How can software help the sales management process?

You may think of sales management as a people business, and it is. Which may make you wonder how computer software can help in the sales management process. Here's how. Sales management software provides instant access to critical sales management information that shows at a glance where your opportunities lie, so you can focus your efforts on those with the greatest potential.

What kind of sales management information is available?

Sales management reports include sales forecasts and pipeline detail, such as the estimated value of potential deals, stage in the sales cycle, and projected close dates. You can search and sort by prospect, sales rep, region and/or product line, as well as by dollar value, sales stage or anticipated close dates, giving you the kind of information you need, when you need it, to drive the sales management process.

What else does Sales Management software do?

Sales management software also includes the organizational tools you probably use everyday, such things as contact lists, a task manager, calendar, email, notes and prospect files. But sales management software goes one step further; it ties all these things together and links them to your opportunities. That way you have all the notes, emails, appointments and history about a prospective deal in one place, captured for easy access and reporting. It's the ultimate combination of organizational tools and sales management information.

How does Sales Management software capture an opportunity?

We said at the top that sales management is about people. It's all about making contacts and building relationships. So that's where sales management starts - with contacts. When you first call on a prospect or customer, you capture their contact information and create an "opportunity" record using your sales management software. You record what the opportunity is worth, the probability of closing the deal, and the expected completion date.

As you work the opportunity, you add notes to the record to create a history and update the lead status. When you send emails about the opportunity, set up related tasks and appointments, they are all linked to the opportunity file. With all this information in one file, your sales management process becomes more efficient and more effective! Another way to put it is that sales management software is helps you turn contacts into opportunities and opportunities into sales.

What's the difference between sales management and contact management software?

Sales management and contact management software are essentially two names for the same thing. They are programs designed to help you manage and make the most of every contact, turning them into sales. You may also hear the terms Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Contact Manager. They are other names for sales management software.

What's the difference between the various Sales Management programs?

All sales management programs help you organize your contacts, appointments, email, calendar and notes around opportunities, and they also include sales management reports that help you focus on the most critical contacts and opportunities, so you can plan your day around those with the greatest profit potential. What makes Prophet Sales Management software better is that it works within Outlook. Outlook is the #1office productivity package, meaning that most businesses already use it to manage their contacts, schedule appointments, send emails and create task lists.

With Prophet Sales Management, you don't have to learn how to use new productivity tools; you don't need to record the same information in two places; and you don't need to synch up to Outlook from another sales management program such as ACT! or gldmn. Prophet simply takes the tool you're already using and turns it into a sales management system. With Prophet sales management software the training curve is short and the results are practically immediate.