Automated
ASPEC really assists in managing many ongoing sales opportunities, all at different points in their sales cycle. To do this ASPEC uses a computer model of the sales transaction constructed from AI principles. This allows many of the characteristics common across sales opportunities to be reviewed, recalculated, and tracked automatically by the computer.
ASPEC always works behind the scenes to monitor the critical phases of the sales cycle and the time left to sell. Not just one, but all of the current sales opportunities are covered. They are prioritized automatically in a workflow with natural language instruction ranging from “handle this one first” to “leave it alone.”

Sales Process
Selling depends on the process. Some salespeople are not conscious of it — it happens without thinking. But most will use an articulated formal process developed through experience for their markets and products. ASPEC recognizes that selling is a reaction to a customer’s efforts to buy. The buying process drives an underlying sequence of steps that forms a universal selling or sales process.
The process that ASPEC uses is derived from the natural ebb and flow of the between customer and salesperson as the sales cycle evolves in time. Detailed, stage-based processes can easily be layered on top of ASPEC, permitting a market-specific tactical approach, if required.

More than just a product name, ASPEC is an acronym representing the meaning of the core methodology that powers its sales automation functionality.

At the heart of ASPEC is a simple, elegant model of a universal sales process translated to be understood in computer software. ASPEC stands for Automated Sales Process Engine for the Computer. Let’s look at that in detail.

Automated

ASPEC really assists in managing many ongoing sales opportunities, all at different points in their sales cycle. To do this ASPEC uses a computer model of the sales transaction constructed from AI principles. This allows many of the characteristics common across sales opportunities to be reviewed, recalculated, and tracked automatically by the computer.

ASPEC always works behind the scenes to monitor the critical phases of the sales cycle and the time left to sell. Not just one, but all of the current sales opportunities are covered. They are prioritized automatically in a workflow with natural language instruction ranging from “handle this one first” to “leave it alone.”

Sales Process

Selling depends on the process. Some salespeople are not conscious of it — it happens without thinking. But most will use an articulated formal process developed through experience for their markets and products. ASPEC recognizes that selling is a reaction to a customer’s efforts to buy. The buying process drives an underlying sequence of steps that forms a universal selling or sales process.

The process that ASPEC uses is derived from the natural ebb and flow of the between customer and salesperson as the sales cycle evolves in time. Detailed, stage-based processes can easily be layered on top of ASPEC, permitting a market-specific tactical approach, if required.

Engine

The computer engine that powers ASPEC is fueled by just three succinct user-entered parameters that are used to create an “intrinsic value” of the sales opportunity at any point in time. The parameters are entered when the sales opportunity is first discovered and then updated after critical interactions with the customer, at which point ASPEC evaluates the intrinsic value and stores any change if necessary. The importance of one opportunity to the next can then be evaluated using the intrinsic value.

Computer

The use of computers in selling is universal, especially in mobile and cloud applications. The results can be stunningly effective and can invigorate the selling process, producing great improvements in productivity.

ASPEC depends on a computer model of a universal selling process, designed from the ground up to be understood by the computer. This is “computational selling”. Established mainstream sales methodology predates the personal computer and its use by salespeople. ASPEC changes that—ASPEC represents the fusion of sales and technology, and it is a quantum leap in potential for increased sales productivity.

This is a brief introduction to what ASPEC is. You’ll find lots of information in our blogs on how ASPEC works in practice, and how it makes selling more effective and more fun. The computer engine that powers ASPEC is fueled by just three succinct user-entered parameters that are used to create an “intrinsic value” of the sales opportunity at any point in time. The parameters are entered when the sales opportunity is first discovered and then updated after critical interactions with the customer, at which point ASPEC evaluates the intrinsic value and stores any change if necessary. The importance of one opportunity to the next can then be evaluated using the intrinsic value.
Computer
The use of computers in selling is universal, especially in mobile and cloud applications. The results can be stunningly effective and can invigorate the selling process, producing great improvements in productivity.
ASPEC depends on a computer model of a universal selling process, designed from the ground up to be understood by the computer. This is “computational selling”. Established mainstream sales methodology predates the personal computer and its use by salespeople. ASPEC changes that—ASPEC represents the fusion of sales and technology, and it is a quantum leap in potential for increased sales productivity.
This is a brief introduction to what ASPEC is. You’ll find lots of information in our blogs on how ASPEC works in practice, and how it makes selling more effective and more fun.

