opportunitymanagement

Opportunity management is a business discipline that focuses on identifying, qualifying, and advancing potential sales opportunities through a structured pipeline until a deal is closed. In CRM and sales operations, an opportunity is a record representing potential revenue with associated account, contact, value, close date, and stage. Opportunity management complements lead management by emphasizing the progression of sales-ready prospects into committed customers.

Core activities include capturing opportunities from marketing or sales outreach, applying qualification criteria to determine sales readiness, assigning a forecast probability and potential value, and coordinating resources across product, pricing, and delivery teams. Typical lifecycle stages include qualification, proposal or quote, negotiation, and closed outcome (won or lost). At each stage, teams update expected close date, deal size, and next actions, enabling forecast accuracy and pipeline visibility.

Key metrics used to assess opportunity management include win rate, average deal size, sales cycle length, forecast accuracy, and pipeline coverage. Governance practices involve regular pipeline reviews, standardized qualification criteria, data hygiene, and alignment between marketing, sales, and customer success. Technologies such as customer relationship management systems support opportunity records, stage transitions, automation, and reporting. Effective opportunity management aims to improve revenue predictability and shorten the path from first engagement to signed contract.