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Overview

Pipelines in FirstQuadrant represent your sales process in a structured, visual way. They help the AI understand where each deal stands, what should happen next, and how to progress toward closing. Every workspace starts with a default pipeline, but you can create multiple pipelines tailored to different sales motions (e.g. startups vs. enterprises).

Note: Pipelines should mirror your sales funnel as closely as possible to ensure FirstQuadrant can manage deals efficiently.

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Accessing pipelines

Navigate to Settings > Workspace > Pipelines in the left sidebar. Here, you’ll see a list of all existing pipelines, including the default one created at signup.

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Creating a new pipeline

  1. Click New pipeline in the top right corner of the Pipelines page.
  2. You’ll be directed to the pipeline creation screen where you must provide:
    • Name: This is the identifier for the pipeline. Choose a name that clearly reflects the type of deals that will be managed in it (e.g. “Startups”, “Enterprise deals”).
    • Description: This field is essential for FirstQuadrant’s AI. It determines which deals belong in this pipeline by analyzing context from emails, contact details, and input metadata. The description should include key criteria such as target segment, employee size, revenue bracket, years in operation, or funding stage. For example: “Startups are companies under 100 employees, <$10M revenue, and in early funding stages.”
    • Default value: A static deal value assigned to every new deal added to this pipeline. This helps in forecasting when dynamic values aren’t yet available.
    • Valuation formula (optional): Here, you can instruct FirstQuadrant on how to dynamically estimate a deal’s value using a plain-English formula like “number of seats * $1,000.” Once enough data is available in the conversation or contact context, FirstQuadrant will override the default with a dynamically calculated value.
  3. When all fields are filled out, click Create pipeline. Your new pipeline will then appear in the pipeline overview list, ready for stage setup.

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Editing pipeline settings

To update a pipeline’s name, description, or value settings, click Settings in the top right of the pipeline view.

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Adding and editing pipeline stages

Once a pipeline is created, you’ll be prompted to add stages that represent the sequential steps of your sales process. These stages help FirstQuadrant guide deals forward and understand what each step entails.

You can:

  • Choose from a template: FirstQuadrant offers stage templates like B2B SaaS sales-led, Startup School founder-led sales, Enterprise software sales, and Consulting services. These are useful shortcuts if your sales process fits a common model.
  • Create a custom stage: Click Add stage to define your own. This allows for maximum customization to mirror your unique process.

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Stage configuration

For each stage, you’ll configure the following:

  • Name: A clear, concise title for the stage (e.g. “Demo call”, “Proposal”). This appears in the pipeline view and signals where the deal currently is.
  • Description: A detailed explanation of when a deal should be considered part of this stage. This is crucial for FirstQuadrant’s AI to classify deals correctly. For example: “Deals are in this stage once a discovery call has been scheduled but a demo call has not yet taken place.”
  • Goal: This field defines what success looks like for the stage and when the AI should consider moving the deal forward. Write this in plain English—e.g. “The prospect should schedule a demo call with us using our scheduling link.”
  • Goal URL: This optional field supports automation around scheduling. You can either:
    • Use the default scheduling link set per team member
    • Or provide a custom URL that overrides the default for this specific stage (e.g. a unique Calendly link for a product demo)

The goal serves two essential purposes:

  1. It functions as a compass: FirstQuadrant uses it to shape the conversation and guide the prospect toward achieving the next step.
  2. It marks progress: Once the goal is met, the AI knows the deal is ready to advance to the next stage and does so.

Take the time to write thoughtful names, descriptions, and goals—they directly inform how FirstQuadrant orchestrates deal progression across your sales pipeline.

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Manage stages

Once stages are added, you can:

  • Reorder them using the three-dot menu
  • Delete, duplicate, or view associated deals

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Handling non-linear deal movement

While pipelines in FirstQuadrant are structured linearly to represent an ideal sales flow, the platform is built with the understanding that real-world sales are rarely that simple. Deals often deviate from a perfect sequence—and FirstQuadrant’s AI is designed to handle these exceptions intelligently.

Deals may:

  • Skip stages: For example, a prospect might move straight from “Discovery call” to “Proposal” if they’ve already been briefed.
  • Move backwards: If a deal stalls or a stakeholder changes, the AI may decide to move it back to an earlier stage.
  • Re-enter a previous stage: Sometimes, deals may cycle through the same stage multiple times, such as returning to “Demo call” after a follow-up is requested.

FirstQuadrant uses the full context of the conversation history, deal metadata, and pipeline configuration to determine when a deal should advance, pause, regress, or repeat a stage. This means you don’t have to enforce a rigid funnel. Instead, the AI continuously evaluates what the most logical next step is for each individual deal—ensuring flexibility while maintaining structure.