8
.. i18n: A lead represents a potential customer or a possible future business or sales opportunity. They
9
.. i18n: aren't usually qualified yet and they aren't yet assigned to an individual person for following up.
10
.. i18n: When a lead needs to be followed up, it's converted to a partner and/or a sales opportunity.
12
A lead represents a potential customer or a possible future business or sales opportunity. They
13
aren't usually qualified yet and they aren't yet assigned to an individual person for following up.
14
When a lead needs to be followed up, it's converted to a partner and/or a sales opportunity.
16
.. i18n: For example, the following events could result in the creation of one or several leads:
18
For example, the following events could result in the creation of one or several leads:
20
.. i18n: * A business card from a prospective customer met briefly at an exhibition: you must contact him
21
.. i18n: again to qualify the lead and to know if there is any possibility of a key sales opportunity,
23
.. i18n: * A database of potential customers in a given sector and region. The potential customers must be
24
.. i18n: contacted again individually or using a mass mailing to determine which contacts need to be followed
27
.. i18n: * A contact that you've been given by a friend. You must then qualify it before starting to assign a
28
.. i18n: salesperson to the contact,
30
.. i18n: * A form completed on your website directly integrated into Open ERP. Before converting the form
31
.. i18n: into a sale proposition or opportunity, you should read and handle the person's request.
33
* A business card from a prospective customer met briefly at an exhibition: you must contact him
34
again to qualify the lead and to know if there is any possibility of a key sales opportunity,
36
* A database of potential customers in a given sector and region. The potential customers must be
37
contacted again individually or using a mass mailing to determine which contacts need to be followed
40
* A contact that you've been given by a friend. You must then qualify it before starting to assign a
41
salesperson to the contact,
43
* A form completed on your website directly integrated into Open ERP. Before converting the form
44
into a sale proposition or opportunity, you should read and handle the person's request.
46
.. i18n: .. note:: Separation of sales services
48
.. i18n: In companies of a certain type, you often distinguish between the sales department and the
49
.. i18n: presales department.
50
.. i18n: The role of the presales department is to acquire and qualify new leads,
51
.. i18n: and the role of the sales department is to crystallize the sales opportunities or work with
52
.. i18n: existing customers.
54
.. note:: Separation of sales services
56
In companies of a certain type, you often distinguish between the sales department and the
58
The role of the presales department is to acquire and qualify new leads,
59
and the role of the sales department is to crystallize the sales opportunities or work with
62
.. i18n: System users in the pre-sales department will usually work on leads. Once these leads are
63
.. i18n: converted into customers or sales opportunities the sales department pays individual attention to
64
.. i18n: each opportunity.
66
System users in the pre-sales department will usually work on leads. Once these leads are
67
converted into customers or sales opportunities the sales department pays individual attention to
70
.. i18n: Entering prospects into the system
71
.. i18n: ----------------------------------
73
Entering prospects into the system
74
----------------------------------
76
.. i18n: New prospects are usually entered as a lead in the system. This means that you don't create a
77
.. i18n: partner form or sales opportunity until you have qualified whether the lead is interesting or not.
78
.. i18n: If the new contact is indeed interesting you then enter the data on into a partner form and,
79
.. i18n: eventually, a sales opportunity.
81
New prospects are usually entered as a lead in the system. This means that you don't create a
82
partner form or sales opportunity until you have qualified whether the lead is interesting or not.
83
If the new contact is indeed interesting you then enter the data on into a partner form and,
84
eventually, a sales opportunity.
86
.. i18n: To enter a lead manually use the menu :menuselection:`CRM & SRM --> Sales --> Leads --> New Lead`. A
87
.. i18n: form opens to let you enter data about this new contact.
89
To enter a lead manually use the menu :menuselection:`CRM & SRM --> Sales --> Leads --> New Lead`. A
90
form opens to let you enter data about this new contact.
