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What is sales process in Dynamics CRM?



What is sales process in Dynamics CRM?


The Microsoft Dynamics CRM sales process aims to generate potential sales opportunities and nurture leads for businesses. It is designed to support the sales process from acquiring a new lead through the close of a sale and to generate accurate sales forecasting.

Sales processes vary by industry but typically involve several stages that include prospecting, qualification, presentation, negotiation, follow-up, aftercare, etc. The Dynamics CRM sales process includes these same stages as well as additional ones such as managing accounts, reporting, social selling, marketing automation, product management, service offerings, and more.

In this article we will explain how you can use the Dynamics 365 Sales Process Builder tool to build your own custom sales process. We’ll also look at some other ways to customize or improve your existing sales process using both built-in tools and third party add-ons.

What are the 3 main areas in Dynamics CRM?

Before we dive into details about building out our CRM sales process, it might be helpful to understand where the key components come from within the system itself. In short, there are three primary areas in which Dynamics CRM operates: Account Management, Leads & Opportunities, and Activities.

Accounts - Accounts represent individual customers who have purchased something from you in the past (i.e., they exist on an account record). You can view all of your active accounts directly within the System Administrator section of the web portal. You can perform many actions against them including adding contacts, creating tasks, assigning resources, etc.

Leads & Opportunities - A Lead represents someone who has expressed interest in doing business with you in the future. They may already know who you are, or they may not yet even know who you are! For example, if you sell widgets online then a lead could be someone who wants to buy one right now, or maybe just browse around your site and decide later. Either way, when you see their name pop up on your screen, you should consider whether you want to follow up with them further. If so, you would move them over to the Opportunity stage of your sales process.

Activities - Each activity represents discrete events that occur during the life cycle of a given customer relationship. For instance, suppose you receive a lead via email, call it, schedule a meeting, send a follow-up message, set up a trial run, negotiate a price, sign a contract, review invoices, etc. These are all separate "activities" that happen along the journey towards closing a deal.

How do I create a process in Dynamics 365?

Creating a process in Dynamics 365 is very straightforward. All you need to do is click New button under any module's Settings tab, select Business Process Flow from the left side menu, and choose Create New. Then give your process a meaningful name like “Sell Widget Online”. This will automatically populate the template with a bunch of default fields based on the specific activity type. Click Next.

You'll notice that each step in your sales process has its own color coded icon next to it. So far we've only covered two types of activities -- Prospecting and Closing. When you get to those sections, make sure you fill out all of the required fields. Here's what the screenshot looks like for the first step in my sales process:

Now go back to the top level page and check off the boxes next to each of the remaining steps. Once you're done, hit Finish. Your process will show up in the list of available processes below Steps. Now you can assign people to different roles/tasks, drag items across between steps, and edit the various fields associated with each step. To save time in the long term, don't forget to delete unused steps once everything works exactly as you'd expect.

What are activities in Dynamics CRM?

As mentioned above, each Activity represents a distinct event that happens throughout a particular sales transaction. There are six predefined activities that cover almost every part of the sales funnel. Let's take a closer look at the most common ones:

Prospecting – Someone has contacted you with an inquiry regarding your products or services. It doesn't matter who sent the contact request, nor does it really matter what stage of the sales process you're currently working on. What matters is that you identify yourself as being interested in pursuing a possible deal.

Qualification – Qualifying means trying to determine whether a prospective client is likely to become a good partner for you. This involves gathering information about the customer, determining their needs, assessing their capabilities, and gauging their willingness to pay. This is usually considered the first phase of the sales process before moving onto the next phase.

Appointment Setter – Appointments are scheduled meetings between you and your prospects. Usually, these appointments are arranged either manually or electronically by whoever requested the initial contact.

Presentation – Presentations are formal presentations made by you to your clients to introduce your company's wares. These are often used to persuade buyers to purchase certain products or services.

Negotiation – Negotiating is the final phase of the sales process where you try to convince the buyer to accept your terms. The goal here is to reach a mutually agreeable solution to the problem posed by the original contact.

Aftercare – Aftercare refers to anything you do after the sale closes to ensure that things work smoothly going forward. Many companies offer free phone support, free training sessions, extended warranty plans, etc.

Once you finish filling out the form, you can preview your entire process by clicking Preview. Make sure you keep track of which steps you complete because you won’t necessarily be able to revisit earlier steps until you return to them.

What are the modules in Dynamics 365?

There are four core parts of Dynamics 365 that we haven’t discussed thus far. Those parts are:

Business Analytics

Financial Planning

Marketing Automation

Service Desk

Each of these modules provides specialized functionality that helps you manage the overall operation of your organization. However, none of them actually participate in the actual sales process. Instead, they help provide insight into how well you’re performing relative to others in your field. As a result, they aren’t relevant to us right now. But we do recommend taking a quick peek at them anyway if you think they might help you better prepare for the rest of your sales process.