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Back to the forum. The question was:
“What do you consider the start of the sales cycle? For instance, we have a Sales Development Team and Account Executive Team. Our Sales Development Team will outbound call/email out to a pool of ~10,000 potential prospects (cold) and schedule demos for our Account Executive team. Would you consider the sales cycle to have started at first contact? when the demo is scheduled? or when the Account Executive holds the demo?”

In this case, a call from inside sales is the first “touch point” to the customer. The sales rep probes to find possible fits of products to the prospect’s business issues, and if there are, the “lead” is passed on to an account rep who tries to develop a sale.

It’s best to think of the customer’s buying process. Buying and selling are interactional activities – one depends on the other. The natural flow of activity in the sales transaction, from start to finish, follows a parallel cycle in the buying process.

In the situation above, the inside rep should establish where the customer is in the buying cycle. Are they already in the process of buying? Perhaps they are not. If the first contact establishes that the prospect is actually in a buying cycle, then the sales cycle has begun. A sales opportunity gets logged, the account rep gets advised and the next step is planned.

The prospect contact may not have a current plan to buy but could be intrigued enough by the inside rep’s proposition that a buying process could be started. But it is likely that another qualifying call will be needed for confirmation. This lead is hot and the sales rep is actually on the way to creating a buying cycle with the customer.

There may be no intention that a buying process has started, in which case there is no sales cycle. Put the contact into a category that gets chased by marketing in the future. This is called a long-term, and the CRM system will remind you when it should be followed up again.

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Streamline what is shown in ASPEC

It is easy to add Custom Fields and Custom Field sections to any form in ASPEC.  We keep adding features to cover your needs while keeping the ASPEC configuration simple.

More Custom Field types

Currently, you can choose from 2 types of numeric fields, date, standard and custom lookups, “bar” fields, 2 types of text fields, formula and rating.  ASPEC supports multivalued checkbox and default values, Read-only fields with a default value can serve as additional instructions.  The most recent addition is a search box for large custom fields. 

Custom Field Workflows

We added workflows to all ASPEC forms.  Now the forms show custom values or whole custom sections only if it makes sense, as configured by your ASPEC Administrator.

Configure your listview columns

Individual users can set up columns in each listview, so everybody sees their own version of the view.   Users can pick what columns to include in the view.

Be aware when you are searching

Filters are robust and reusable, but often a Quick Search will do.   By the way, they work together, so many users enabled these 2 varieties at once.  For the ease of the use, we added a visual indication for each of them.

View all Interactions and Calendar on IBO Sales Cycle

You don’t want to miss a scheduled activity.  Synced Calendars are one option to keep track of your appointments. Viewing the list of appointments in the Interactions box is another. 

We added the ability to quickly glance over at what’s been planned.  Sales Cycle Graph now displays not only the performed activities but also the ones that are scheduled.

Drag and drop Account Structures

We’ve seen Accounts with hundreds of Sub-Accounts:  Corporate and Regional Offices, Site, Departments, other facilities, subsidiaries, etc.  ASPEC displays this structure on each Account page.   You can mark some of these Sub-Accounts with a special flag like “Billing Account”.

Sometimes makes sense to place certain Sub-Accounts – like Headquarters – at the top of the tree level. 

For example, to move Corporate Headquarters to the top, edit this Sub-Account and drag it within this Sub-Account’s level.  We added this feature in one of our recent releases.

