Store the deposit, the number of payments, how often and the first date as custom fields on the deal. Add matching installments so the forecast shows when the money arrives. Take the deposit when the customer signs, schedule the balance from the same fields, and keep the deal's status and remaining balance up to date.
What goes on the deal?
The plan's terms, as custom fields, so nobody has to remember what was agreed on a call:
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Deposit amount | $1,500 |
| Number of payments | 10 |
| Payment frequency | Monthly |
| First payment date | 1 November 2026 |
| Location | Phoenix |
That's a $9,500 deal: $1,500 today and ten payments of $800. Use a single-option field for location, with one option per location, so it can't be misspelled and every report can group by it.
Should the deal have installments too?
Yes, if you forecast in Pipedrive. On the Growth plan and above, add the deposit and each payment as installments with their dates, and the revenue forecast will show $1,500 in the month the deal closes and $800 in each month after, instead of $9,500 all at once. (Pipedrive: recurring products and installments)
Installments don't charge anyone. They're the forecast. The custom fields are the terms. Keep the two in step when a plan changes.
When should the deposit be collected?
When the customer agrees, on the same page or in the same email as the agreement. Every day between yes and the deposit is a day the customer can change their mind.
If the balance will be charged automatically, save the payment method used for the deposit, with the customer's permission. Asking for card or bank details a second time is where many plans stall.
What should the customer have before the first payment?
- Each payment amount and date.
- How they'll be charged, and that they can pay by bank transfer as well as card.
- What happens if a payment doesn't go through.
- Who to contact to change something.
How do you keep the deal current?
Use pipeline stages that follow the money after the sale: won, deposit paid, on plan, paid in full. Add fields for the remaining balance and the next payment date, and update them as payments arrive, whether by hand, through your invoicing app, or from the tool that collects the payments.
When the deal shows where the plan stands, a rep can answer a customer's question without asking finance, and a filter on the pipeline shows every plan with money still to come in.
What about a group with several locations?
Put the location on every deal and match it to the bank account and books that location's money belongs in. See one LLC per location, or one for all? for how the choice of entity changes that.
Paycove builds the deposit and the schedule from the Pipedrive deal in one step, charges each payment on its date and pays each location into its own Stripe account and books.
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