In this article:
What are deal stages?
In Shaker, we have deal types, (for example, buying and selling) as well as deal stages such as active, under contract, etc. The concept of deal stages allows you to visit your deal board and have a bird's eye view of where all of your deals are in the sales process. We also use deal stages to organize our checklists and triggered messaging as well as collect critical information such as dates and amounts as transactions progress.
How to add a deal stage
Each Shaker account is pre-populated with the most common deal stages we see, however, a deal can support as many stages as you find necessary.
Here's how you add a deal stage:
In Settings > Deal Stages select the deal type you want to manage
Within that deal, type click the button "+ New Stage" and give your stage a name
You can rearrange your deal stages in any order. If you would like to edit their name or delete them altogether, simply click the deal stage you want to change to open it. Then you will see an edit button next to the deal stage name (click the save icon when you're done) or the delete button on the right side of the screen.
Setting up deal stage automation
Once you have your deal stages created, you can begin setting up your tasks and triggers for each stage. You can have as many or as few tasks as you would like on each deal stage. The group of tasks on the deal stage makes up your checklist.
Creating Tasks
To add a task, click the "+" symbol in the top right of the Tasks box and name the task
Assign the task to the role of the team member who is responsible for handling it.
Configure when the task is due - You have the option to select "On", "Before", or "After" any Date Field. You can also use the "A deal enters this stage" selection if you want the task to be due immediately based on the movement of a deal from one stage to another. If you do not set a date, the task will still show in your checklist immediately. It will just be prioritized after tasks with due dates until a date is set.
Assigning tasks to clients
If you assign a task to a client they will be notified via email that a task has been assigned. They can respond to that email, and it will go directly to your inbox if you have linked your email account. If the client has access to the Shaker Client Portal, they can also log in and complete tasks as needed.
Assigning tasks to vendors (non-paid user)
Vendor tasks are simply for notification purposes only. If you assign a task to a vendor they will be notified via email that a task has been assigned. They can respond to that email that the task is complete, and it will go directly to your inbox, however, vendors do not have the ability to check off tasks.
Triggered Emails and Texts
The max number of recipients on a group SMS is 4 - exceeding this will result in message failure.
To add a triggered message click the "+" symbol in the top right of the section
Select the message template you want to use
Select who you are sending from and who you are sending to. Note: you can only send from registered (paid) users of Shaker but you can send to any contact or vendor.
Configure when the message should trigger - You have the option to select "On", "Before", or "After" any Date Field. You can also use the "A deal enters this stage" selection if you want the message to trigger immediately based on the movement of a deal from one stage to another.
Note: Some messages may need to be skipped if the deal moves forward before its scheduled send date. In this case, check the box "Don't send this email if the deal changes from "stage".
Adding Deal Stage Fields
The fields section of a deal stage is where you can designate which fields you want to be filled out when a deal stage changes. These are important to consider since many tasks or triggered messages can be dependent on key dates.
Example: When a deal moves to clear to close you may want to email the seller the scheduled closing information as well as assign tasks that need to be completed a specified number of days before closing. In order to do those things, you need to fill out the field "Closing Date & Time" and the "Closing Address".
Copying a deal stage
To save time when creating deal stages you can also duplicate a deal stage and its associated tasks, messages, and fields by opening the deal stage you want to copy and clicking the "copy" icon. You can then assign which deal type the stage should be copied to.