With an ever more competitive marketplace, sales teams large and small are looking for tools that give them an edge – to be more efficient, to identify opportunities more quickly, and to scale with you as you grow.
If you’re graduating from Outlook and Excel, or you’re stepping over from custom software that’s challenging to maintain, or perhaps looking for a complement to your new ERP system, you’ve no doubt put Microsoft 365 Sales on your list of possible solutions. Yet, even within the Microsoft family, you’ll find several options to choose from.
Identifying the Right Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Solution for your Organization
Striving to cater to the needs and wants of their customers, Microsoft adopted the strategy of solution selling around 2010. Based on the feedback collected over the years, the Dynamics 365 Sales product has evolved into the four offerings we have today: Professional, Enterprise, Premium, and Relationship Insights.
Which one is right for your needs? It’s important to recognize that each solution was developed for a specific use case to more easily align each product with the needs of the segments they serve. Let’s learn more about what each solution has to offer.
Dynamics 365 Sales Professional
At the start of the lineup, Professional gives you a predictable out-of-the-box experience. Functionality includes lead and opportunity management along with basic product, price list, quote, order, and invoice workflows.
A primary advantage of Professional is its speedy implementation time. You get a powerful feature set with minimal effort. Smaller organizations and those who are new to the Sales / CRM software space are ideal candidates for this product.
Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise
Advancing from basic to flexible and customizable, Enterprise delivers a more tailored experience and provides more advanced sales tools, such as sales goals, forecast management, and complex product hierarchies.
Do you have a need for custom tables, forms, and views? Enterprise has you covered. If you have a more established sales team, this solution will fit your organization like a glove. Another advantage of Enterprise is the continuous stream of new features; Microsoft is constantly adapting and introducing new functionality to Enterprise according to customer feedback.
Dynamics 365 Sales Premium
The Dynamics 365 Sales Premium offering adds the power of AI to the already extensive feature set of Enterprise. It analyzes the data you collect throughout the sales process to give you business insights that further enhance your sales experience.
AI assistance in forecasts, pipeline analysis, and product analysis – combined with tools like phone dialer – simplifies the process of collecting data and also helps you understand what the data is telling you. The competitive advantages of AI technology are so significant that many leading organizations are now considering AI to be a requirement for success in today’s market.
Dynamics 365 Relationship Sales
Occupying the top slot in the Dynamics 365 Sales lineup, Relationship Sales marries the top-notch CRM system with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, a powerful tool to help you extend your reach and drive revenue through connections and relationships.
With the help of Navigator, you can improve lead generation, an important first step for increasing sales revenue. LinkedIn insights can help you track contacts as they change organizations, identifying new sales opportunities. Your team can also leverage InMail to strengthen connections with existing contacts and forge new relationships.
How to Find the Right Dynamics 365 Sales Version for Your Organization
Armed with the understanding of the Dynamics 365 Sales product offerings, you may still be wondering which version is best for your company to implement. The simple answer is, “it depends.” Here are some important questions to consider:
- What is the reason for your sales software search?
- What are the features you consider most important in a sales tool?
- How soon do you need to implement a solution?
- Are there qualified people in your organization who can spearhead an implementation project, including a project manager?
- Are you currently in a discovery phase?
- Are you merely exploring a possible change to establish a budget?
- Do you plan to take action before a yearly license renewal on your current solution?
- Do you have time to assist a consultant in understanding your business processes?
- How much time can you commit to an implementation project each week?
Considering this list of questions will help you narrow your search and make the best use of your time. For example, you must clearly define your project goals to keep the search focused. Required software features are also a valuable guide – you’ll need to strike a balance between a rapid implementation time, low implementation costs, ease of use, and ongoing feature development.
Taking the Next Step
You have many options to consider, including the several products from Microsoft that we’ve outlined here. We hope that gaining more knowledge about them will help you in your search for the best solution for your organization’s needs.
Knowledge is power. Once you have a clearer understanding of your options, the next step is to find a partner whose knowledge can guide you to a successful implementation, helping you maximize your return on investment.
– we’d be delighted to help you analyze your business requirements and show you how can benefit your company now and on into the future.
By Western Computer |
