Master Lead Qualification and the Sales Cycle

Master Lead Qualification and the Sales Cycle with Top Rated CRM Software (Part 2 of 3)

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Welcome to Part 2 of My 3 Part Series - Using
CRM Software to Address Core Business Challenges
My name is Larry Caretsky
Today I am going to show you how you can use
Commence CRM to significantly improve
sales execution. I will be focusing on three core aspects
of the selling process.
First -- Lead Capture and Lead Qualification
Second -- Managing the sales cycle from introduction
to closure, and
Third -- Generating timely and accurate sales reporting
We begin with the Leads Module -- The leads
displayed come from multiple sources. They
may have been imported into the system, entered
manually, or integrated directly from your
web site via a data entry form.
In addition to the general information displayed
about the lead such as: company name, primary
contact, telephone number, and e-mail. Let
me draw your attention to a few specific features
in this application.
First -- You will notice that the leads are
color-coded. This is done using an automated
business process built into the system, which
I will review momentarily.
Also, notice that a sales representative has
been assigned to each lead and that the system
displays the date the lead was created and
the date it was modified.
You now know when the lead came in, who it
was assigned to and when the sales representative
followed-up on it. You no longer have to worry
about leads falling through the cracks.
Clicking in the company name field will display
a 360-degree view of all activity Associated
with this new lead such as pending activities,
notes, e-mail history and completed activities.
The rating feature above will ensure that
your sales team is focused like a laser beam
on the most promising new opportunities and
not chasing tire kickers. Let me show you
how this works.
Clicking on the Rate Tab will display a series
of qualification questions and you can create
as many as you like. The ones shown are for demonstration purposes.
The questions are designed to ensure that
every sales representative regardless of their
experience level is qualifying leads based
on the company's specific criteria and not
their gut instinct. Commence CRM will rate
and color code each lead based on the response
to each question. This enables management
to immediately identify the most promising
new business opportunities.
Red indicates a highly qualified opportunity;
yellow means it's promising but not yet qualified;
and blue indicates that this company is just starting their process.
Once a lead is qualified or coded Red, they
should be converted into actual sales opportunities.
This is done by simply clicking the convert
lead tab above. The lead is now a qualified
sales opportunity and you will want manage the sales cycle from today until a decision
is made using the Sales Module above.
The Sales module displays all sales activity in two formats first a graphical analysis -- followed
by a spreadsheet below.
Clicking in the title field will display all
information related to a specific sales opportunity and you can update any of the information
such as the stage, dollar amount, or forecasted close date on the right, or add
follow-up activities and documents in the related information below.
Managing the sales cycle of each new opportunity is all done within this same screen, making
the system very easy to use.
Sales Reporting is a key component of Commence
CRM and it is provided in both text based
and graphical formats. From the Quick Links menu
you have immediate access to pre-built reports such as; a 30 -60- 90 day forecast, opportunities
by stage, business won or lost for the month
and activities by sales representative.
A custom report generator is also included so that
you can create ad hoc reports specific to
your business. An analytics application
in the tool bar (top right) provides management
with a graphical snapshot of business activity
including the top 10 accounts by revenue,
a company pipeline or funnel, sales comparison
by representatives and won-loss analysis.
Commence CRM is a complete solution for improving
sales execution. Sales representatives find
it to be a powerful tool for managing the
entire sale cycle; while management uses it
to develop a strategy for winning new business.
To learn more about Commence CRM - visit the
company's web site at www.commence.com or
call Commence Sales at 877-Commence