How to Set Up Mautic as a CRM, Step by Step

The short answer

To set up Mautic as a CRM, keep contact profiles, activity, and marketing automation in Mautic, then add a separate sales pipeline for opportunities. Build one pipeline, define its stages, create a test deal, associate the existing contacts involved in the purchase, label their buying roles, and set a manual rule for coordinating deal stages with contact lifecycle stages. The walkthrough below turns that model into a working first setup.

Deal Flow supplies deal records with amount and owner fields, plus pipelines, stages, tasks, notes, and buying-role associations. The CRM capability guide explains how that revenue-operations layer sits beside core Mautic contacts and engagement data.

1. Install Deal Flow and activate the license

Start with a self-hosted Mautic installation and SSH access to its server. Follow the installation guide for the current file-copy, cache, and plugin-reload commands; using the maintained commands avoids carrying an old server path into a new setup.

1. Place and load the plugin. Complete the server steps in the installation guide, including its cache and plugin-reload sequence.
2. Open the plugin settings. In Mautic, go to Settings → Plugins → Deal Flow.
3. Enter the license key. Fill in License Key, then select Save & Close.
4. Confirm the menu. Look for Deals in the main navigation before moving to pipeline configuration.

2. Create one pipeline and its ordered stages

Open Deals → Pipelines → New Pipeline. Give the pipeline the name of one real sales process, save it, then use the pipeline row’s Stages action to configure the columns. The pipeline setup guide documents these screens and the full workflow.

Use stage names that describe observable progress. A simple first pass might be Discovery, Evaluation, Decision, Won, and Lost. Set each stage’s Type to the matching open, won, or lost state; a stage name alone does not close a deal. Arrange the stages in the order the team works them. The labels are your operating choice; Deal Flow preserves the ordered stages and places deal cards in the selected columns.

3. Add the first deal from the pipeline view

Go to Deals → Pipeline → New Deal. Enter a recognizable test title and choose the pipeline. Title and pipeline are required; stage, amount, company, owner, and expected close date are optional. Save the record and confirm that its card appears in the selected pipeline column. These fields and screens are covered in the step-by-step pipeline guide.

• Title: use the opportunity name your team will recognize on the board.
• Pipeline and stage: place the opportunity in the process and current column you just configured.
• Amount, company, owner, and expected close: add the context the team already knows; these fields do not have to delay the test record.

4. Associate existing contacts and label their roles

Open the deal detail page and select + Associate. Choose an existing Mautic contact, assign that person’s role in the purchase, and save the association. Repeat for the other people involved. The buying committee guide documents the association control and role model.

Documented labels include Decision Maker, Champion, Technical Evaluator, Budget Holder, and Influencer. You can also use custom role text when the buying process calls for a different label. Apply roles based on what the team knows; do not fill every label merely to complete a list.

5. Coordinate deal stages and contact stages manually

Deal Flow deal stages and Mautic contact lifecycle stages are separate in the current shipped version. There is no automatic mapping between them. If your team uses both systems, define a small operating rule and update each record manually when a sales decision affects both. The lead-versus-deal tracking guide explains why contact status and opportunity progress answer different questions.

1. Write the meaning of each system. Let the deal stage describe opportunity progress and the contact stage describe the person’s lifecycle state.
2. Document the combinations that matter. Record when a deal-stage move should prompt someone to review a related contact stage; do not force a one-to-one match.
3. Name the owner. Assign responsibility for making both manual updates after the team agrees on a change.
4. Review a sample weekly. Compare a few open deals with their associated contacts and correct stale records.

Verify the setup with one complete record

Return to Deals → Pipeline and find the test card. Open it and check the selected pipeline and stage, optional sales fields you entered, and every associated contact role. Then open the related contact record and confirm that its lifecycle stage still reflects the rule your team chose. This screen-by-screen pass catches a setup error before the team starts entering live opportunities.

• The Deals menu is visible.
• The pipeline columns appear in the intended order.
• The first deal card appears in its selected stage.
• The deal detail page shows the associated contacts and correct role labels.
• Any contact-stage update required by your operating rule has been made manually.

Product sources

Product behavior on this page was checked September 2, 2026 against the shipped documentation and guides below.

• Installation Guide — server prerequisites, plugin loading, and license activation.
• How to Add a Sales Pipeline to Mautic — pipeline, stage, and first-deal screens.
• Mautic Buying Committee Guide — existing-contact associations and buying-role labels.
• Mautic Lead vs Deal Tracking — the separate purposes of contact and opportunity stages.
• Does Mautic Have a CRM? — the boundary between core contact management and the added deal layer.

Frequently asked questions

Can Mautic work as a CRM?

Mautic can remain the contact and engagement system while Deal Flow adds separate deal records, pipelines, stages, amounts, owners, and buying-role associations. This setup keeps sales opportunity work alongside the existing Mautic contact record.

What do I need before installing Deal Flow?

You need a self-hosted Mautic installation, SSH access to its server, the Deal Flow plugin package, and a license key. Complete the installation guide before creating a pipeline.

Which fields are required for the first deal?

Title and pipeline are required for a new deal. Stage, amount, company, owner, and expected close date are optional, so you can create a test deal before filling in every detail.

Do I import contacts into Deal Flow?

Use the contacts already in Mautic. Open the deal, select + Associate, choose a contact, and assign the role that person holds in the purchase.

Do deal stages automatically sync with Mautic contact stages?

No. In the current shipped version, Deal Flow deal stages and Mautic contact stages are separate. If your team uses both, define its operating rule and update each record manually after a stage decision.