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Administering Oracle CRM On Demand > Business Process Management > Data Rules and Assignment > Setting Up Sales Processes, Categories, and Coaches

Setting Up Sales Processes, Categories, and Coaches

You can create a customized sales methodology that reflects the requirements and complexity of your sales environment, and guides your sales representatives as they work on deals at various sales stages.

You can adjust the sales stage information to reflect your company's sales process or business practices. When employees create and update opportunities, they select a sales stage that represents how far along the opportunity is in the sales process. Each sales stage is tied to a percentage. That information is used with reports and forecasts, including your pipeline, expected revenue, and closed revenue calculations.

As part of customizing the sales stage values themselves, you can:

• Rename the sales stages
• Add or delete sales stages
• Change the sequence of the sales stages
• Change the probability percentages associated with the sales stages

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About Sales Processes

Some sales environments require only one sales process with one set of sales stages. Other sales environments are more complex and require multiple sales processes with distinct sales stages for each process. For example, internal sales representatives might follow a different sales process from the one followed by field sales representatives.

Additionally, sales representatives might need to follow different sales processes for different types of opportunities. For example, when your sales representatives are selling a piece of equipment, they might need to follow a longer, multi-stage sales process. But when they are selling a service contract, the process might be shorter and have fewer sales stages.

To further refine your sales methodology, you can define series of sales stages as sales processes and link each process to one of these:

• Opportunity type
• User's role

This allows you to customize the sales process (and sales stages with each process) for different opportunity types or different user roles.

Example: Your sales representative creates a new opportunity. When entering information about the opportunity, she selects Service from the Opportunity Type options. This causes the application to display the sales process appropriate for that opportunity type.

NOTE: The sales process based on opportunity type overrides the defaulted sales process based on a user's role. In other words, when an employee creates an opportunity, her role's default sales process is assigned to the opportunity. If she then selects an opportunity type that has an assigned sales process, the sales process for the opportunity is then driven based on the opportunity type she selected.

About Sales Stages in Searches and List Filters

The sales stages that a user can select in search criteria and list filters are determined as follows:

• In a targeted search of the Opportunity record type in the Action bar, if the Sales Stage field is available as a search field, then a user can select only the sales stages that are associated with the sales process that is specified for the user's role or the sales stages for the default sales process, if no sales process is specified for the user's role. The available sales stages are not limited by the opportunity type, even if the Opportunity Type field is available as a search field in the Action bar, and the user selects an opportunity type for the search.
• In an advanced search of the Opportunity record type, a user can select any of the sales stages that exist in Oracle CRM On Demand as filter values for the Sales Stage field. The available filter values are not limited to the sales stages for a specific sales process, even if a default sales process is specified for the role of the user who performs the search, or the user selects an opportunity type as a filter for the search.
• When setting up a list filter for the Opportunity record type, a user can select any of the sales stages that exist in Oracle CRM On Demand as filter values for the Sales Stage field. The available filter values are not limited to the sales stages for a specific sales process, even if a default sales process is specified for the role of the user who creates the list, or the user selects an opportunity type as a filter for the list.

About Sales Stage Categories

You can also set up sales stage categories, such as Stage 1, 2, or 3, which you can link to specific sales stages across different sales processes. When you need to consolidate information from different processes, you can run reports against the sales stage categories, providing an accurate view of your pipeline across all opportunity types or roles.

About Sales Process Coach

You can also use the Sales Process Coach to guide your team through completing the necessary information accurately at each sales stage. The Sales Process Coach provides specific steps for employees to follow as well as useful information, such as documents, templates, and competitive information. You can also enforce the collection of information based on how opportunities progress through the sales cycle. In addition, when an opportunity record is saved, you can specify that certain tasks are automatically created, which appear in your employee's task list.

As part of the sales process coach, you can:

• Add information for each sales stage that employees access through the Coach button
• Set up requirements for each sales stage, such as fields to be filled in. These serve as prerequisites before saving the opportunity at a new stage.
• Set up automated tasks that are generated when employees save their opportunities with different sales stages

If you change any Sales Stage names after the system has been deployed, all previous records maintain their assigned Sales Stage until you manually update them.

NOTE: To change the default picklist values for the Probability % field, you need to edit that field from the Opportunity Field Setup page (see Changing Picklist Values).

When setting up your sales methodology, follow this general process:

1. Set up the sales stage categories (if you have more than one sales process).
2. Set up the sales process (or processes).
3. Set up the sales stages for each sales process.
4. Set up the coaching feature for the sales stages.

