Manage Commercial Flow

Track Revenue Across the Full Customer Lifecycle

The Problem

Most organizations can tell you their pipeline value instantly. Ask them about:

  • Which customers have active subscriptions?
  • What's the payment status across all accounts?
  • Which services are generating recurring revenue?
  • Where are the expansion opportunities in the customer base?

...and you get silence, spreadsheets, or "let me check with finance."

The disconnect: Organizations invest heavily in tracking money before it arrives (pipeline) and almost nothing in tracking money after (orders, invoices, payments, subscriptions, services). The result is a revenue view that ends at "Closed Won" — exactly when the real commercial relationship begins.

The Value-First Approach

Commercial flow doesn't end at the deal. It continues through:

  • Order — What was actually purchased
  • Invoice — What you're asking them to pay
  • Payment — What you've actually received
  • Subscription — Recurring commitments that need monitoring
  • Service — Ongoing value delivery that justifies continued investment

The principle: Unified Revenue View means seeing commercial health from first opportunity through ongoing relationship — not just the slice between "Sales Qualified" and "Closed Won."

Objects That Enable This

Deal (Opportunity)

Commercial opportunity tracking

The Deal captures the opportunity:

Deal: CVP Implementation — Precision Components
Amount: $24,995
Stage: Closed Won
Close Date: December 1
Associated Company: Precision Components
Associated Contacts: Sarah Chen (Champion), Mike Chen, David Park

But the Deal is just the beginning. After it closes, commercial tracking should continue.

Order (Confirmed Purchase)

What was actually bought

When the Deal closes, an Order captures the commitment:

Order: ORD-2024-0147
Status: Fulfilled
Order Date: December 1
Total: $24,995
Line Items:
  - CVP Implementation Package: $24,995
Associated Deal: CVP Implementation — Precision Components
Associated Company: Precision Components

Why Order matters: Deals can be modified, amounts adjusted, scope changed. The Order represents what was actually agreed to — the commercial baseline.

Invoice (Request for Payment)

What you're asking for

Invoices track billing:

Invoice: INV-2024-0312
Status: Paid
Invoice Date: December 1
Due Date: December 31
Amount: $12,497.50 (50% deposit)
Associated Order: ORD-2024-0147
Associated Company: Precision Components

Invoice: INV-2024-0313
Status: Sent
Invoice Date: January 15
Due Date: February 15
Amount: $12,497.50 (completion payment)
Associated Order: ORD-2024-0147
Associated Company: Precision Components

Why Invoice matters: Revenue isn't real until it's invoiced. Tracking invoices shows what's been billed, what's outstanding, and what's overdue.

Payment (Money Received)

What you actually got

Payments track cash:

Payment: PMT-2024-0891
Amount: $12,497.50
Payment Date: December 5
Method: ACH
Associated Invoice: INV-2024-0312
Associated Company: Precision Components

Why Payment matters: Invoiced isn't paid. The gap between Invoice and Payment represents real cash flow risk and relationship friction.

Subscription (Recurring Revenue)

Ongoing commercial commitments

For recurring relationships:

Subscription: Managed Partnership — Precision Components
Status: Active
Monthly Amount: $4,995
Start Date: February 1
Renewal Date: February 1, 2026
Associated Company: Precision Components
Associated Service: Ongoing CVP Partnership

Why Subscription matters: Recurring revenue is the foundation of sustainable business. Tracking subscription health, renewal dates, and expansion potential is essential.

Service (Value Delivery)

Commercial relationship in action

Service connects commercial to delivery:

Service: CVP Implementation — Precision Components
Status: Active
Commercial Value: $24,995
Health: On Track
Associated Order: ORD-2024-0147
Associated Subscription: (none yet — project-based)

Why Service connects: The Service object bridges revenue (what they're paying) with delivery (what they're getting). Commercial health depends on delivery health.

