Seller Pipeline
Six stages from initial prospect through to post-closing. Automations are active on the highlighted stages only.
Prospect
Initial assessmentReview and qualify business opportunities. Assess owner readiness.
Discovery
Business analysisCollect documents, financial data, valuation and operational details.
Onboarding
Preparation & engagementCreate marketing packages. Prepare CIM and CBR documents.
On Market
Advertising & marketingAutomations activeNDA automations are live. Buyer inquiries trigger the NDA email sequence.
Due Diligence
Contract & negotiationAutomations activeNew buyer inquiries receive the Under Contract email automatically.
Post Closing
Finalization & handoverAutomations activeTriggers the Sold email. Tombstone eligible when Status is set to Won.
Required setup for the On Market stage
Opportunity Details tab
- Opportunity Name: the actual business name works. Only you and your team see it.
- Internal ID: must exactly match the third-party advertising site's ID.
- Pipeline: Sellers
- Stage: On Market
- Status: Open
- Opportunity Owner: the listing broker
Listing Public Data tab
- Current Status: New or Active
- Public Advertised Title: same as your advertising title. Used in the NDA and all email templates.
- Internal ID: same as the advertising site. This is what links buyers to the seller opportunity.
- Industry: must be selected. Drives automations and the website listing image.
Stage change requirements
Under Contract settings
- Opportunity Details → Pipeline: Sellers
- Opportunity Details → Stage: Due Diligence
- Opportunity Details → Status: Open
- Listing Public Data → Current Status: Under Contract
Sold settings
- Opportunity Details → Pipeline: Sellers
- Opportunity Details → Stage: Post Closing
- Opportunity Details → Status: Won
- Listing Public Data → Current Status: Sold
- Create a Tombstone. See the Tombstone tab.
Buyer Pipeline
Five stages tracking a buyer from inquiry through to due diligence. Automations are active on four of them.
Pending / On Hold / UC
Backup buyerUnder Contract emailThe business is under contract. The buyer is placed on hold.
Inquiry Received
Buyer interest loggedNDA email triggeredThe NDA email sequence starts automatically.
NDA Signed
Confidentiality securedExec Summary emailBuyer receives the Executive Summary / Blind Profile, provided the URL is set.
CIM/CBR Sent
Detailed info sharedBroker approval requiredThe broker manually moves the buyer here after qualification.
Due Diligence
Buyer evaluationIn-depth analysis and questioning in collaboration with the broker.
DealBuilder integration: buyers added directly in the DealBuilder listing (Inquiry Received stage) also trigger the NDA automation. CIM access is now granted via DealBuilder → Buyer → Actions → Give Presentation Access, which automatically moves the buyer to CIM/CBR Sent. See the DealBuilder tab for the full updated workflow.
How buyers enter the pipeline
Website & advertising sites
- Buyer submits an inquiry via your Deal Studio website or a third-party site such as BizBuySell or BizQuest.
- A Make.com forwarding rule parses the inquiry email and creates the buyer opportunity automatically in Inquiry Received, triggering the NDA sequence.
Manual add via DealBuilder
- Go to DealBuilder → specific listing → Add Buyer.
- Leave the buyer in Inquiry Received. The NDA automation triggers automatically.
Direct email or referral
- Connect your two-way email sync in your profile. Emails from known contacts auto-create or update records.
- Use the auto-BCC link in your profile to forward individual emails into GHL for contact capture.
NDA Email Automation Flow
Up to four automated touchpoints with a buyer before the deal is marked lost. Fully automated, with no broker action required.
Requirements for NDA emails to send: the Seller Opportunity must be in the Seller Pipeline, in the On Market stage, with Status: Open. The Internal ID and Public Advertised Title must both be completed.
NDA Email 1 Immediate
Sent as soon as a buyer inquiry is received. Introduces the listing and links to the electronic Confidentiality / NDA form. The buyer enters the Inquiry Received stage on the Buyer Pipeline.
NDA Follow-Up 1 +3 days
Sent if the buyer has not yet signed the NDA. A gentle reminder with the NDA link included. Only sends if the NDA is still unsigned at day 3.
