A deal runs through four stages. Whichever one applies helps decide what shows up in the forecast and what counts as a result on [**Home** ↗](https://app.indeal.ai/).

**Contents**
- [The four stages](#the-four-stages)
- [Changing the stage](#changing-the-stage)
- [What you are asked for when switching](#what-you-are-asked-for-when-switching)
- [What happens at the close](#what-happens-at-the-close)
- [Offer sent is a date of its own](#offer-sent-is-a-date-of-its-own)
- [Taking a stage back](#taking-a-stage-back)
- [Next](#next)


## The four stages

| Stage | Meaning |
|---|---|
| **Send offer** | The deal exists, the offer is being prepared or is out. |
| **Closing** | The commitment is there, the close is not yet formally done. |
| **Won** | The business is done. |
| **Lost** | Nothing will come of it. |

**Send offer** and **Closing** count as open. Only those two appear in [**Open deals** ↗](https://app.indeal.ai/pipeline/open) and feed the **Open volume** and the forecast.

## Changing the stage

Two ways, same result:

1. **On the detail page:** click the stage you want in the bar inside the **Pipeline & status** block.
2. **In Kanban:** drag the card into the target column.

## What you are asked for when switching

Depending on the target stage, a window opens with the matching fields. Everything is optional - the window says **All fields optional.**

- **To Closing:** **Follow-up date**, **Confidence**, **Next step**, **Deal value** and **Offer sent**. This is the point where the numbers should become reliable, which is why inDeal asks here.
- **To Lost:** **Select reason**.
- **To Send offer and to Won:** no extra fields. The stage switches immediately.

Always fill in the **Lost reason**. It is the only place that later shows why a deal fell through.

## What happens at the close

Once a deal sits on **Won**:

- It leaves **Open deals** and the forecast.
- Its value counts on **Home** under **Closed won** for the current month.
- It counts towards **New customers** and **Total customers**.
- The time from creating the lead to this point feeds the **Sales cycle**.

With **Lost** it also leaves the forecast, but appears under [**All deals** ↗](https://app.indeal.ai/pipeline/all) and in the Kanban column **Lost** - limited there to the **last 30 days**.

## Offer sent is a date of its own

The **Offer sent** field is not set automatically when you change the stage. Fill it in as soon as the offer is actually out. It is the basis of the **Deal conversion** analysis on **Home**, which measures **Offer → closed won**.

## Taking a stage back

You can change any stage again at any time, including back from **Won** or **Lost**. The deal then reappears in **Open deals** and the monthly figures on **Home** change accordingly. That is the right way to correct a mistaken classification.

## Next

- [Forecast, confidence and weighted value](https://success.indeal.ai/hc/indeal/articles/forecast-confidence-and-weighted-value)
- [Editing a deal](https://success.indeal.ai/hc/indeal/articles/editing-a-deal)