This article will explore some of the basics of getting started and understanding the Sales features with Dynamics CRM.
1. Understanding customers means understanding the difference between leads, opportunities, accounts, and contacts
- Leads are potential customers.
- Opportunities are a potential deal with a lead or existing customer.
- Accounts represent companies that your organization does business with.
- Contacts are the people that make up an account.
2. Create your own personal views
You’ve probably noticed the Views section in the upper right corner of the CRM window. This essentially filters the data. From any list, you can click Advanced Find and modify the query that created that view. You can then save it with another name. The next time you use that list, in the View list, in the View box, in the My Views section, select the saved view.
3. Import leads and contacts
CRM makes it easy for end users to import leads and contact records. You may have these records in a Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet, a comma-separated values (.csv) file, etc. You can use the Import Wizard to import these records into Microsoft Dynamics CRM. (Note: The mapping of your file into the respective fields must be created prior to import.)
4. Converting leads
As part of the lead process, you can convert a lead to an opportunity with associated accounts or contacts, or into new accounts or contacts. The system will automatically pull data from the lead to generate the new data in the system. Keep in mind that the lead area does not house too much detailed information, so you may want to go back into any of these areas to add additional information. Alternatively, to disqualify leads, you close the leads without converting them.
5. Sales cycle (quote, order, invoice)
- A draft quote is a formal offer for products or services, proposed at specific prices and related payment terms, which is sent to an opportunity, account, or contact. When the quote is ready, it is activated and sent to the customer. A quote frequently undergoes several revisions between the salesperson and customer before it is accepted.
- After the quote is accepted, an order is generated from the quote. The order is used to fulfill the agreement of goods or services that were offered in the quote.
- Finally, after the order of the goods or services is shipped, an invoice record can be generated. Unless your organization has integrated Microsoft Dynamics CRM with invoicing software, this is only a record that an invoice was created, not the invoice itself.
6. Printing Quotes
In Microsoft Dynamics CRM quotes can be printed as a Microsoft Office Word document mail merge. To do this, simply open the quote on the Actions toolbar and click Print Quote for Customer.
7. Recalculate an opportunity
As you modify the list of products associated with the opportunity, you may need to update the calculated amount the system is generating. To do this, while in the Estimated Revenue section, verify that System Calculated is selected, and then on the Actions menu, click Recalculate. When opportunities are saved, Microsoft Dynamics CRM recalculates the estimated revenue value based on any changes to the products or product quantities associated with the opportunity.
8. Assign and share records
What Microsoft Dynamics CRM customer information you can work with is determined by permissions and ownership. If more than one person needs to work a record, it can be shared or assigned. When you share a record with another user, you are giving that user specific permissions, such as Read, Write, or Delete, to that record. When you assign a record to another user, you are making that user the owner of the record.
- On the Actions toolbar, click More Actions, and then click Sharing.
- On the Actions toolbar, click the Assign button.
These are some great steps to get started with Sales in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Case Study Excerpt:
Due to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, sales people can provide a quote instantly, e-mailing it directly to the customer before they’ve finished the phone call. This means that enquiries are converted into orders faster and more consistently. The system even lets them attach images of items to the quotes, as well as providing more accurate responses to enquiries. “What differentiates us from our competitors is not price,” says Bowen, “it’s about speed of response and giving customers what they want, when they want it.”
If you’re looking for specific CRM software information, check out the resources on the . You can also for assistance in determining if a technology solution can help your organization better serve your business needs.
Article written by Stephen Schilling, Technical Consultant – ERT Group
– offering and .
Sales cycle (quote, order fulfillment, invoice and payment) are very important for any company for its own bottom line as well as to become productive, profitable and retain your customers.
Please have a look at Datamoto ( ). It provides online sales cycles applications which are very easy to use and in an attractive price. Try it free before you decide.
Thanks.