NDA Follow-Up 2 +5 days
Second follow-up if the buyer has still not responded, sent 5 days after the first follow-up. Only sends if the NDA is still unsigned at day 8 in total.
NDA Final +5 days
Final outreach. If there is no response after this email, the deal is automatically marked as lost 3 days later.
After the NDA is signed
NDA signed, stage moves automatically
The buyer completes the NDA electronically. The system moves the buyer from Inquiry Received to NDA Signed. The buyer receives a copy of the signed NDA by email, and the broker gets an email notification that the NDA has been signed.
Executive Summary / Blind Profile email 15 min after
If a Blind Profile URL is present in the Seller Opportunity (Buyer Automations tab, or the blind profile field in DealBuilder's Opportunity Details), the email with the link auto-sends 15 minutes after signing. If the field is blank the email will not send. Edit via Marketing → Snippets → DS_2.0.0_NDA Follow Up.
Broker qualifies the buyer
The broker qualifies the buyer and decides whether to proceed to the CIM/CBR. No automation here. This is a manual broker decision.
CIM / CBR access Broker action required
Via DealBuilder (recommended): go to the buyer → Actions → Give Presentation Access. This moves the buyer to CIM/CBR Sent automatically and grants data room access.
Via pipeline (legacy): drag the buyer to CIM/CBR Sent and select Yes to send the CBR email. This only sends the CBR email and CIM access. It does not grant data room access. Data room access must be granted through DealBuilder only.
Where to view and manage NDAs
View a signed NDA
- In the buyer opportunity: Opportunity Details → NDA Document
- Or in the contact's record under Documents
View all NDAs
- Go to Payments → All Documents and Contracts
- Filter by Completed or Waiting for Others
Edit NDA email wording
- First two NDA emails: Marketing → Emails → Templates
- All other emails: Marketing → Snippets
DealBuilder Integration
DealBuilder is your deal management hub built on top of GoHighLevel. It works interchangeably with the GHL CRM, and automations sync between both systems.
What is DealBuilder? Deal Studio's own deal management tool, built on top of GHL. It's your centralised view for managing individual transactions — sellers, buyers, CIM access, the data room, and buyer analytics — all in one place, syncing 100% with your GHL CRM.
Seller side
- Seller intake questionnaire
- Document upload to the data room
- CIMBuilder tab for AI CIM creation
- Listing details, including the Blind Profile URL
- Seller-only data room section
- Secure seller portal
Buyer side
- Buyers added automatically through email parsing
- Manually add a buyer to a listing
- NDA auto-triggered on add
- Give presentation / CIM access
- Grant data room access
- Secure buyer portal with analytics and multi-listing tracking
Data room
- 5 access levels: seller-only, broker, and buyer tiers
- Broker controls and revokes access
- Buyer portal login: email plus verification code
- No password or registration needed
- Analytics: page views, time spent, logins
Updated buyer workflow in DealBuilder
Add the buyer to the DealBuilder listing
Navigate to DealBuilder → specific listing → Add Buyer. Leave the buyer in Inquiry Received. The NDA automation triggers automatically.
Buyer signs the NDA, Exec Summary sends
The system auto-moves the buyer to NDA Signed. The Executive Summary / Blind Profile email sends 15 minutes later if the URL field is populated. The buyer is now visible in DealBuilder with their linked listings.
Buyer qualification
DealBuilder will never automatically give access to the CIM or data room without the broker's approval.
Give CIM and data room access
In DealBuilder: buyer → Actions → Give Presentation Access. This moves the buyer to CIM/CBR Sent automatically, grants CIM access, and optionally grants data room access. Do not allow downloads until Due Diligence — downloads affect buyer analytics tracking.
Buyer accesses the buyer portal
The buyer receives a unique portal link. Login uses email plus a verification code only — no password or registration. All activity (pages viewed, time spent, documents accessed) is tracked in real time in your DealBuilder dashboard.