Deactivate Account

You shouldn’t delete historical data.  ASPEC supports Historical Contacts and Inactive Users.  We added an option to quickly mark the whole Account as inactive if there are no open IBOs or Leads under that Account.

Pay attention to the duplication check

Data quality is always a priority and a struggle.  Now ASPEC duplication search is even more robust.

Automatically assign a role

ASPEC role hierarchy supports the most complex scenarios.   Recently we added a related feature that automates the assignment of access levels.   ASPEC Administrators can assign users to multiple roles and select how their roles are inherited into new Accounts and IBOs.

Use Printouts

Print button on most forms allows the creation of a printer-friendly summary of Accounts, Contacts, IBOs and related Interactions.

Send and keep track of the internal notifications

Internal notifications can be stored under the ASPEC records, to keep the paper trail.   We added the ability to send emails to groups of users, in addition to individual recipients.

These internal notifications can be stored in ASPEC for creating a paper trail.

Use MS Word and MS Outlook add-ins

MS Word add-in pulls data from ASPEC into MS Word documents.   MS Outlook add-in pushes Emails to ASPEC and pulls Appointments and Tasks. We extended the search and filter in the Microsoft add-ins.

Selected new features in the Service module

We expanded the Service module, by adding the following features:

• Service widgets
• Email notifications
• Edit History
• Billing Expiry notifications
• More sorting in Listviews
• Imports, exports
• Service reports

Selected new features in the Marketing module

Some of the new features include the following:

• Ability to create Leads and IBOs from follow-up lists
• Ability to import Collections
• Mass removal of manual Collection members

NOTE: The full product development post with images will be included in our help center.

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We were talking about 4 core competencies – or skill sets – of selling, that are embedded in ASPEC.  These 4 pillars are the Territories, Accounts, Contacts and Sales Opportunities management skills.  Sales reps cannot work with only fragmented information that is out of context.

We began by showing how the navigation in ASPEC supports these skills sets.  You can view the lists of Accounts, lists of Contacts or lists of IBOs.  Each list has Territory filter, relevant sorting options, and other actions.

Fig: Navigation bar in ASPEC

ASPEC goes beyond listing your data from the perspective of the 4 skill sets.

Sales reps are busy and don’t have any time to fumble adding new information. Data entry follows a similar pattern. It is logical how and where to enter new records.

An Opportunity must be linked to at least one Contact.  You cannot add a Contact if you don’t have an Account.   In other words, first, you create an Account, then a Contact, and then an Opportunity. You can enter Account, Contact, and Opportunity in one step, as described here, or one step at a time.  Either way, it’s logical and easy.

When you are in the Account, you can quickly add a Contact.  It will be automatically linked to that Account.

Fig: Account form – button to add Contact

In like manner, while in a Contact, you can add a new Opportunity for that Contact.

To support the flow of information and the quality of data, ASPEC does not permit “floating”, disconnected Sales Opportunities.  Having individual sales deals, detached from any Contacts or Accounts, just doesn’t make sense.

Reading the data is as easy and logical as entering it.

If you open any of the records, the layout is consistent. For example, on the Opportunity form, you see Account information and a clickable link at the top.  Below, you see more information about the Primary Contact and Secondary Contacts, all with clickable links.

Fig: Sales Opportunity form

On the Contact form, you see the same Account widget (summary information) with a link to view all the remaining details.

Fig: Contact form

Use this information and your Contact Management skills to decide how to approach this Contact.

You can click the Account link from any record, but always at the top of the form.  ASPEC allows a 360-degree view of Accounts, very consistent and easy to follow.   Each Account displays a list of its Contacts on the left and Sales Opportunities in the middle.

Fig: Account form

You can quickly see who is working for the Account, take a list of all current and previous deals and any other activities related to that Account.  If you highlight a Contact or a Sub-Account, the list of Opportunities and Activities will be filtered.

