Print      Open PDF Version of Online Help

Sales > Accounts > Managing Accounts > Tracking Partners and Competitors of Accounts

Tracking Partners and Competitors of Accounts

Oracle CRM On Demand provides areas in the application where you can track information on either partners or competitors for your accounts. For example, you might want to track which companies (accounts) you do business with for Account XYZ or which companies (accounts) you compete with for Account XYZ.

To do so, first link the account acting as your partner or competitor to the account record. You can link as many partner or competitor accounts as you want. Then add information, such as the strengths and weaknesses, about the partner or competitor to the Account Partner Edit or Account Competitor Edit page.

NOTE: When you add an account partner or account competitor, a reciprocal record is created under the selected account. For example, if you add Account 123 as an account partner of Account XYZ, you automatically see Account 123 listed in the Account Partner list for Account XYZ.

For information on converting existing accounts to partner accounts, see Converting Accounts to Partner Accounts.

Before you begin. Create an account record for each partner or competitor you want to link to the account. For instructions on adding records, see Creating Records.

To track partner and competitor information for accounts

1. Select the account.

   For instructions on selecting accounts, see Finding Records.

2. On the Account Detail page, scroll down to the Account Partners or Account Competitors section, and do one of the following:
   • To link an account, click Add.
   • To update information, click the Edit link next to the existing partner or competitor.
3. On the Account Partner Edit or Account Competitor Edit page, enter the required information.

   The following table describes some field information for tracking partner or competitor information.

   Field	Comments
   Account Partner	Click the Lookup icon, and select the account whose relationship and information you want to track as your partner when dealing with this account. This is a required field.
   Account Competitor	Click the Lookup icon, and select the account whose relationship and information you want to track as your competitor for this account. This is a required field.
   Role	Select an option that defines the relationship between the accounts.
   Reverse Role	Select an option that defines the reverse relationship between the accounts.
   Start Date	You can use this field to record the start date of a partnership. The default is today's date. This is a required field.
   End Date	You can use this field to record the expiration date of a partnership.
   Primary Contact	The most important contact for the partner or competitor relationship.

4. Save the record.