92
.. i18n: .. figure:: images/crm_lead_new.png
94
.. i18n: :align: center
96
.. i18n: *Creating a new lead*
98
.. figure:: images/crm_lead_new.png
102
*Creating a new lead*
104
.. i18n: Leads have a status that depends on the qualification work that's been carried out:
106
Leads have a status that depends on the qualification work that's been carried out:
108
.. i18n: * ``Draft`` : the lead data has been entered, any work has not yet been done and a salesperson has not
109
.. i18n: yet been assigned to the request,
111
.. i18n: * ``Open`` : the lead is being handled,
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.. i18n: * ``Closed`` : the lead has been converted into a partner and/or a sales opportunity,
115
.. i18n: * ``Waiting`` : the lead is waiting for a response from the customer,
117
.. i18n: * ``Cancelled`` : the lead has been cancelled because the salesperson has decided that it's not worth
118
.. i18n: following up.
120
* ``Draft`` : the lead data has been entered, any work has not yet been done and a salesperson has not
121
yet been assigned to the request,
123
* ``Open`` : the lead is being handled,
125
* ``Closed`` : the lead has been converted into a partner and/or a sales opportunity,
127
* ``Waiting`` : the lead is waiting for a response from the customer,
129
* ``Cancelled`` : the lead has been cancelled because the salesperson has decided that it's not worth
132
.. i18n: When a new lead has been created it's automatically put into the open state.
134
When a new lead has been created it's automatically put into the open state.
136
.. i18n: You can also import a huge list of leads. That's useful if you've bought a database of
137
.. i18n: potential prospects and you want to load them all into the system to handle them all at the same time.
139
You can also import a huge list of leads. That's useful if you've bought a database of
140
potential prospects and you want to load them all into the system to handle them all at the same time.
142
.. i18n: To do that you should start with a list of leads in CSV format. If your prospects are provided in
143
.. i18n: another format it's easy to convert them to the CSV format using Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice Calc.
144
.. i18n: Open the leads list using the menu :menuselection:`CRM & SRM --> Sales -> Leads -> My Leads`. At
145
.. i18n: the bottom of the list click on the :guilabel:`Import` link. Open ERP opens a form for importing the
148
To do that you should start with a list of leads in CSV format. If your prospects are provided in
149
another format it's easy to convert them to the CSV format using Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice Calc.
150
Open the leads list using the menu :menuselection:`CRM & SRM --> Sales -> Leads -> My Leads`. At
151
the bottom of the list click on the :guilabel:`Import` link. Open ERP opens a form for importing the
154
.. i18n: .. figure:: images/crm_lead_import.png
156
.. i18n: :align: center
158
.. i18n: *Importing leads into the system*
160
.. figure:: images/crm_lead_import.png
164
*Importing leads into the system*
166
.. i18n: You then define which columns are present in your CSV file in the correct order. Then select your file
167
.. i18n: and click on :guilabel:`Import`. Check in the chapter about system administration, :ref:`ch-config`, for more
168
.. i18n: information on import and export.
170
You then define which columns are present in your CSV file in the correct order. Then select your file
171
and click on :guilabel:`Import`. Check in the chapter about system administration, :ref:`ch-config`, for more
172
information on import and export.
174
.. i18n: .. tip:: Various Imports
176
.. i18n: Importing and Exporting data in Open ERP is a generic function available to all resources.
177
.. i18n: So you can import and export such lists as partners, sales opportunities, accounting entries,
178
.. i18n: products and pricelists.
180
.. tip:: Various Imports
182
Importing and Exporting data in Open ERP is a generic function available to all resources.
183
So you can import and export such lists as partners, sales opportunities, accounting entries,
184
products and pricelists.
186
.. i18n: There are other methods of importing leads automatically or semi-automatically:
188
There are other methods of importing leads automatically or semi-automatically:
190
.. i18n: * Using the Outlook or Thunderbird plugin to insert new leads directly from an email client after a
191
.. i18n: salesperson sees promising emails,
193
.. i18n: * Using the email gateway for each incoming email from a certain address (such as
194
.. i18n: info@mycompany.com) creating a lead automatically from the contents of the email,
196
.. i18n: * Using Open ERP's XML-RPC web-services to connect to a form on your website.
