A well-structured pipeline is the backbone of any successful sales operation. In Go High Level, your pipeline isn't just a visual—it's the engine that drives your entire sales process and triggers powerful automations.
In this guide, we'll walk through exactly how to set up a GHL pipeline that actually moves deals forward and keeps your team organized.
What Is a Pipeline in GHL?
Think of a pipeline as a visual representation of your sales journey. Each column (or "stage") represents a step in your process, and each card represents a potential deal or client moving through that journey.
💡 Key Concept
Your pipeline stages should mirror your actual sales process—not some idealized version of it. Map reality first, then optimize.
Planning Your Pipeline Stages
Before you touch GHL, grab a piece of paper and map out your current process. For most service businesses, it looks something like this:
Setting Up Your Pipeline in GHL
Step 1: Create the Pipeline
Give it a clear name that reflects its purpose (e.g., "Main Sales Pipeline" or "Consulting Services").
Step 2: Add Your Stages
Click "Add Stage" for each step in your process. For each stage, you'll want to set:
- Stage name — Keep it short and clear
- Stage color — Visual cues help at a glance
- Expected days in stage — Flag deals that stall
Step 3: Configure Stage Actions
This is where GHL gets powerful. For each stage, you can trigger automations:
- When a deal enters "Proposal Sent" → automatically send the proposal email
- When a deal enters "Won" → trigger your onboarding sequence
- When a deal enters "Lost" → add to nurture campaign
"The magic of GHL pipelines isn't just visualization—it's automation. Every stage change can trigger actions that would take hours to do manually."
Pipeline Best Practices
Keep It Simple
Start with 5-7 stages maximum. You can always add more later, but too many stages create confusion and make reporting messy.
Define Clear Exit Criteria
For each stage, know exactly what needs to happen before a deal moves forward. Document this for your team.
Set Up Stage Rotting
Deals that sit too long in one stage are usually dead. Set "rotting" alerts to flag deals that haven't moved in X days.
Use Custom Fields
Add fields that matter for your business: deal value, expected close date, lead source, service type, etc.
Automations to Add
Once your pipeline is set up, add these essential automations:
- New Lead Notification — Alert your team instantly when a new lead enters
- Follow-up Reminders — Create tasks when deals stall
- Proposal Follow-up — Automatically check in 3 days after sending a proposal
- Win/Loss Tracking — Update tags and trigger appropriate sequences
Common Pipeline Mistakes
⚠️ Avoid These
1. Too many stages (analysis paralysis)
2. No clear criteria for moving deals
3. Forgetting to track lost deals
4. Not connecting automations to stages
Need Help Setting Up Your Pipeline?
A properly configured pipeline can transform your sales process from chaos to clarity. We've built hundreds of pipelines for service businesses and know exactly what works.
Book a free consultation and we'll help you design a pipeline that matches your process and powers your growth.