How to close opportunities as won or lost

Closing an opportunity correctly keeps the pipeline aligned with the actual sales outcome. Won means the customer confirmed the purchase and the opportunity is converted into a sale; lost records that the process did not move forward. Sending a quote or receiving a positive response does not by itself mean a sale has happened.

When the customer confirms: convert it into a sale

1. Open the opportunity and choose Convert to sale from its action menu. You can also start this action from the opportunities list or Kanban view.
2. Review the sales form: contact, concept, date, currency, amount, and any other details your company uses.
3. Check the products and commercial terms. Correct any mismatch with the agreement before saving.
4. Mark the sale as paid only if payment has been received. The purchase can be confirmed even when payment will arrive later.
5. Save and review the record to confirm the contact, amount, and products are correct.

Example: the customer approves a 12-license proposal but will send the payment next week. Convert the opportunity into a sale because the purchase is confirmed; do not mark it as paid until the money arrives.

When the process stops: record the loss

1. Choose Discard from the opportunity action menu.
2. Select the reason that best explains the outcome. If you choose Other, add a specific note so the team understands what happened.
3. Separately decide whether to discard the prospect too. Select Discard prospect only when the contact should also leave the sales process; losing one opportunity does not always mean the person is no longer a valid prospect.
4. Review the reason and prospect selection, then confirm.

Example: if the company chose another provider, record that reason on the opportunity. If they may still be interested in a different service, keep the prospect active so you can continue the relationship.