Due Diligence: enable downloads
Once the buyer moves to Due Diligence you can allow document downloads from the data room through DealBuilder. The system logs what was downloaded and when. Full data room access across all 5 levels is managed by the broker and can be revoked at any time.
Key features at a glance
| Feature | How it works | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Add buyer & trigger NDA | DealBuilder → listing → Add Buyer → leave in Inquiry Received | Auto |
| Give CIM access | Buyer → Actions → Give Presentation Access → auto-moves to CIM/CBR Sent | Broker action |
| Data room access | Must be granted through DealBuilder only. A pipeline drag does not grant it. | Broker action |
| Buyer analytics | Page views, time per page, login count, unique viewers — tracked automatically when the buyer uses the portal | Auto |
| Buyer portal login | Unique link per buyer, email plus verification code, no password needed | Auto |
| Multiple listings per buyer | DealBuilder shows every listing a buyer has inquired on, with their stage per listing | New |
| Seller intake questionnaire | Send from DealBuilder. The seller completes it online and uploads flow to the seller-only data room automatically. | New |
| Document controls | 5 access levels, per-buyer download toggles, access revocable at any time | New |
AI CIMBuilder
Built directly into DealBuilder. Cuts CIM creation time by roughly 70% using your seller intake questionnaire, data room files, and the client's website.
Important: requires an OpenAI API key connected to your account. Typical usage cost is around $3–4 per CIM generated. Output is fully editable, similar to PowerPoint slides, and exports as PDF. One API key covers your entire team — brokers do not need separate accounts.
What CIMBuilder uses to create your CIM
Seller intake questionnaire
- Send the questionnaire from DealBuilder. The seller completes it online via their portal.
- All answers pull into CIMBuilder automatically. The more complete the questionnaire, the better the CIM output.
Data room files
- Upload financial documents, operational information, and supporting files to the data room.
- CIMBuilder references the 4–6 files you select when generating.
- Documents uploaded by the seller via the questionnaire go to the seller-only level automatically.
Client website
- Add the client's website URL in DealBuilder.
- CIMBuilder pulls relevant business description, services, and branding information to supplement the questionnaire data.
CIMBuilder workflow
Send the seller intake questionnaire
From DealBuilder, send one or more questionnaires to the seller portal for the seller to complete at their own pace. No manual data entry on your side.
Upload documents to the data room
Files the seller uploads via the questionnaire go straight to the seller-only section. You can also upload additional documents manually, then select which files CIMBuilder should use.
Generate the CIM in the CIMBuilder tab
The AI generates a roughly 17-page CIM from your selected data. The prompt structure is pre-built. Review and edit the output — editing works much like PowerPoint.
Review, edit and export
Make adjustments and export as PDF when ready. You can also embed listing-specific broker videos directly in the CIM slides for a richer buyer experience.
Upload existing CIMs for analytics
For existing listings where you already have a CIM as a PDF, upload it directly to DealBuilder. You immediately get buyer analytics (page views, time per page) without using the AI builder at all.
Automations Cheat Sheet
Everything you need to remember to make your automations work seamlessly.
| Automation | Trigger | Requirement | Type | Edit location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NDA Email 1 | Buyer inquiry received | Seller in On Market, Status: Open, Internal ID and Title set | Auto | Marketing → Emails → Templates |
| NDA Emails 2–4 | +3, +7, +10 days if NDA unsigned | NDA still unsigned at each interval | Auto | Same template as the original NDA email |
| Executive Summary | 15 min after NDA signed | Blind Profile URL populated in the Seller Opportunity | Auto | DS_2.0.0_NDA Follow Up |
| CBR/CIM email (legacy) | Broker moves buyer to CIM/CBR Sent and approves | CBR URL in Seller Opportunity; broker selects Yes | Broker action | DS_3.0.0_CBR |
| CIM access via DealBuilder | Actions → Give Presentation Access | CIM uploaded or built in the CIMBuilder tab | Broker action | DealBuilder → Buyer → Actions |
| Under Contract email | New buyer inquires while seller is in Due Diligence | Seller: Due Diligence, Status: Open; Current Status: Under Contract | Auto | DS_2.1.0_Under Contract - NDA |
| Sold email | New buyer inquires while seller is in Post Closing | Seller: Post Closing, Status: Won; Current Status: Sold | Auto | DS_1.2.0_Sold Business |
Do's & don'ts
✕Never do this
- Delete any stages in the Buyer or Seller Pipeline
- Rename any automation-connected stage
- Delete or rename your NDA document in the Payments tab
- Allow data room downloads before Due Diligence — it disrupts buyer analytics tracking
- Leave the Blind Profile URL blank if you want the Exec Summary email to send
- Try to give data room access from the pipeline. It only works through DealBuilder.