To learn more about Dynamics 365, download our eBooks about getting started with Dynamics 365 and learning how to leverage the platform effectively.

There’s no denying it – selling can be tough work. However, if you know how to approach your sales strategy properly then you will find that your chances of making money increase considerably. For this reason, most companies invest heavily into their marketing strategies and spend countless hours on research and development. After all, they want to ensure that customers receive the best possible service as well as products or services which meet their needs. 

However, while these investments may help to bring more customers into the fold, ultimately, it is still up to the individual sales representatives at each company to sell effectively. This means that it takes time - but not too much time - to get started. The good news is that Microsoft has created tools like Dynamics CRM software to make sure that every aspect of the sales cycle flows smoothly. These systems allow sales teams to set goals, track progress, keep records, analyze performance, and create reports so that everyone knows exactly where they stand at any given point within the journey towards closing deals.

In order to understand how sales works within Dynamics 365 CRM, we need to start by looking at some of the different elements involved in the overall process. In particular, let's take a look at the various stages of an average sales process. We'll also discuss the roles played by different personnel during the sales process including account managers, sales reps, and executives. Then we'll explore the importance of customer journeys when planning out effective sales campaigns. Finally, we'll reveal why having access to detailed analytics about your sales team is important, especially when it comes to understanding the impact of certain actions taken throughout the sales process.

Once you've read this article, you should have a clearer idea of what goes on behind-the-scenes when you're trying to make sales using Dynamics 365 CRM. If you would now like to learn more about how to use the system successfully, check out our guide to building successful Dynamics 365 CRM accounts.

What are the components of Dynamics 365?

To begin exploring Dynamics 365 CRM, first consider whether you would prefer to use its cloud-based capabilities or its desktop versions. While both options offer similar features (such as accounting, sales management, project management, reporting, etc.), one thing that distinguishes them is the fact that the former runs entirely online whilst the latter requires installation onto client computers. You can choose between either option depending on your budget, preferences, and other factors.

The key difference between cloud and desktop versions of Dynamics 365 CRM lies in the level of customization available. Whilst the cloud version allows users to change settings without needing to install anything locally, the desktop version must always be installed onto local machines. Therefore, before choosing between the two models, you should consider whether your organization prefers something simple or flexible.

Whichever model you go with, you will notice that Dynamics 365 offers several modules that come preinstalled such as Sales Management, Contacts & Leads, Finance, Marketing Automation, Project Planning, Service Desk, Customer Engagement, Business Analytics, Field Service, Human Resources, and Supply Chain Management. Each module provides its own functionality for managing tasks related to specific areas of expertise. For example, the Contact & Lead module handles creating, updating, viewing, deleting contacts, leads, and leads' activities. Similarly, the Sales Management module helps salespeople manage prospects, contracts, orders, invoices, payments, and inventory.

Next, we'll talk about the number of different fields supported by Dynamics 365. There are over 70 standard fields available across multiple platforms. As explained above, however, these fields are only relevant to those who use the desktop version of the product. On the other hand, since the cloud version does not require installations, it supports additional custom fields. By default, the cloud platform comes with four basic user experience fields, namely Account, Campaign, Opportunity, and Task. However, you can add as many custom fields as you wish. All field names follow certain naming conventions which include prefixes, suffixes, and keywords. For instance, “Account Name” refers to a field named "account" whose value contains information pertaining to the name associated with a contact record.

What are fields in dynamics?

Fields play an integral role in Dynamics 365 CRM because they provide data entry points for users. They act as a way for employees to enter information relating to their job responsibilities. To better illustrate this concept, here's a brief overview of three common field types found in Dynamics 365 CRM.

First, there are text fields which contain unstructured data. Examples of this type of field might include notes, comments, personal details, and even passwords. Although text fields cannot be edited directly, they do enable users to input information in bulk.

Second, there are numeric fields which store numerical values. For example, people working in finance could use these fields to enter dollar amounts, percentages, and other quantities. Lastly, there are date and time fields which can save dates, times, timestamps, and durations. Users can employ these fields to mark events, meetings, appointments, and deadlines.

Finally, let's talk about how to identify the different parts of Dynamics 365 CRM. When it comes to finding the right terminology, remember that there are five main sections: Accounts, Opportunities, Tasks, Activities, and Notes. Here are some examples of terms used in each section:

· Account: A list of contacts is referred to as an account. When you view contacts under the Account tab, you see a list of all the active contacts. Additionally, this area enables you to assign activities to contacts and organize contacts according to groups.

· Opportunity: An opportunity represents a deal that involves a buyer and seller. Once you select an opportunity, you can edit its title, description, and status. You can also review activity history and note changes made to the opportunity.

