Most companies already have a sales “process.”
It lives in a slide deck. Or a Notion page. Or the collective memory of three senior people who are always on a plane.
Our client in this story was different (name redacted for privacy purposes!). They are a #B2B hardware and services company that provides industrial monitoring solutions. Think sensors, analytics, and long, complex sales cycles with legal, engineering, and customer success all in the mix.
They came to us with something rare:
- A fully documented lifecycle from first marketing touch to warranty support
- Clear stages (T0–T5), each with win probabilities, entry/exit criteria, and role ownership
- Defined hand-offs between Sales, Product, Project Management, Customer Success, and Support
Great right? They had a fully documented CRM sales process AND they’re already on NetSuite!
So what was the issue?
Their NS instance had no idea this process existed. They were still living in “generic CRM” land: default opportunity stages, scattered fields, and reporting that did not match how the team actually sold or delivered. Their “Sales Process” was basically a glorified powerpoint presentation.
Our job at Salora ERP was simple to say, harder to do:
Turn their playbook into a living, enforced NetSuite CRM.
Step 1: Translate the Slide Deck into Plain-English Requirements
We started with their existing playbook and re-framed it in a shared workspace. Instead of “nice diagram,” we asked:
- What data proves T1 (Qualify) is complete?
- What checkboxes or fields show that legal has really finished the MNDA/MSA work at T4 (Closing)?
- What handoff happens when we move from T5 (Order Package) into Solution Development and Implementation?
From that, we built a simple structure:
- CRM Setup – standard objects, basic fields, permissions
- “To-Do” checklist – everything that needs to exist on Opportunity and Quote
- Workflow – the T0–T5 stages with their triggers
- Training / Testing – how we’d roll this out to real users
- Future State – ideas we would queue for phase two
This kept everyone aligned: the deck became a spec, and their NetSuite CRM Bible.
Step 2: Build the Method into NetSuite (Not Just Rename Stages)
Next, we made the process visible inside NetSuite.
We created custom records, checkboxes and fields on Opportunities and Quotes that matched the client’s methodology line by line:
- Need, Budget, Authority, Timeline
- Discovery and Competitor analysis
- Site Survey completed
- Customer verbally agrees
- MNDA / MSA complete
- Approved Quote, PO received, SOW in place
- CSM Assigned, Kick-Off Call Scheduled, Inventory Verified
- Product Team Approved Solution, Analyst Team Alerted
If a box was on the slide, it had a home in NetSuite.
Why this matters:
- Sales reps see a concrete checklist, not a vague “Stage 3.”
- Managers can filter, group, and report on actual milestones, not just probabilities.
- Legal, finance, and delivery teams know exactly when they are on the hook.
Step 3: Prototype Safely in Sandbox
Instead of trying to design the perfect workflow on day one, we did this in the sandbox:
- Stand up the full set of stages (T0–T5).
- Wire in the new records, objects, fields and checkboxes.
- Keep transitions intentionally “loose” at first, so we could watch how real records flowed.
We used a simple rule:
If a change could surprise a salesperson in the middle of a deal, it happens in sandbox first.
Only after the client’s team had clicked through real scenarios did we tighten transitions, add guards, and refine entry/exit criteria.
Step 4: Protect Historical Data When Going Live
One of the easy ways to lose trust in a CRM project is to accidentally shove all your old opportunities through a new process.
To avoid that, we:
- Copied the tested sandbox configuration into production. (because of beloved Step 4!)
- Added date-based filters so that only new deals would be forced through the new workflow.
- Left historical opportunities visible for reporting, but exempt from the new “gates.”
This meant:
- Leadership got a clean view of the new pipeline.
- Reps didn’t wake up to find last year’s closed deals randomly moving stages.
- We could measure pre- and post-change performance without distorting either side.
Step 5: Make Reporting Match How People Actually Work
Once the backbone was in place, we built a small suite of saved searches and dashboards:
- “All Opportunities by Stage” for leadership
- “My Opportunities – This Quarter” for reps
- Exception lists for deals missing key checkboxes (e.g., verbal yes but no legal case started)
- Views tied to roles: Sales, Legal, Customer Success, Support
The goal was simple: if a step is important enough to appear in the process deck, someone should be able to filter and track it in one click.
Step 6: Train, Test, and Support Like It Is a New Product
We treated the new CRM flow like a product launch.
That included:
- A live demo of the end-to-end journey: Lead → Opportunity → Quote → Order → Delivery → Support
- Role-based walkthroughs so each team saw their part of the story
- A user guide with screenshots that mirrored the original process slides
- Weekly status calls after go-live to catch friction early and adjust
By the time we turned the workflows on, the team had already “seen the movie.”
What Changed for the Client
Without sharing numbers, here’s what shifted:
- Pipeline discipline went up. Reps had to clear specific gates, not just change a dropdown.
- Legal and finance had fewer surprises. MNDA, MSA, terms, and quote expiry were baked into the flow, not handled ad hoc.
- Reporting actually matched reality. Leadership conversations moved from “What does Stage 3 really mean for this deal?” to “Why are these five T3 deals stuck waiting for legal?”
- Handoffs were smoother. Customer Success, Project Management, and Support saw structured data, not freeform notes.
Most importantly, the CRM stopped being “that thing we update for management” and started being the shared operating picture for the business.
Why This Story Matters Beyond One Client
You do not need the exact same business model to benefit from this pattern.
If you:
- Sell complex services or solutions
- Have multiple internal players (Sales, Legal, Delivery, Finance, Support)
- Already have a “process” in slides or someone’s head
…then your NetSuite instance is probably under-utilised.
The question is not “Do we need a new CRM?”
The question is:
“How do we make NetSuite reflect the way we actually win and deliver work?”
That is the work we did here. And it is repeatable.
If You Recognise Your Own Company in This
If your sales process currently lives in:
- A 40-page deck
- A legacy CRM that nobody trusts
- Or three different spreadsheets
…we should talk.
At Salora ERP, we help NetSuite customers turn sales playbooks into clickable, enforceable workflows with reporting that your partners, CFO, and delivery team can all agree on.
If you want to explore what this could look like for your organisation, feel free to reach out @ saloraerp.com / [email protected]
or drop us a message here on LinkedIn.