198
* Using the Outlook or Thunderbird plugin to insert new leads directly from an email client after a
199
salesperson sees promising emails,
201
* Using the email gateway for each incoming email from a certain address (such as
202
info@mycompany.com) creating a lead automatically from the contents of the email,
204
* Using Open ERP's XML-RPC web-services to connect to a form on your website.
206
.. i18n: These different methods are described in the next CRM chapter, :ref:`ch-crm`.
208
These different methods are described in the next CRM chapter, :ref:`ch-crm`.
210
.. i18n: Organizing leads
211
.. i18n: ----------------
216
.. i18n: To help the users organize and handle leads efficiently, Open ERP provides several menus in the CRM
217
.. i18n: system that can be used depending on the needs of each:
219
To help the users organize and handle leads efficiently, Open ERP provides several menus in the CRM
220
system that can be used depending on the needs of each:
222
.. i18n: * :menuselection:`Leads --> New Lead` opens an entry form directly onto a new lead. This menu can
223
.. i18n: usefully be put into your shortcuts,
225
.. i18n: * :menuselection:`Leads --> My Leads` gives a list of all the leads (both open and not) which you're
228
.. i18n: * :menuselection:`Leads --> My Leads --> My Current Leads` gives a list of all your leads that you
229
.. i18n: still need to handle (your open, draft and waiting leads),
231
.. i18n: * :menuselection:`Leads --> My Leads --> My Current Leads --> My Pending Leads` gives a list of all your
232
.. i18n: leads that that are still waiting for a customer response. This enables you to check periodically on
233
.. i18n: your work to do,
235
.. i18n: * :menuselection:`Leads --> All Leads` is a list of all the leads assigned to different salespeople.
236
.. i18n: This menu as those beneath it are used by managers to check on each person's work.
238
* :menuselection:`Leads --> New Lead` opens an entry form directly onto a new lead. This menu can
239
usefully be put into your shortcuts,
241
* :menuselection:`Leads --> My Leads` gives a list of all the leads (both open and not) which you're
244
* :menuselection:`Leads --> My Leads --> My Current Leads` gives a list of all your leads that you
245
still need to handle (your open, draft and waiting leads),
247
* :menuselection:`Leads --> My Leads --> My Current Leads --> My Pending Leads` gives a list of all your
248
leads that that are still waiting for a customer response. This enables you to check periodically on
251
* :menuselection:`Leads --> All Leads` is a list of all the leads assigned to different salespeople.
252
This menu as those beneath it are used by managers to check on each person's work.
254
.. i18n: .. figure:: images/crm_leads_list.png
256
.. i18n: :align: center
258
.. i18n: *List of leads to be handled*
260
.. figure:: images/crm_leads_list.png
264
*List of leads to be handled*
266
.. i18n: Leads are prioritized. Salespeople should ideally start at the top of the list. They then open a
267
.. i18n: form to describe the lead. At this stage they contact the suspected customer by email or phone and enter the
268
.. i18n: result of the contact on the lead form.
270
Leads are prioritized. Salespeople should ideally start at the top of the list. They then open a
271
form to describe the lead. At this stage they contact the suspected customer by email or phone and enter the
272
result of the contact on the lead form.
274
.. i18n: They can then change the status of the lead to a state that depends on the response from the
277
They can then change the status of the lead to a state that depends on the response from the
280
.. i18n: * ``Cancelled`` : not to be followed as a lead,
282
.. i18n: * ``Waiting`` : waiting for a response from the suspect.
284
* ``Cancelled`` : not to be followed as a lead,
286
* ``Waiting`` : waiting for a response from the suspect.
288
.. i18n: Converting leads into customers or opportunities
289
.. i18n: ------------------------------------------------
291
Converting leads into customers or opportunities
292
------------------------------------------------
294
.. i18n: If a lead is interesting you convert it into a partner in the system. To do that, push the button
295
.. i18n: :guilabel:`Convert to Partner`. Open ERP opens a partner form with the information from the lead entered
296
.. i18n: into it. At this stage you can add more information such as the exact partner address and the
297
.. i18n: contact details.