· Activity: Activities represent a step within a workflow. For example, suppose you had assigned an activity called 'Send Mailer'. If someone clicks on this task, he/she will automatically move to another activity called 'Read Email', after which he/she can perform further editing operations.

· Note: Notes are stored items that don't belong to any existing entity. Instead, they are attached to specific entities. For example, you can attach notes to a contract, invoice, or opportunity.

It is worth noting that, although Dynamics 365 CRM uses several different terms to refer to the same things, it follows the same logic whenever it comes to identifying objects or elements. In the preceding paragraph, for example, the term "activity" was used twice whereas the words "opportunity" and "contract" were mentioned just once. Thus, knowing the correct vocabulary is crucial when learning how to navigate the app.

What are typical sales processes?

Sales cycles vary significantly from industry to industry and company to company. What is often considered standard practice for small startups might not apply to large corporations. Regardless of size, though, organizations typically undergo the following phases during the course of a sales campaign:

1) Acquire a New Lead

2) Close the Deal

3) Follow Up With Prospects

4) Repeat Steps 1-3 until the goal is achieved

Now that you understand what happens during the sales process in Dynamics 365 CRM, let's take a closer look at how these steps occur. Before doing so, though, it's essential that you understand that the entire process revolves around the creation of relationships between individuals and entities. So, how do you build (or destroy!) relationships? Well, you can start by setting up contacts, adding them to groups, assigning activities to contacts, connecting contacts to opportunities, and linking opportunities to contracts. Of course, this isn't everything. Indeed, there are plenty of other ways to connect contacts to opportunities.

For example, you can use the Relationship Builder tool to link contacts to opportunities. Or alternatively, you can assign activities to contracts rather than contacts. Furthermore, you can group contacts together based on criteria such as role, country, or region. Also, you can filter contacts by applying search queries. Moreover, if you'd like to connect opportunities to contracts, you can upload documents, send emails, call phone numbers, or schedule webinars.

As previously mentioned, the relationship builder tool is one of the easiest methods to establish connections. Simply click on Create Relationships in the left navigation bar, then pick Accounts, Opportunities, Contracts, Groups, and Contacts. Next, select Add Relationship, select the appropriate object, and press OK.

As you can tell, there's a lot that goes on behind closed doors when it comes to generating sales. Fortunately, Dynamics 365 CRM makes it easy to customize the process in accordance with organizational requirements. In addition, thanks to its built-in analytics, you can monitor the effectiveness of each stage of the sales process.

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM sales process aims to create potential sales opportunities and nurture leads for businesses. It’s designed to support the sales process from beginning to end by generating accurate sales forecasts that will help you plan and target marketing efforts.

It starts when an individual or organization contacts you about their needs or wants. They may be looking for information on products or services offered by your company. Or they might have existing customers who need more product knowledge or service options. Either way, once someone expresses interest in what you do, it becomes part of your pipeline. The next step involves qualifying this prospect so you know whether they're ready to purchase now or if there is more work needed before you can make them an offer.

If everything looks good, then you'll want to move forward toward closing the deal. This means presenting your best case scenario for how much money the customer would save over time, how many people could benefit from your solution, and why the customer should choose your solution instead of others available at the same price point. Once you've presented all these benefits, you'll ask the buyer to make an informed decision -- not just a yes-or-no choice but rather one based off the evidence you present. In most cases, this requires some form of contract or agreement between both parties.

Once the transaction has been completed successfully, then you'll want to continue nurturing the relationship with regular follow up communications and updates as well as providing any feedback you receive via surveys or other forms of communication. You'll also want to stay engaged with the client after the sale closes to see if there are additional opportunities for growth in future relationships.

This article walks you through each stage of the sales process using real life scenarios and helpful tips along the way. We hope you find it useful!

What is sales process in CRM?

Before we dive into the details of what exactly happens during the sales process, let's take a look at the overall purpose of the entire thing. When you think about it, the goal of the sales process isn't really to sell anything directly. Rather, it's to identify opportunities which are worth pursuing further and then taking action on those opportunities. So while selling is certainly an important aspect of the process, it's only one piece of the puzzle.

In order to accomplish this task effectively, you must first understand what makes a great candidate for consideration. In addition to understanding your own company's unique value proposition (which helps everyone inside your organization better understand the market), you must also understand your clients' specific needs and requirements. These two pieces of information combined allow you to determine where to focus your attention moving forward.

But even beyond identifying the right prospects, you still have to ensure that your approach is effective enough to convince them to buy from you. And to do this, you must demonstrate how your offering fits within the context of their current situation. After all, no one likes being sold something they don't already need or want. But if you're able to show them that your solution solves problems they currently face, then you stand a far greater chance of getting them interested in buying.