Imagine you are working on selling to ABC Printers.  While looking at the history of ABC Printers, you discovered a past Lost Opportunity that is similar to a deal you are working on.  Wait, then you see that Louise Adams, the Contact on the Lost Opportunity, is no longer there; the Contact is marked as Historical.  Another decision maker still works for ABC Printers.

If you look at the history of interactions and the reasons why the IBO was lost, you can figure out what happened.  Use this information to NOT repeat the history.  You also have the details about Louise’s new position, as this is the standard – and a very popular — feature of ASPEC.   Use all this information to overcome obstacles at ABC Printers and reach out to Louise.  Most likely Louise is still working in the same industry and may become interested in your product.

Stay tuned on that and more articles to follow on the subject of sales-centric ASPEC.

The post Sales – Centric – Data Quality & Navigation – Part 2 appeared first on SalesWays - ASPEC - Unique Sales Opportunity Management & Sales Automation CRM.

So, ASPEC is designed by salespeople for sales people, to address their pressing needs.  The design focus is to make the life easier for sales reps, those in the trenches, their managers, and their support staff.

Many posts on these benefits, unique to ASPEC, are detailed on our companion web site, the HUB. Keith Thompson, our founder, has a new post there with an overview of what sales-centric and its impact on the sales force. In the next few posts I’ll show how the software app has to be designed and configured keeping the vision of “Sales-Centric CRM” in mind.

To make the app comfortable for salespeople to use, the user must be able to navigate it in a way that reflects the sales environment that they experience daily. Keith’s book lists four pillars or corner stones for the management of sales: these are Territory, Accounts, Sales Opportunities, and Contacts (TASC). We also have referred to the corner stones as core competencies of the management of sales.  Let’s take a closer look at these first.

First, the structure is always in front of the sales team, right there, baked into their CRM system that they will be using every day. Navigation, data entry, work flow, filters and reports – they all support the principle of 4 management competencies.

Sales reps work within Territories, i.e. groups of Accounts determined usually by geography and/or product. Each salesperson will have a territory that is unique to themselves. Reps must know where each Account is located and how it fits in their area of responsibility. Sales managers will see an overview of all the territories that they administer. They need the data to create or refine the overall territory picture

Let’s dive into ASPEC’s navigation.

When you log into ASPEC you will see the navigation bar at the top.  The main tabs include Accounts, Contacts are groups of accounts accessible through the intelligent filter in ASPEC.

Sales reps have easy access to accurate information, including marketing and service activities. Sales managers also have access to that data and know what their teams are doing and how to help them

Being good at managing individual Sales Opportunities is only one of the core skills necessary to do the job.   Reps need to look at their sales environment not only as the list of individual opportunities, but also from the perspective of the territory, accounts, contacts.

Sales reps don’t just process the list of Sales Opportunities in a vacuum, out of context. To sell, reps interact with people – Contacts.  They make informed decisions based on the contact’s history and other contact information.

But is it not enough to review just the buying history of individual Contacts, one Contact at a time? Sales reps deal with more than one contact in each organization, especially in complex sales.

A sales rep has to know what happens in the boardroom of a potential – or existing – customer, and what happened in the past. Decision makers have different priorities, organizational structure and office politics are in full force.  Prior sales attempts shed a light on the sales environment.   Therefore, it makes sense to look at Contact groups from the Account perspective, and work on the overall Account strategy.

In summary:

• ASPEC supports the 4 sets of selling skills (core competencies) that are crucial in the management of selling, described in this post

• ASPEC makes sales related navigation and data entry easy for salespeople to find and address , so the don’t waste time or energy figuring out how to use the system.
• ASPEC has an effective sales method built in, accessible from the Sales Opportunity section, so it is in front of the reps all the time. The sales methodology increases effectiveness, the ability to better opponents in competitive deals – so important that we will need several posts to explain the ins and outs in future blog posts
• By being consciously sales centric, ASPEC spreads consistency in sales opportunity management across the whole sales team.

works in future posts – stay tuned.