299
If a lead is interesting you convert it into a partner in the system. To do that, push the button
300
:guilabel:`Convert to Partner`. Open ERP opens a partner form with the information from the lead entered
301
into it. At this stage you can add more information such as the exact partner address and the
304
.. i18n: The created partner is automatically attached to the lead, which enables you to keep complete
305
.. i18n: traceability from the lead. To do that look at the second tab in the lead :guilabel:`History`.
307
The created partner is automatically attached to the lead, which enables you to keep complete
308
traceability from the lead. To do that look at the second tab in the lead :guilabel:`History`.
310
.. i18n: If the salesperson thinks that there is a real opportunity with the lead, following the contact, he
311
.. i18n: can convert it into a sales opportunity using the button :guilabel:`Convert to Opportunity`. Open ERP then
312
.. i18n: opens a window asking the title of the opportunity, the estimated revenue and the percentage success
313
.. i18n: of converting to a sale.
315
If the salesperson thinks that there is a real opportunity with the lead, following the contact, he
316
can convert it into a sales opportunity using the button :guilabel:`Convert to Opportunity`. Open ERP then
317
opens a window asking the title of the opportunity, the estimated revenue and the percentage success
318
of converting to a sale.
320
.. i18n: .. figure:: images/crm_lead_convert.png
322
.. i18n: :align: center
324
.. i18n: *Converting a lead into a sales opportunity*
326
.. figure:: images/crm_lead_convert.png
330
*Converting a lead into a sales opportunity*
332
.. i18n: Some companies have more advanced processes for the qualification of a lead. They pass through
333
.. i18n: several steps, such as first call, renewing contact, waiting for a verbal agreement. You can then
334
.. i18n: use the field :guilabel:`Step` that is found up to the right of the lead definition. To move it
335
.. i18n: automatically through the next step, you can use the button that looks like a right arrow.
337
Some companies have more advanced processes for the qualification of a lead. They pass through
338
several steps, such as first call, renewing contact, waiting for a verbal agreement. You can then
339
use the field :guilabel:`Step` that is found up to the right of the lead definition. To move it
340
automatically through the next step, you can use the button that looks like a right arrow.
342
.. i18n: .. Copyright © Open Object Press. All rights reserved.
344
.. Copyright © Open Object Press. All rights reserved.
346
.. i18n: .. You may take electronic copy of this publication and distribute it if you don't
347
.. i18n: .. change the content. You can also print a copy to be read by yourself only.
349
.. You may take electronic copy of this publication and distribute it if you don't
350
.. change the content. You can also print a copy to be read by yourself only.
352
.. i18n: .. We have contracts with different publishers in different countries to sell and
353
.. i18n: .. distribute paper or electronic based versions of this book (translated or not)
354
.. i18n: .. in bookstores. This helps to distribute and promote the Open ERP product. It
355
.. i18n: .. also helps us to create incentives to pay contributors and authors using author
356
.. i18n: .. rights of these sales.
358
.. We have contracts with different publishers in different countries to sell and
359
.. distribute paper or electronic based versions of this book (translated or not)
360
.. in bookstores. This helps to distribute and promote the Open ERP product. It
361
.. also helps us to create incentives to pay contributors and authors using author
362
.. rights of these sales.
364
.. i18n: .. Due to this, grants to translate, modify or sell this book are strictly
365
.. i18n: .. forbidden, unless Tiny SPRL (representing Open Object Press) gives you a
366
.. i18n: .. written authorisation for this.
368
.. Due to this, grants to translate, modify or sell this book are strictly
369
.. forbidden, unless Tiny SPRL (representing Open Object Press) gives you a
370
.. written authorisation for this.
372
.. i18n: .. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and suppliers to distinguish their
373
.. i18n: .. products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book,
374
.. i18n: .. and Open Object Press was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been
375
.. i18n: .. printed in initial capitals.
377
.. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and suppliers to distinguish their
378
.. products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book,
379
.. and Open Object Press was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been
380
.. printed in initial capitals.
382
.. i18n: .. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher
383
.. i18n: .. and the authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages
384
.. i18n: .. resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
386
.. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher
387
.. and the authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages
388
.. resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
390
.. i18n: .. Published by Open Object Press, Grand Rosière, Belgium
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.. Published by Open Object Press, Grand Rosière, Belgium