In the process of pursuing a sales opportunity, you essentially work to remove barriers to the sale. When you remove a barrier, the opportunity moves to the next stage. Barriers include uncertainty about your product’s fit and value, lack of budget or the customer’s buying process. You can manage the sales funnel by developing sales metrics appropriate for your business. As you gain experience in working with customers and sales processes, you can create your own version of the sales funnel, complete with specific steps and actions to move prospects from stage to stage.