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In the Post 1 we talked about how to modify or augment a standard out of the box CRM software app to make it suit your exact needs. The options are customization and configuration, and in Post 2, the ins and outs of customization were on the table. Now, we move onto configuration.

Configuration is an alternative approach to adjusting an off-the-shelf product.  But this time the tools are provided by the designer and vendor of the application. In theory, this should be a lower cost solution and more controllable by the customer.

First, there is no need to write any new line of custom code. Because of this, configuration allows for long deployment cycles.

If the vendor of the standard product makes changes or upgrades, any previous customer setup will stay intact.  It is the vendor’s responsibility to deliver new versions seamlessly. Release upgrades are in the license cost, because the configuration features are a part of the standard product

The tools provided by the original vendor will have a robust design because the standard product is based on the experience of a myriad of users. Rest assured, the users of the final app will be the best judge of its stability and robustness. They can get very vocal if things go wrong!

Some software products are frameworks rather than an application.  The frameworks are conceived to be built upon, and usually require a specialized team to configure and maintain.  You’ve probably heard about certifications in configuration and management of some software products. Large-scale software roll-outs require designated experts to administer them.

ASPEC configuration tools are a result of 20 years of the development and customization of our flagship products.  We learned that administrators want intuitive, fast setup tools and easy report design. After all – managing ASPEC is not their full-time job.   Moreover, administrative work is performed by business rather than IT, so you won’t find any intimidating high-tech gizmos in ASPEC.

Immediately after signing up, ASPEC works out-of-the-box as is.  The next step is to move to adding teams, granting permissions and configuring other company-wide defaults.  Many defaults are already set to reduce the effort of proper application configuration. The rest of ASPEC setup menu is also very simple and intuitive.

Following the user setup, role assignment and company-wide general options, administrators proceed with deciding on the configuration of Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities and other forms.

Each form has its setup for custom field. Custom fields – required or optional – are added in a matter of seconds.   Supported formats include text, text area, date, decimal, integer, formula, lookup. All custom fields are automatically available for searching and for reporting, with the options that reflect the field type.  For example, selecting a date fields in a search box results in an option to look for a date range, before date, after date etc.

After the form configuration, it’s time to move on to setting the export templates and reports.   From what we heard, this part is dreaded by most people who had to oversee reports in many products.

Authorized users can extract the data from ASPEC in any format they wish.  They set up the format once, using a simple drag and drop on a single screen.  The recipient list and the data follow the access rights setup, so the reports deliver only the appropriate information to designated users.

After the ASPEC configuration is completed by the administrator, individual users can adjust their personal preferences.  They can set up their views, filters, language, email notifications and many other options.

Voila! ASPEC is ready.

In the next post I will provide a few examples of advanced form configurations to illustrate how easy it is to work with ASPEC Setup.

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In the last post we described Customization and Configuration, two different approaches that change the behavior of a standard application to addresses customers’ unique needs.

In this post we take a closer look at the ramifications of modifying and maintaining custom software.

Maybe you heard that customization is complex and expensive, but worth the effort – they say that tailor-made software is the best solution to all your business needs.

Upfront expenses are expected by organizations asking for customization of any kind.  There might be some room for negotiating discounts here, but usually vendors can present hard evidence of what drives the cost up.

Programs are sets of instructions, written as many lines – thousands, millions –  of code.  The format and structure of these instructions follow very strict rules.  One part of code can call another, so the interdependence and resulting flowcharts can resemble convoluted spider webs.

Tampering with just one line can bring the whole application to its knees.  Software providers release new versions to the public after arduous and thorough testing cycles are completed.

Customization involves additions and modifications to the standard program.  It introduces a greater opportunity of defects.   Not to say that the customization itself is a dangerous undertaking and will result in a disaster.  The software provider will perform necessary testing and fix any bugs.  This is what the customer paid for.

However, unlike standard releases, the customized application may include a few undiscovered hiccups, special cases and undocumented features that are not caught by the manufacturer.   You should involve your own experts to perform additional testing to catch all the nuances.  Your expert resources add up to the cost of the project and are not included in the customization quote.

