Dates, Dates, Dates, Dates! What are all of them?

Why are dates important? They help finance with projections!

Revenue Forecasting	Knowing when deals are expected to close (estimated close date) allows the finance team to project when revenue will be recognized. This is critical for cash flow planning and for setting expectations with leadership. For deals with renewal options, entering future dates allows finance to anticipate recurring revenue and plan accordingly.
Resource Planning	Start and end dates help finance anticipate when projects will begin and end, which informs staffing, budgeting, and resource allocation.
Identifying Stale Deals	The system can flag deals that have not progressed or whose dates are outdated, prompting follow-up and keeping forecasts realistic.

Dates You Want to Know

At every stage, you must confirm the estimated close, start, and end dates," which are required fields in the HubSpot deal pipeline.This ensures that the pipeline reflects the most current expectations for when deals will move forward or close.

Important Note: Only the deal owner can change the dates after the deal has been created.

Close Date

When we expect to know that we’ve won or lost this opportunity/pitch

For RFPs, we’ll have this date:

Skim the RFP and look for the opportunity decision date on the document!

For non-RFP processes:

Formula*: [Date Reached Out + 75 days]

Estimated Start Date

When we believe the contracted work* will begin

Formula: [Estimated Close Date + two weeks]

Estimated End Date

When we believe the work will end

Formula: [Est. Start Date + twelve months]

*If you know these dates, please list the actual dates!

*This is work done AFTER the contract is signed and the deal is listed as “Close Won.” This does NOT include work done during the pitch/proposal process.