Deal Categories, Agents, Watchers & Sources

Behind every deal are a few supporting lists: categories that group deals, agents who own them, watchers who follow them, and sources that record where the opportunity came from. This article explains each and how to manage them.

Where to find it

• The lists are managed in the Deal settings area, and several can also be added inline from the Create Deal form using the small Add buttons.

Deal categories

A deal category is a single label (for example "Best Case", "Commit", "Closed") used to group deals.

How to manage categories

1. Go to the Deal settings category area (or click Add next to the Category field when creating a deal).
2. Enter the Category Name and save.
3. You can edit, delete, or mark one category as the default.

Categories matter because agents are assigned per category — when you pick a category on a deal, the Agent dropdown filters to the agents tied to that category.

Permissions: View / Add / Edit / Delete Deal Category.

Deal Agent vs Deal Watcher

These two roles look similar but mean different things:

• Deal Agent — the employee responsible for the deal (your salesperson). An agent is assigned to one or more categories, which is why the Agent dropdown depends on the category you choose. Manage agents in the Deal settings by assigning an employee to categories and enabling/disabling them.
• Deal Watcher — an employee who simply watches/follows the deal. It defaults to whoever created the deal and is not tied to a category.

Both Agent and Watcher count toward the "Owned" permission scope, so people in either role can be granted access to just their deals.

Permissions: View / Add / Delete Deal Agent.

Deal sources

A source records where a deal/contact originated (for example Email, Google, Facebook, Friend, Direct, TV). New companies start with that default set of sources.

How to manage sources

1. Go to the Deal settings source area.
2. Add a source by entering its name and saving; you can also edit or delete sources.

Source is primarily used on the contact record and as a filter on the deal board and list.

Permissions: View / Add / Edit / Delete Deal Sources.

Permission notes

All of these supporting lists are managed under your Deal settings and require the corresponding management permission. The overall Deals module must be enabled.

Tips

• Define your categories first, then assign agents to those categories so the deal form's Agent dropdown is populated.
• Use sources consistently so you can report on which channels bring the best deals.
• Add the relevant teammate as a Watcher when you want them kept in the loop without making them the responsible agent.