CRM Data Entry Standards

Required Fields for All Contacts

• First name, Last name
• Company name
• Email address (work, not personal)
• Phone number
• Lead source

Pipeline Stages

Stage	Definition	Min. time
1 — New Lead	Imported or manually added	0 days
2 — Contacted	First outreach made	1 day
3 — Qualified	Needs identified, budget confirmed	3 days
4 — Proposal	Quote or proposal sent	5 days
5 — Negotiation	Terms being discussed	7 days
6 — Won	Contract signed	—

Data Hygiene Rules

• Update lead status within 24 hours of a change
• Merge duplicate contacts (check before creating new ones)
• Never delete contacts — archive instead
• Log all call notes and email interactions in the CRM