Close Date for a Deal Within Chat

Close Date for a Deal Within Chat

I've had a chat with a new visitor, she asked about a sale, I gave a quote and said would send her an estimate. Right from the chat screen (on a PC) I want to enter her as a potential deal. Its statuses presumes pre-closing stages like qualification, negotiation, etc. Yet, a field for "Close date" is mandatory. How can such date be existent if the deal is still in pre-closing? Can you make it not mandatory to save the common sense?