Before you begin:

• To perform this procedure, your role must include the Manage Data Rules - Manage Sales Stage Definition privilege.
• If you want to assign a sales process based on the Opportunity Type field, make sure the picklist values are the ones you want to use. The default Opportunity Type values are Renewal and New Business. For instructions on customizing picklist values, see Changing Picklist Values.

  Also, make sure that the Opportunity Type field appears in the page layout for each role you want to use it with. For instructions, see Customizing Static Page Layouts.

To set up a sales stage category (optional)

1. In the upper right corner of any page, click the Admin global link.
2. In the Business Process Management section, click the Data Rules & Assignment link.
3. In the Sales Methodology section, click the Sales Categories link.
4. From the Translation Language list, select your company's primary language.
5. On the Sales Stage Categories page, click New to create a new sales stage category, or select Edit from the record-level menu for the sales stage category you want to edit.
6. On the Edit Sales Stage Category page or the New Sales Stage Category page, complete the required information.

   Field	Description
   Stage Category	The name of the sales stage category.
   Order	The sequence of the sales stage categories as they appear in Oracle CRM On Demand.
   Mark for Translation	(Optional) To indicate that an updated (not new) name needs to be translated to other languages activated for your company, select the Mark for Translation check box. When you add a new sales stage category name, the Mark for Translation check box is read-only. New names that you add automatically appear (without brackets and in black text) in the other activated languages. If you select the Mark for Translation check box when you update the name of a sales stage category, the updated name appears in the picklists for the other activated languages (in blue text with brackets) until you manually enter the translated versions. The blue text helps you to track which terms must be translated. If you do not select the Mark for Translation check box, the updated name does not appear in the other languages, and the other languages are not affected by the changes that you make on this page.

7.  Save the record.
8. To manually enter the translated equivalent of the new sales stage category:
   1. From the Translation Language list, select the language.
   2. Click the Edit link for the sales stage category.
   3. Enter the translated equivalent in the Stage Category field, and click Save.

To set up a sales process

1. In the upper right corner of any page, click the Admin global link.
2. In the Business Process Management section, click the Data Rules & Assignment link.
3. In the Sales Methodology section, click the Sales Processes link.
4. From the Translation Language list, select your company's primary language.
5. On the Sales Process List page, click New to create a new sales process or select Edit from the record-level menu for the sales process you want to edit.
6. On the Sales Process Edit page, complete the required information.

   Field	Description
   Default Sales Process	Company’s default sales process. If no other sales process is assigned to your user role or to the opportunity type for the record, this sales process is used.
   Mark for Translation	(Optional) To indicate that an updated (not new) name needs to be translated to other languages activated for your company, select the Mark for Translation check box.

7. Click Save.
8. To link the sales process to an Opportunity Type field value:
   1. On the Sales Process List page, click the Sales Process Name you want to link.
   2. In the Associated Opportunity Types title bar, click Add.
   3. Select the Opportunity Type, and click Save.

      NOTE: You can link only one sales process to each opportunity type. After you do that, the opportunity type value is removed from the picklist for selection with other sales processes. This prevents you from linking more than one sales process to an opportunity type.
      
      When employees have records with the Opportunity Type field corresponding to the value you selected, they see the sales stages for this sales process.

9. To manually enter the translated equivalent of the new sales process:
   1. Go back to the Sales Process List page.
   2. From the Translation Language list, select the language.
   3. Click the Edit link for the sales process.
   4. Enter the translated equivalent in the Sales Process field and click Save.
10. To select the sales process to use as the default:
    1. On the Sales Process List page, click the Sales Process Name link of the sales process you want to set as the default.
    2. Click Edit.
    3. Select the Default Sales Process check box.
    4. Save the record.

       NOTE: This sales process is displayed for records or roles that have no other linked sales process.

To set up sales stages for a sales process

1. In the upper right corner of any page, click the Admin global link.
2. In the Business Process Management section, click the Data Rules & Assignment link.
3. In the Sales Methodology section, click the Sales Processes link.
4. On the Sales Process List page, click the Sales Process Name link.
5. To set up a sales stage:
   1. In the Sales Stage title bar, click New to create a new sales stage, or select Edit in the record-level menu of the sales stage you want to edit.
   2. On the Sales Stage Edit page, complete the required information.