✓You can do this
- Add new stages in between existing automation stages
- Reorder stages, as long as automation-connected ones stay put
- Set pipeline permissions per user: view, edit, or no access
- Embed videos in email templates such as the NDA and Exec Summary
- Use tags on listings to auto-tag buyers when they inquire
- Upload existing PDF CIMs to DealBuilder to get buyer analytics tracking
Email Templates & Snippets
All automation-connected email content lives in two locations. Edit these to customise the wording sent to buyers and leads.
Two locations: NDA Emails 1 and 2 live in Marketing → Emails → Templates. Every other automation email lives in Marketing → Snippets. Never delete a snippet — only edit the content.
| Snippet | What it does | Location |
|---|---|---|
DS_2.0.0_NDA Follow Up | Executive Summary / Blind Profile email, sent 15 minutes after the NDA is signed, if the URL is populated | Marketing → Snippets |
DS_3.0.0_CBR | CBR/CIM email, sent after the broker manually moves the buyer to CIM/CBR Sent and approves | Marketing → Snippets |
DS_2.1.0_Under Contract - NDA | Under Contract email, sent to new inquiries while the seller is in Due Diligence | Marketing → Snippets |
DS_1.2.0_Sold Business | Sold email, sent to new inquiries when the seller is in Post Closing with Status: Won | Marketing → Snippets |
DS_4.0.0_Buyer Leads // Forms | Welcome email when a buyer fills in the Join Email List form on your website | Marketing → Snippets |
DS_4.0.0_Lead Creation // Other Forms | Auto-response when a contact fills in the Contact Us form on your website | Marketing → Snippets |
DS_4.0.0_Seller Leads // Forms | Auto-response when a potential seller fills in the Inquire Now form | Marketing → Snippets |
DS_4.0.0_White Paper Download Link | Sends the whitepaper download link when the Free Whitepaper form is completed | Marketing → Snippets |
| NDA Emails 1 & 2 | Initial NDA email and NDA-signed confirmation. These use the e-signing contract functionality. | Marketing → Emails → Templates |
Additional Automations
Website-triggered automations, available if you have a Deal Studio website. Forms can be amended in Sites → Forms → Builder.
Buyer leads / forms
- Trigger: buyer fills in the Join Email List form on your website
- What happens: automated welcome email; buyer added to contacts with a buyer tag
- Edit:
DS_4.0.0_Buyer Leads // Forms
Lead creation / Contact Us
- Trigger: any visitor fills in the Contact Us form
- What happens: auto-response acknowledging the inquiry; contact created in the CRM
- Edit:
DS_4.0.0_Lead Creation // Other Forms
Seller leads / forms
- Trigger: potential seller fills in the Inquire Now form
- What happens: auto-response confirming receipt and promising follow-up for a complimentary business evaluation
- Edit:
DS_4.0.0_Seller Leads // Forms
Whitepaper download
- Trigger: visitor fills in the Free Whitepaper form
- What happens: email with a secure download link sent automatically
- Edit:
DS_4.0.0_White Paper Download Link
Creating a Tombstone
Show sold businesses under Completed Transactions on your website. All five conditions must be met simultaneously.
Step-by-step setup
Opportunity Details tab
Confirm Pipeline: Sellers and Stage: Post Closing. Drag and drop the opportunity to set Status: Won.
Listing Public Data tab
Set Current Status: Sold and Show on Web: Yes. Both fields must be set for the tombstone to appear on your website.