By following this outline, you'll avoid wasting valuable resources trying to bring in prospects who won't convert. Instead, you can use your sales team's energy towards finding out more about the right types of buyers for your solutions. That way, everyone involved knows exactly how to spend their time going forward.

What's your sales process?

Now that you have a general idea of how the sales process works, let's talk about how you actually go about making things happen. First, you must define the stages of the sales cycle. There are three major phases to consider here: discovery/qualification, presentation, and negotiation. Each phase plays an integral role throughout the sales process.

Discovery / Qualification

When starting the sales process, you begin by collecting data about the prospective client. Your job here is to learn as much as possible about the buyer so you can tailor your message accordingly. For example, if you notice that your client owns multiple companies, you'd likely want to highlight this fact in order to distinguish yourself from competitors. By doing so, you give yourself an edge because it shows you've done your research into the specifics of their industry.

Presentation

After gathering information about the customer, you'll want to craft a clear vision of the benefits your company offers. Remember, you must convey how your solution addresses the customer's main challenges and pain points. If you fail to do this properly, you risk losing credibility and trustworthiness among your audience.

Negotiation

Finally, you'll want to communicate your final price expectations for the product or service you're offering. Again, this is critical since it allows you to set realistic goals and expectations. In order to achieve success here, you'll need to clearly explain how you arrived at the number you're proposing. Don't forget to include any discounts or incentives you might offer for early payment.

As mentioned earlier, the key takeaway here is to always keep the conversation focused on solving the problem at hand. Avoid becoming overly promotional or pushing hard too soon. Doing either of those things will cause your potential buyer to become defensive and lose interest. As such, you'll want to make sure you're constantly demonstrating empathy and that you never come across as pushy.

What are processes in Dynamics CRM?

While the sales process outlined above provides a thorough overview of what goes on behind the scenes, it doesn't necessarily cover every single detail required to get things rolling. To address this issue, Microsoft added several different modules to its platform specifically designed to streamline the sales process. Let's take a quick look at a few of the tools available.

Sales Proposal Templates - A collection of pre-made templates that show various aspects of a typical sales letter. Using these templates allows users to quickly and easily construct professional proposals without having to manually write them themselves.

Sales Dashboard - An online dashboard that gives access to all activity related to the sales process. From tracking leads and managing accounts to viewing performance metrics like conversion rates and revenue, the Sales Dashboard lets you monitor progress and adjust strategies accordingly.

Opportunity Management - Designed to track all open deals and manage the associated tasks. Users can add notes, assign tasks, schedule meetings, send emails, and view contact info to complete the necessary actions. Additionally, Opportunity Management enables account managers to prioritize activities based on estimated completion dates.

Account Manager - Similar to Opportunity Managers, Account Managers provide visibility into deal status and act as liaisons between internal teams and external entities. Allowing them to perform basic administrative duties such as scheduling meetings and sending emails.

These four components serve as the foundation for the rest of the sales process. While they aren't particularly exciting, they're essential to completing the whole operation efficiently. Without them, you wouldn't be able to effectively build relationships with customers, develop quality leads, or conduct negotiations.

What are processes in Dynamics 365?

Since Dynamics 365 includes virtually every component listed above, there's little reason to list them individually again. However, there are certain features we feel deserve special mention. Here are a few of our favorites:

Contact Center - With the Contact Center module, you can automate repetitive phone calls and email responses, saving your employees precious time and helping increase productivity.

Forecasting & Reporting - Forecasting functionality enables users to predict upcoming revenues based off historical trends. Meanwhile, reporting capabilities enable you to analyze data in real time to better understand consumer behavior and improve your offerings.

Analytics & Insights - Analytics and insights empower marketers with the ability to gain deeper insight into their audiences and optimize campaigns in real time.

Campaign Builder - Campaign Builder allows users to design personalized messages and distribute them through social media channels or email lists.

Scheduling & Automations - Scheduling and automations allow you to set recurring events and automatically trigger actions whenever specified conditions occur.

For instance, the Schedule & automations feature allows users to set automatic reminders for scheduled meetings and alerts for overdue invoices.

All of these functions combine to make the Dynamics 365 platform incredibly powerful. Not only does it integrate seamlessly with all of your other systems, but it also comes packed with advanced analytics and machine learning algorithms that allow you to deliver highly targeted messaging to consumers.

There's no denying that the modern world is increasingly dominated by technology. Whether you run a small family business or operate a multinational corporation, chances are you rely heavily on software to handle day-to-day operations. And yet despite all of the advances made in recent years, many organizations struggle to utilize digital technologies to their fullest extent due to a lack of training and proper implementation. Luckily, though, Dynamics 365 goes a long way in alleviating these issues.


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