How to set up opportunity triggers

​

Overview

Opportunity Triggers automatically create an Opportunity record when a deal progresses to a specific stage. This ensures every qualified deal has corresponding tracking for forecasting and eliminates manual opportunity creation, while pre-filling key information from the source entry.

​

Prerequisites

Permissions Required:

• You must be a List Owner or List Admin to configure Opportunity Triggers
• To become a List Admin, ask the List Owner to grant you admin access

What You Need:

• Source list with a Status field (where trigger will activate)
• Target Opportunity list (where opportunities will be created)
• Target list must be type “Opportunity”
• Target list must be shared with users who will create opportunities
• Understanding of which status values indicate deal qualification

​

Steps

​

Step 1: Navigate to Triggers Settings

1. Open the source list where you want qualified deals to trigger opportunity creation
2. Click List Options in the top-right corner
3. Click Triggers
4. The Triggers configuration panel opens

​

Step 2: Create a New Opportunity Trigger

1. Click the Opportunity Triggers tab
2. Click Create New Trigger (or select existing status to configure)
3. The trigger configuration form appears

​

Step 3: Select the Status Value

1. In the Status dropdown, select which status value will trigger opportunity creation
   • Common examples: “Qualified”, “Term Sheet Sent”, “Follow-on Interest”
2. When users change an entry to this status, the opportunity creation modal will appear Important: Each status value can only trigger to ONE opportunity list (but different statuses can trigger to different lists)

​

Step 4: Choose Target Opportunity List

1. In the Target List dropdown, select which opportunity list will receive new opportunities
2. Verify the target list:

• Is type “Opportunity”
  • Is shared with your team members
  • Is not the same as your source list
• Different status values can trigger to different opportunity lists
  • Example: “Follow-on” → “Follow-on Deals” list
  • Example: “Qualified” → “Active Pipeline” list

​

Step 5: Save the Trigger

1. Review your configuration
2. Click Save
3. The trigger is now active

​

Step 6: Test the Trigger (Optional but Recommended)

1. Navigate to a test entry in your source list
2. Change status to your configured trigger value
3. Opportunity creation modal should appear
4. Verify pre-filled fields are correct:

• Name (from source entity)
  • Owners (from source entry)
  • Link to source entity
  • Amount (if available)
• Complete any additional required fields
• Click Create Opportunity
• Verify opportunity appears in target list with proper linking

​

Expected Outcome

• When user changes status to trigger value, opportunity modal appears
• Modal pre-fills with: Name, Owners, Source link, Amount (if available)
• User completes additional required fields (if configured on target list)
• New opportunity is created in target list
• Opportunity automatically links back to source entity
• Source entry updates to show linked opportunity
• In New Lists: If Status Trigger also exists, both appear in consolidated modal (Status Trigger first, then Opportunity Trigger)

​

What Gets Pre-Filled Automatically

When Opportunity Trigger fires, these fields populate automatically: Always pre-filled:

• Name: Derived from source entity name
• Link to source entity: Automatic bidirectional linking
• Owners: Copied from source entry’s Owners field Sometimes pre-filled:
• Amount: If source entry has Amount field populated

Never pre-filled (you must complete):

• Custom fields specific to opportunity tracking
• Additional context or deal-specific information

​

Where Opportunity Triggers Fire

Surfaces where triggers work:

• New Lists (Sheets view)
• Kanban/Board view
• Entity Profiles
• Pathfinder

Surfaces where triggers do NOT fire:

• Data imports
• API calls
• Mobile App

​

Tips & Best Practices

Configuration Strategy:

• Choose qualification moments carefully - Trigger at the stage where opportunity tracking becomes valuable
• One opportunity list per status - Each status can only trigger to one list, so plan your list architecture accordingly
• Consider multiple triggers - Different stages can create opportunities in different lists (e.g., “New Deal” list vs “Follow-on” list)
• Test with target list owners - Ensure target list’s Required Fields make sense for triggered entries

Target List Setup:

• Ensure target list exists and is type “Opportunity”
• Share target list with all users who will create opportunities
• Configure Required Fields on target list (will combine with trigger modal)
• Verify target list won’t create permission issues

Cascade Behavior:

• If both Status Trigger AND Opportunity Trigger exist on same status:
• Status Trigger fires first (required fields for status change)
  • Then Opportunity Trigger fires (opportunity creation)
  • Both appear in consolidated modal in New Lists
• Plan your triggers to avoid overwhelming users with too many fields at once

Workflow Integration:

• Opportunity Triggers work well with pipeline stages like: “Qualified”, “Term Sheet”, “Committed”
• Consider when financial tracking becomes necessary
• Align trigger timing with when ownership/amount information is known

​

Common Mistakes

• Don’t trigger too early (before qualification info is known)
• Don’t forget to share target list with team
• Don’t set up trigger if target list might be deleted/archived
• Don’t assume pre-filled fields are sufficient (usually need additional Required Fields)

Maintenance:

• If target list is deleted, trigger becomes inactive (users see error)
• Reconfigure trigger to point to new target list if needed
• Review trigger effectiveness quarterly

​

Common Use Cases

Sourcing to Pipeline Conversion: “Companies in our ‘Sourcing’ list move to ‘Qualified’ status and should automatically create opportunities in our ‘Active Pipeline’ list.” → Configure Opportunity Trigger on “Qualified” status pointing to “Active Pipeline” list. Term Sheet Tracking: “When we send a term sheet, I want to create an opportunity to track deal value and ownership.” → Configure trigger on “Term Sheet Sent” status, target = “Active Deals” list. Follow-on Investment Tracking: “Portfolio companies raising follow-on rounds should trigger opportunities in our separate ‘Follow-on Pipeline’ list.” → Configure trigger on “Follow-on Interest” status pointing to “Follow-on Pipeline” list.

​

Troubleshooting

Problem: “The trigger isn’t firing when I change status” Check:

• Are you on a surface where triggers are supported? (See “Where Opportunity Triggers Fire” above)
• Are you changing status via import, API, or Lists column? (Not supported)
• Is target list deleted or inaccessible? (Trigger becomes inactive)

Problem: “Target list disappeared from dropdown” Solutions:

• List may have been deleted - check with list owner
• You may have lost access to target list - request access

Problem: “Pre-filled information is incorrect” Solutions:

• Verify source entry has correct Owners, Name, Amount
• Pre-fill pulls from source entry at time of trigger - update source first if needed
• You can edit pre-filled fields in the modal before creating opportunity

---