Pipedrive Best Practices
The golden rules for a CRM that generates ROI. Adopted by high-performing teams.
⏱️ TL;DR: A CRM only works if the team uses it. Establish rituals (weekly pipeline review), maintain data hygiene (monthly cleanup), and make the CRM the center of your sales process — not a side tool.
Rule #1: The CRM is the Source of Truth
If a deal isn't in Pipedrive, it doesn't exist. This is the fundamental rule.
Concretely, this means:
- All deals are in Pipedrive (not in spreadsheets or notes)
- Sales forecasts come from Pipedrive (not from gut estimates)
- Team reviews are done on Pipedrive (not on slides)
- A sales rep is evaluated on their Pipedrive data
⚠️ The Shadow CRM Trap
When sales reps maintain their own spreadsheet "because it's more practical," your CRM becomes useless. Zero tolerance.
Rule #2: Every Deal Has a Planned Activity
This is Pipedrive's fundamental principle: activity-based selling. A deal without a planned activity is a deal that will die.
The Simple Rule
At the end of each interaction, plan the next action:
- Call ended → Plan the follow-up
- Email sent → Plan the reminder
- Demo done → Plan sending the proposal
- Proposal sent → Plan the follow-up
💡 Health Check
Filter your deals by "No planned activity." If you have more than 10%, you have a hygiene problem.
Rule #3: Log Every Interaction
A CRM without history is a glorified address book. Log everything:
- Calls — Duration + summary in 1-2 sentences
- Emails — Automatic if sync is enabled
- Meetings — Summary + next steps
- Notes — Any useful context
Effective Note Format
Adopt a standard format for call notes:
📝 Note Template
Context: [Why we're calling]
Summary: [What was said in 2 sentences]
Next step: [What's the next action]
Blocker: [If there is one]
Rule #4: Lose Fast, Lose Clean
A deal that won't close pollutes your pipeline and skews your forecasts. Have the courage to lose fast.
When to Mark a Deal as Lost
- The prospect explicitly says "no"
- 3 follow-ups with no response
- The deal has been rotting for 2x the rotting period
- The budget isn't there and won't be
- The timing is too far out (>6 months)
Always Record the Lost Reason
Lost reasons are gold for improving your process. Analyze them every month.
⚠️ Classic Mistake
Keeping deals "just in case" artificially inflates the pipeline and gives management false confidence.
Rule #5: Weekly Pipeline Review
The pipeline review is THE ritual that makes the difference between high-performing teams and the rest.
Effective Review Format (30-45 min)
- 5 min — Key numbers overview (pipeline value, deals won, forecast)
- 15 min — Review of deals in Negotiation/Closing
- 10 min — Stuck deals: identify problems, propose solutions
- 5 min — Actions for this week
Questions to Ask on Each Big Deal
- What's the next action?
- Who's the decision-maker? Have we talked to them?
- What's the realistic timing?
- Is there a competitor? Where are they?
- What are the risks of losing this deal?
Rule #6: Monthly Data Cleanup
A clean CRM = reliable data = good decisions. Schedule a monthly cleanup.
Monthly Cleanup Checklist
- ☑️ Duplicates — Run "Merge duplicates" for contacts and organizations
- ☑️ Ghost deals — Mark deals without activity for 30+ days as lost
- ☑️ Obsolete contacts — Archive contacts who left their companies
- ☑️ Empty fields — Complete missing critical fields
- ☑️ Bounced emails — Delete or correct invalid emails
Rule #7: Train Continuously
Initial training isn't enough. Processes evolve, people forget, new hires arrive.
Training Rituals
- Onboarding — 2-hour session for every new hire
- Quarterly refresh — 30 min to remind best practices
- Documentation — Accessible wiki with team conventions
- Review feedback — Correct errors live
Rule #8: Measure Adoption
What doesn't get measured doesn't get improved. Track adoption indicators.
CRM Adoption KPIs
| Indicator | Target | Signal |
|---|---|---|
| % deals with planned activity | > 90% | Team discipline |
| Activities logged / week | > 50 / rep | Daily usage |
| Required fields filled | > 95% | Data quality |
| Deals without movement for 14d | < 20% | Clean pipeline |
| Lost reason recorded | 100% | Closing discipline |
The 10 Most Common Mistakes
1. Creating deals too early
A deal needs minimum qualification. "I got a LinkedIn like" is not a deal.
2. Keeping dead deals
Hoping a deal silent for 2 months will wake up = wishful thinking.
3. Not filling fields
"I keep it in my head" = unusable data for reporting.
4. Forgetting activities
Deal without next step = forgotten deal = lost deal.
5. Too many custom fields
30 fields = endless form = nobody fills it.
6. No team conventions
Everyone does it their way = inconsistent data.
7. Neglecting training
"It's intuitive" = everyone invents their own process.
8. No pipeline review
Without weekly review, the pipeline becomes a graveyard.
9. Underestimating integrations
A disconnected CRM = double entry = frustration = abandonment.
10. Trying to track everything
Too many metrics = paralysis. Focus on 5-7 KPIs max.
Final Checklist: Is Your Pipedrive Healthy?
Configuration ✓
- ☑️ Pipeline with 5-7 clear stages
- ☑️ Probabilities based on real data
- ☑️ Rotting periods configured
- ☑️ Lost reasons defined
- ☑️ Relevant custom fields (max 10-12)
Adoption ✓
- ☑️ >90% of deals have a planned activity
- ☑️ Required fields filled at >95%
- ☑️ Weekly pipeline review in place
- ☑️ Team trained and documented
Hygiene ✓
- ☑️ Monthly cleanup scheduled
- ☑️ No duplicates
- ☑️ Dead deals regularly removed
- ☑️ Lost reasons analyzed monthly
Performance ✓
- ☑️ Dashboard with key KPIs
- ☑️ Goals defined and tracked
- ☑️ Reports sent automatically
- ☑️ Decisions made based on CRM data
What's Next?
You now have all the keys to make Pipedrive a real growth lever. Next steps:
- Audit your current CRM — Use the checklists above
- Prioritize fixes — Start with quick wins
- Implement rituals — Weekly review, monthly cleanup
- Measure and iterate — Track adoption, adjust
🚀 Need Help?
If you want to accelerate, I offer a CRM Audit: in 1 week, you get a complete diagnostic and prioritized action plan.