific sales steps that map to lifecycle stages

Each custom stage you create maps to a standard lifecycle stage. This lets you define detailed processes while maintaining consistent reporting across all deals.

Creating a deal flow

To create a new deal flow:

1. Go to Sales > Settings > Deal Flows
2. Click Create deal flow
3. Configure the flow settings and stages
4. Save the flow

Using templates

Mantle offers pre-built templates to get you started quickly. When creating a flow, check "Start with a standard template" to choose from:

• Default – A simple SDR pipeline for general sales (Lead, Deal, Customer, Closed lost, Churned)
• Shopify App Store – Designed for app store leads with automatic stage transitions based on install, trial, and subscription events
• HubSpot – Familiar stages for teams coming from HubSpot CRM (Appointment scheduled, Qualified to buy, Contract sent, Closed won/lost)
• Salesforce – Familiar stages for teams coming from Salesforce CRM (Prospect, Demo or engagement, Proposal sent, Opportunity won/lost)

Templates pre-configure stages, acquisition channels, and descriptions. Each template sets a default acquisition channel (for example, the Shopify App Store template defaults to Inbound with an App Store source, while the Default template defaults to Outbound), but you can change the channel and customize everything else after creation.

Deal flow settings

Tip: Your first deal flow is automatically set as the default. You can change this later.

Configuring stages

Stages are the heart of a deal flow. Each stage represents a step in your sales process.

Adding stages

Click Add stage to create a new stage. Configure:

Stage order

Drag stages to reorder them. The order determines:

• How stages appear in the pipeline board (left to right)
• The expected progression path for deals
• Display order in dropdowns and reports

Lifecycle stage mapping

Every custom stage must map to a standard lifecycle stage:

Stage probability

Set a win probability for each stage (0-100%). This is used to calculate weighted pipeline value:

Weighted Value = Deal Amount x Stage Probability

For example, a $10,000 deal at a 50% probability stage contributes $5,000 to your weighted pipeline.

Note: Closed Won stages should be 100%. Closed Lost stages should be 0%.

Automatic stage transitions

You can configure stages to automatically move deals when specific app events occur. For example, when a customer subscribes to a paid plan, their deal can automatically move to "Closed Won" — no manual dragging required.

To set this up, select an app event on the stage configuration. When that event fires for a deal's customer, the deal moves to that stage automatically.

Common examples:

• Subscribed moves to Closed Won
• Uninstalled moves to Closed Lost or Churned
• Upgraded moves to an Expansion stage

Tip: Automatic stage transitions keep your pipeline accurate without relying on your team to manually update every deal. Pair them with Slack notifications via Flows so your team knows when deals move.

Example deal flows

Inbound sales flow

For leads that come to you through your website or app store:

1. New Lead (Lead, 10%) – Just came in, needs qualification
2. Qualified (Lead, 25%) – Confirmed fit and interest
3. Discovery (Deal, 40%) – Understanding their needs
4. Demo Scheduled (Deal, 60%) – Product demonstration booked
5. Proposal Sent (Deal, 75%) – Pricing and proposal delivered
6. Negotiation (Deal, 85%) – Working out terms
7. Closed Won (Closed Won, 100%) – Deal completed
8. Closed Lost (Closed Lost, 0%) – Did not convert

Outbound sales flow

For proactive outreach to prospects:

1. Identified (Prospect, 5%) – Target account identified
2. Contacted (Prospect, 10%) – Initial outreach sent
3. Engaged (Lead, 20%) – Responded positively
4. Meeting Set (Lead, 35%) – First meeting scheduled
5. Opportunity (Deal, 50%) – Confirmed opportunity
6. Proposal (Deal, 70%) – Proposal in progress
7. Closing (Deal, 85%) – Final negotiation
8. Won (Closed Won, 100%)
9. Lost (Closed Lost, 0%)

Managing deal flows

Editing a deal flow

Go to Sales > Settings > Deal Flows and click on a flow to edit it. You can:

• Change the name and description
• Update default settings
• Add, edit, or reorder stages
• Set a different default deal flow

Warning: Changing stage names or order affects how existing deals display. The deals themselves aren't changed, but the pipeline view will reflect the new structure.

Deleting a deal flow

You can delete a deal flow if it has no active deals. Flows with existing deals can be archived instead.

When you delete a flow:

• The flow no longer appears in the pipeline tabs
• Deals must be moved to a different flow before deletion

Best practices

Start simple

Begin with one or two deal flows. Add more as your sales operation grows and you identify distinct processes.

Keep stages meaningful

Each stage should represent a clear milestone. If two stages often get skipped, consider combining them.

Set realistic probabilities

Base stage probabilities on your actual conversion rates. Review and adjust them periodically based on real data.

Use clear naming

Stage names should be obvious to anyone on your team. "Demo Complete" is clearer than "Stage 4".

Next steps

• Working with deals – Create and manage deals in your flows
• Managing your pipeline – Use the pipeline board with your deal flows