How to Create a Deal in HubSpot (2026 Guide)
A deal in HubSpot represents a revenue opportunity moving through a sales pipeline. You can create one from the deals dashboard, from any contact or company record, in bulk via import, or automatically through a workflow. Most of the friction comes from picking the right pipeline and stage, and remembering to associate the deal with the right contact and company.
Here’s how to do it cleanly in 2026.
1. Create a Deal from the Deals Dashboard
The dashboard is the right starting point when the deal isn’t tied to a record you already have open.
- In your HubSpot account, go to CRM > Deals.
- Click Create deal in the top right. (On the board view, click the Add deals dropdown and choose Create new.)
- The right-side panel opens. Fill in the deal properties:
- Deal name: required. Use a consistent format like Acme Corp, Annual Plan.
- Pipeline: pick the pipeline this deal belongs to (Sales, Renewals, Partnerships, etc.).
- Deal stage: typically the first stage (e.g., Appointment Scheduled or Qualified to Buy).
- Amount: the deal value.
- Close date: your forecasted close date.
- Deal owner: usually the assigned rep.
- Deal type: New Business, Existing Business, or a custom value.
- Scroll to the Associate Deal with section. Add the:
- Contact: the buyer or champion.
- Company: the company purchasing.
- Line items: products or services on the deal (Sales Hub Starter+).
- Click Create to save the deal, or Create and add another to immediately start a second one.
The new deal appears in the pipeline at the stage you picked.
Tip: Required properties for deal creation are configured by admins under Settings > Objects > Deals > Set up properties. Out of the box, only Deal name, Pipeline, and Deal stage are required.
2. Create a Deal from a Contact or Company Record
This is the fastest path when you’re already looking at the record. The association is created for you.
From a contact record
- Open the contact record.
- In the right sidebar, scroll to the Deals card.
- Click + Add.
- Choose Create deal (or Add existing deal if the deal already exists).
- The deal panel opens with the contact pre-associated. If the contact has a primary company, that’s pre-associated too.
- Fill in the rest of the properties and click Create.
From a company record
- Open the company record.
- Scroll to the Deals card in the right sidebar.
- Click + Add > Create deal.
- The company is pre-associated. Add contacts manually if needed.
- Fill in the deal details and click Create.
3. Pipelines, Stages, and Probability
A pipeline is a series of stages a deal moves through. Each stage has a deal probability that powers HubSpot’s forecasting reports.
| Tier | Pipelines available |
|---|---|
| Free CRM | 1 pipeline |
| Sales Hub Starter | Up to 2 pipelines |
| Sales Hub Professional | Up to 15 pipelines |
| Sales Hub Enterprise | Up to 50 pipelines |
Customizing pipelines and stages lives at Settings > Objects > Deals > Pipelines:
- Add a pipeline for separate sales motions (e.g., New Business vs. Renewals).
- Edit stages to match your actual sales process.
- Set a probability per stage (0–100%), used by forecasting and weighted pipeline reports.
- Set required stage properties: properties that must be filled before a deal moves into that stage. This is one of the most underused HubSpot features for forcing data hygiene.
Default Sales pipeline stages: Appointment Scheduled (20%), Qualified to Buy (40%), Presentation Scheduled (60%), Decision Maker Bought-In (80%), Contract Sent (90%), Closed Won (100% won), Closed Lost (0% lost).
4. Associations: Contact, Company, Line Items
A deal is much more useful when it’s wired up correctly.
| Associated record | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Primary contact | Drives buyer signals, deal communication threading, and reporting. |
| Additional contacts | The full buying committee: useful for multi-threaded deals. |
| Primary company | Account-level reporting, ARR rollups, renewal context. |
| Line items | Itemized products/services on the deal. Powers quote generation, revenue analytics, and downstream invoicing. |
| Tickets | Customer issues affecting the deal. |
| Quotes | Proposals sent to the buyer (Sales Hub Starter+). |
Association labels (Pro+) let you tag why a record is on a deal, Decision Maker, Influencer, Billing Contact, Reseller. Worth setting up on Pro plans because it makes pipeline reviews much easier.
5. Bulk Create Deals via Import
When you’re migrating from another CRM or rolling up partner-sourced deals, build them in a CSV and import.
- Go to CRM > Deals.
- Click Import in the top right.
- Click Start an import > File from computer > Next.
- Choose One file with one object, pick Deals, and upload your CSV.
- Map columns to deal properties:
- Deal name: required.
- Pipeline and Deal stage: required (use the internal name or label).
- Amount, Close date, Deal owner.
- Associated Contact (Email) or Associated Company (Domain) to wire up associations during import.
- Click Finish import.
For multi-object migrations (deals + contacts + companies in one go), use the Multiple files with associations import flow.
6. Automate Deal Creation with Workflows
Manual deal creation works for high-touch sales, but for repeatable patterns, let HubSpot create the deal automatically.
Common triggers:
- Form submission: when a high-intent form is submitted, create a deal in Appointment Scheduled and assign it to the next rep in rotation.
- Lifecycle stage change: when a contact becomes an MQL, create a deal owned by the SDR.
- Email reply tracking: when a sales email gets a reply, create a follow-up deal.
Build it in Automation > Workflows > Create workflow:
- Choose contact-based or company-based.
- Set the enrollment trigger.
- Add the Create record action and pick Deal.
- Set deal name, pipeline, stage, amount, owner, and any custom property values.
- Test, review, and publish.
Workflows that create records require Sales Hub Pro+ or Marketing Hub Pro+.
Which Method Should You Use?
- One-off deal you noticed during a call? Create from the contact or company record so the association is automatic.
- Net new deal not tied to existing records? Use the Deals dashboard > Create deal path.
- Bulk migration from another CRM? Build a CSV with associations and import.
- Repeatable trigger like form submissions or lifecycle changes? Automate with a workflow so you never miss one.
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More on HubSpot: How to create a workflow in HubSpot · How to create a list in HubSpot · How to import contacts into HubSpot · How to connect HubSpot to an AI agent · Best AI CRM tools
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