Differences Between Leads and Opportunities

A significant difference between leads and opportunities is their relation to pipelines and forecasts. Opportunities, but not leads, are rolled up into pipelines and forecasts. If you integrate PeopleSoft Incentive Management with the system, you can include opportunities (but not leads) in the compensation calculations of Incentive Management.

For the most part, the Lead component has the same pages (Summary, Discover, Assign, Qualify, Propose, Tasks, Notes, History, Call Reports, and More Info) and the same sections as the Opportunity component. The following exceptions relate specifically to forecasting, which uses products, prices, and revenue allocations:

• On the Opportunity - Propose page, sales users can click the Create Forecast button to copy products to the Forecast section and make them available for inclusion in forecasts.

• On the Revenue Percentage tab on the Opportunity - Assign page, sales users with the appropriate sales access profile can specify revenue allocations and shadow allocations to identify the amounts of revenue that are assigned to individuals.

• Because the system does not roll up leads into forecasts, no Revenue Percentage tab appears on the Lead - Assign page, and no Forecast section exists on the Lead - Propose page.

Here are some additional differences between leads and opportunities:

• You can create opportunities only in PeopleSoft Sales.

  However, you can create leads in other PeopleSoft products (for example, Marketing and Support).

• You can accept, reject, or turn back a lead, but not an opportunity.

• You can track the stage of the sales process on the Opportunity - Discover page, but not on the Lead - Discover page.