How They Connect

COMMERCIAL FLOW OBJECT MAP

Company: Precision Components
    │
    └── Deal: CVP Package ($24,995) — Closed Won
            │
            └── Order: ORD-2024-0147 ($24,995)
                    │
                    ├── Invoice: INV-2024-0312 ($12,497.50) — Paid
                    │       └── Payment: PMT-2024-0891 ($12,497.50) ✓
                    │
                    ├── Invoice: INV-2024-0313 ($12,497.50) — Sent
                    │       └── (awaiting payment)
                    │
                    └── Service: CVP Implementation — Active
                            │
                            └── (future) Subscription: Managed Partnership

Setting It Up

Step 1: Configure Order Object

Properties for purchase tracking:

Property Type Purpose
Order Status Dropdown Draft, Confirmed, Fulfilled, Cancelled
Order Date Date When confirmed
Total Amount Currency Order value
Payment Terms Dropdown Net 30, Net 60, 50/50, etc.

Step 2: Configure Invoice Tracking

Property Type Purpose
Invoice Status Dropdown Draft, Sent, Paid, Overdue, Void
Invoice Date Date When sent
Due Date Date When payment expected
Amount Currency Invoice total
Days Outstanding Calculated Days since due (if unpaid)

Step 3: Configure Payment Tracking

Property Type Purpose
Payment Date Date When received
Amount Currency Payment amount
Method Dropdown ACH, Wire, Credit Card, Check
Associated Invoice Association Which invoice this pays

Step 4: Configure Subscription Object

Property Type Purpose
Status Dropdown Active, Paused, Cancelled, Churned
Recurring Amount Currency Monthly/Annual value
Billing Frequency Dropdown Monthly, Quarterly, Annual
Start Date Date When subscription began
Renewal Date Date When renewal due
Health Dropdown Healthy, At Risk, Churning

Step 5: Build Commercial Views

Revenue Dashboard:

  • Pipeline value (Deals by stage)
  • Closed this period (Orders)
  • Outstanding invoices (by age)
  • Cash received (Payments)
  • Active recurring revenue (Subscriptions)

Customer Commercial View:

  • Deal history
  • Active Orders and Services
  • Invoice status
  • Payment history
  • Subscription status and renewal date

At-Risk Revenue:

  • Overdue invoices
  • At-risk subscriptions
  • Services with health concerns

What This Enables

For the Finance Org

"I can see complete commercial picture without leaving HubSpot."

  • Cash flow visibility
  • AR aging without separate reports
  • Subscription revenue tracking
  • Revenue recognition data

For the Customer Org

"I know the commercial context before every customer conversation."

  • Payment status awareness
  • Subscription health visibility
  • Expansion opportunity identification
  • Renewal timing intelligence

For Leadership

"I can see revenue health, not just pipeline health."

  • Full lifecycle revenue view
  • Recurring revenue trends
  • Cash collection patterns
  • Commercial risk identification

Common Scenarios

Scenario: Customer Has Overdue Invoice

Without commercial flow tracking:

Customer success has a great call with the customer, promises new features, discusses expansion — not knowing the customer has a 60-day overdue invoice that finance is about to escalate.

With commercial flow tracking:

Before the call, CS sees the invoice status. They can address it proactively or at least not promise things while payment is outstanding.

Scenario: Expansion Conversation

Without commercial flow tracking:

Sales sees "Closed Won" from 18 months ago. No idea about current subscription status, payment history, or service health.

With commercial flow tracking:

Sales sees: Active subscription since Month 3, always pays on time, service health is "Thriving," last month asked about additional capabilities. Perfect expansion timing.

Scenario: Renewal Planning

Without commercial flow tracking:

Renewal date surprises everyone. Scramble to assess health, determine pricing, prepare proposal.

With commercial flow tracking:

90 days before renewal: automated reminder surfaces subscription with all context — payment history, service health, expansion signals. Proactive renewal conversation begins.

The Transformation

Before

"What's our revenue situation with Precision Components?"

"They bought something last year... let me check Stripe... and QuickBooks... and ask finance..."

After

"What's our revenue situation with Precision Components?"

[Looks at Company record] "Initial $24,995 order in December, fully paid. Converted to $4,995/month Managed Partnership in February. Subscription healthy, renews next February. They paid last invoice 3 days after receipt. Expansion conversation scheduled for next week."

That's Unified Revenue View — commercial health visible across the full lifecycle.

Related Resources

Related Unified Views

Related Stages

  • Buyer — Where commercial commitment forms
  • Adopter — Where renewal and expansion emerge