Not every deal follows the rules.
In capital equipment aftermarket sales, there are plenty of transactions that skip the funnel entirely. A customer needs a part, knows exactly what they want, and sends a purchase order directly. No evaluation. No negotiation. No sales cycle.
Just a request – and a quote.
At first glance, these cases seem ideal. Fast, efficient, easy. But over time, they create a challenge:
If they don’t follow the funnel, how do we track them?
The hidden risks of non-funnel sales
Direct sales – or so-called “straight-to-order” transactions – can appear as wins, but they often distort the overall picture:
- They’re frequently excluded from performance metrics, making teams appear less active than they actually are.
- They bypass structured opportunity tracking, reducing visibility into customer decision patterns.
- In systems with mandatory funnel stages, these cases create inconsistencies and confusion.
- Most critically, they can mask untapped growth potential – especially if no one questions why a customer bypasses the typical process.
These grey areas don’t fit neatly into the funnel – but they still matter. And without a clear approach, they’re often ignored.
So what’s the solution?
You don’t need to force every deal into the same process. But you do need a place for edge cases – a defined logic for how and where they’re recorded.
Some approaches we’ve seen work well:
- Flag them as “Direct Orders” with a minimal funnel path
- Create a parallel tracking layer for repeat orders that bypass qualification
- Use tags or status codes that separate structured funnel opportunities from transactional ones
- Set rules for when these deals should be followed up differently – e.g., identifying trends, bundling needs, or surfacing cross-sell options
What this enables
With a clear structure for direct sales, you get:
- Visibility without unnecessary complexity
- More accurate reporting of aftermarket contribution
- Insight into buying behavior beyond the formal sales process
- The ability to act on patterns, not just react to orders
And most importantly:
You avoid creating blind spots in a space that should be a source of predictable, recurring revenue.
The insight
Not everything needs to go through five stages.
But everything should be visible.
The key is to acknowledge exceptions without losing control – and to design your system around how customers actually buy.
That’s why Torrentis I includes logic for both structured and transactional sales – so teams don’t have to choose between compliance and reality.
