Sales Automation

Using a forecast you always have insight into the current sales amounts! You have complete insight into the sales process of your organisation so you are not confronted with surprises and, if necessary, you can change course in a timely manner. Each sales representative records how far she has gotten in the sales process, what the expected order value is and who the competitors are. This gives you insight into future sales and allows the sales representatives to focus on customers and orders!

Video

Description

You can use the Sales Automation component to record expectations regarding future sales and turnover. This allows you to determine in an early stage what the chance is of you realising the defined sales budgets. You can use the insight you create in doing this, for example to then adjust the planning of your resources (production, stock, personnel, investments).

When you start a sales process you record a forecast related to a sales contact. A forecast represents expected sales. For example: you have sent a quotation for the amount of €50,000 to this sales contact with a scoring chance of 50%. The expected turnover in this case is 25,000.

You can only add forecasts to sales contacts. Profit automatically converts those sales contacts into prospects. A sales contact also is considered to be a prospect if a cost estimate line has been posted to the sales contact.

Use forecasts to track the sales process

Each forecast represents an expectation of turnover to be realised, which you can change. For example, you can indicate that you expect a sales order (= turnover) for €150,000 but the scoring chance is only 10%. Profit sets the expected turnover to €15,000. if you make progress and the chance you will be able to close on the order increases, you can increase the scoring chance, for example to 50%. This raises the expected turnover to € 75,000.-.

Note: 

Within your organisation, agree on the way scoring chances are applied to increase the accuracy of the 'predictive value' of the forecasts.

For each forecast, you can specify the stage the forecast is in in the Progress field.

You can record the expected turnover for a forecast in three ways:

  • Enter the expected amount

    You record the total expected turnover amount in the forecast itself. Profit multiplies the expected amount by the scoring chance to determine the forecast amount.

  • Link a quotation (Profit Order management licence)

    You link a quotation to the forecast and select the Calc. expected amt. based on quotations / cost est check box. You can also link multiple quotations to one forecast.

    Profit multiplies the total amount of all linked quotations by the scoring chance to determine the forecast amount.

  • Enter a cost estimate (Profit Projecten licence)

     You link/post a cost estimate and select the 'Calculate expected amount based on quotations' check box.

If you actually win the order, you enter the actual revenue. If the forecast is linked to a campaign, the forecast revenue will be included in the campaign revenue.

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Procedure

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