Pomio CRM keeps every deal with its value, stage, owner, source and notes, in board and list views, and lets a team filter on labels. Most small teams run one pipeline for everything. That is fine, as long as you can still tell a deal with a new company apart from a deal with a customer you already have.
Why the two behave differently
An existing customer knows you, has already passed a purchasing check and often only needs a quote. A new company still has to trust you, compare options and get internal approval. The result is that existing-customer deals usually close more often, more quickly and with less effort. Put both into one win rate and the number describes neither of them.
What goes wrong when they are mixed
A strong quarter of extra sales to existing customers can hide that almost no new customers came in. A forecast based on the average closing speed is too optimistic for new business and too cautious for existing customers. And a salesperson who mainly serves existing accounts looks better on paper than a colleague who is doing the harder work of opening new ones.
One field, two values
You do not need a second system. Give every deal one clear marker: new business or existing customer. Use a fixed label, or a value in the source field such as “existing customer”. Pick one way and stick to it. If you use labels, keep them on a fixed list so nobody invents a third variant.
Agree on what counts as existing
Write down one rule, for example: a company that has paid an invoice in the last twelve months is an existing customer. A former customer who left two years ago counts as new business again. Without a rule, the same deal gets a different marker depending on who creates it.
Separate pipeline or not?
For most small teams one pipeline with a marker is enough. A separate pipeline only makes sense when the steps really differ, for example when renewals skip the demo and proposal stages entirely. If the stages are the same, a second pipeline mainly creates two places to keep up to date.
Report on both, every month
Look at the number of deals, win rate, average value and time to close per group. Put the two side by side in the weekly pipeline review and in the monthly figures. When you set sales targets, consider a separate target for new business, so it does not disappear behind easier sales.
How Pomio CRM helps
In Pomio CRM every deal has a stage, owner, source, value and notes, and deals are linked to companies and contacts. With one fixed label or source value per deal, you can filter the pipeline on new business or existing customers next to stage, owner and team, without keeping a separate list.
A practical checklist
Mark every deal as new business or existing customer; use one fixed label or source value for it; write down when a company counts as an existing customer; keep one pipeline unless the steps truly differ; compare win rate, value and time to close per group; consider a separate target for new business.
Further reading
Is an upsell to an existing customer a new deal?
Yes. Create a new deal for it and mark it as existing customer, so it is counted and forecast on its own.
What about a former customer who comes back?
Follow your written rule. With a twelve-month rule, a customer who left two years ago counts as new business.
Who decides the marker?
The person who creates the deal, following the written rule. Check it in the weekly review.
Do we need to fix older deals?
Mark the open deals first. Closed deals from the last year are worth doing too if you want a fair comparison.