      Field	Description
      Default Probability	A percentage that reflects the confidence that the deal will close with the specified revenue on the specified close date. By default, the probability assigned to an opportunity adjusts automatically based on the sales stage of the opportunity. Users can manually override this value, but when a user selects a new sales stage for the opportunity, the value in the Probability percentage field of the opportunity is automatically updated to the default probability value for the new sales stage. NOTE: If the Mass Update feature is used to change the value in the Sales Stage field on one or more opportunity records, then the value in the Probability percentage field of the records is not updated to the default probability percentage for the new sales stage. Important: Do not set up any other Sales Stages with probabilities equal to 0 or 100 percent except Closed/Lost and Closed/Won. Modifying picklists that are used internally by the Oracle CRM On Demand application can have an adverse impact on standard functionality.
      Order	Sequence of the Sales Stages as they appear in the picklist. If you add a Sales Stage, you need to change the order value for all subsequent Sales Stages. This way, you can be sure that the Sales Stage drop-down list in the Opportunity pages has the information in the correct order.
      Mark for Translation	(Optional) To indicate that an updated (not new) name needs to be translated to other languages activated for your company, select the Mark for Translation check box.
      Stage Category	The name of the sales stage category that this sales stage falls under.

6.  Save the record.
7. To manually enter the translated equivalent of the new sales stage:
   1. On the Sales Process Detail page, in the Sales Stage section, click Show Full List.
   2. In the Sales Stage page, in the Translation Language field, select the language.
   3. Click the Edit link for the sales stage.
   4. Enter the translated equivalent in the Sales Stage Name field and click Save.
8. Save the record.

To set up the coaching feature for the sales stages

1. In the upper right corner of any page, click the Admin global link.
2. In the Business Process Management section, click the Data Rules & Assignment link.
3. In the Sales Methodology section, click the Sales Processes link.
4. From the Translation Language list, select your company's primary language.

   If you do not select your company's primary language, the Mark for Translation check box does not appear, and the application does not indicate untranslated terms you add here.

5. On the Sales Stage List page, click the sales stage link (in the Sales Stage column) you want to set up the coaching information for.
6. To make a field required for this sales stage:
   1. In the Additional Required Fields title bar, click New.
   2. On the Edit Additional Required Field page, select the field from the list.
   3. Review the tips for entering default values that appear onscreen, and then enter the value you want to have as the default (optional).

      When you enter a default value, the default value is added to the record only if that field is blank. For example, if the record already has a Revenue value, specifying a default value for Revenue here will not cause the revenue amount already saved in the record to be overwritten.

   4. Save the record.
7. To add guidelines for the sales stage for your employees to review, such as objectives and milestones to be achieved in the stage:
   1. In the Process Coach Steps title bar, click New.
   2. On the Process Coach Step Edit page, enter a number to indicate the sequence for this information to appear.

      When employees click the Coach button from their opportunity records, they can see the first 10 substeps. If you add more than 10, employees can view the entire list by clicking the Show Full List link.

   3. To mark the information for translation, select the Mark for Translation check box.
   4. Save the record.

      When employees click the Coach button from their opportunity records for an opportunity record with this sales stage, this information appears on their Sales Process Coach page.

8. To add an attachment or URL for employees to access resources appropriate to the sales stage:
   1. In the Useful Resources title bar, click Add Attachment or Add URL.
   2. On the Attachment Edit or URL Edit page, enter the information.
   3. Save the record.

      When employees click the Coach button from their opportunity records, the list of attachments or URLs linked to this sales stage appears on their Sales Process Coach page.

9. To define tasks that are automatically created when employees update the sales stage:
   1. In the Automated Tasks title bar, click New.
   2. On the Automated Tasks Edit page, enter the information.

      The information you set up here serves as a template for each task. The newly-created task is linked to this opportunity, so it appears on the Opportunity Detail page as well as the appropriate activity lists.

      NOTE: You must enter a number in the Due Date field to indicate how many days after the task is created that the task is due. For example, if the task is created on December 6 and you entered 10 here as the Due Date, the task appears on the employee's task lists as due on December 16.

      For Owner, the following behavior applies:

      • The task is created for every user having the role you select.
      • If no user fulfills the account team role, the task is assigned to the opportunity owner.

        NOTE: For information about how record ownership modes affect the ownership of automatically generated tasks, see Record Ownership Modes and Automatically Generated Tasks.

   3. Save the record.