This can also be the case with configured software as well.  You need your internal experts to test it.   However, in customization there is no magic “undo” button.  Reverting to the older version may wipe out some good custom features.  In configuration, testing is more straightforward. There is no risk that the third party – the manufacturer – misunderstood your requirements and coded features that shouldn’t end up in the application.

Eventually, after the customized product is tested, it is put into the production.  Your team is finally using it.

You will have to wait for a custom patch or a confirmation that a standard patch can be applied to your version.  Perhaps other customizations need to be disabled and re-implemented later.   You may be slapped with a customization price again.  Check your contract with the software manufacturer.

To avoid all these headaches, you may decide that the customization is not crucial and you want to proceed with a few standard patches going forward, overwriting the custom code.  Even this – seemingly cost-cutting – decision requires either more development research and testing.  Again, you will need a team of experts on your side to test any updates, because your software is now unique.

Maintaining a customized application is even more complex and costly if that software is a SaaS (Software as A Service) product.  Customization is not common in the SaaS world.

What is SaaS and why should you care before entertaining customization?  In SaaS world, multiple customer organizations, also called subscribers or tenants, use the same application that is stored somewhere “in the cloud”, using the most sophisticated and secure infrastructure.   When these customers use the application, they are given access only to their data – usually residing in a central database – and run the same code, i.e. written for all subscribers.  There are slight variations in the SaaS landscape out there, but all SaaS “share some resources.  Even if the databases are split, they must have the same structure, so the program always “knows” where to look for data.

SaaS has many benefits.   One of them is no IT overheads and smooth upgrades of standard versions, performed by the provider without disrupting daily operations of the customers.  Standard patches are applied to standard versions transparently.

You have a customized product, so it won’t be that easy.

A customized version of SaaS software will be maintained separately, probably on a separate server or by introducing an insane number of switches (if/then). The ongoing cost might cover not only patches and upgrades, but also the additional server resources and maintenance.

The more customization you have done, the more work it is to maintain such product version.

Some customers decide to opt out from any upgrades to their customized software.  If a single custom patch is problematic, imagine the scenario of having a major upgrade.  The reason for avoiding any upgrades is not only the cost, but also a risk of potential interruptions to daily business.   There is a chance that something goes wrong.  However, deciding against upgrades will end up with an outdated, or worse, an unsupported version of the product.

Before asking for customization, identify what functionalities are crucial.  Don’t try to design the new software to resemble the old one.  Ask for free trials, take them for a spin, and talk to the vendors to find out how your needs can be addressed by configuring their standard product.

Make sure that the customization delivers realistic and vital value to your business, estimate the full cost and assess all future risks. In the next post we will look at using configuration as an alternative.

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You found a new prospect who is interested in your product.  Great! Now it’s time to enter a new Opportunity (IBO in ASPEC terminology) under a new Contact and a new Account.   We recommend that IBOs are entered into ASPEC as soon as you learn about them. Please read this post if you are not sure if your Opportunity’s sales cycle has begun.

Before entering an IBO into ASPEC it’s good practice to record the account and contact to which it belongs.  First you click Create->Account to load a new Account and save it. Next, you click Create->Contacts to load add a new Contact and save it.  The third step is clicking Create->IBO to enter the IBO under the newly created Contact.

To maintain data quality, many organizations prefer that users enter each record type in separate steps described above.   This way users are less prone to work in haste, make mistakes or create duplicates.

Your ASPEC administrator can enable creating records on the fly.  In this case you can create an Account, Contact and IBO from a single action Create->IBO.   You start with a new IBO, but instead of linking this IBO to an existing Contact, you create a new one.   While you are creating a new Contact, you take a small detour to create a new Account. Finally, you save the new IBO.  It will be linked to the new Contact and the new Account.

The rest of this post describes this process as it happens in the ASPEC workflow.

To see how it works, please perform the following steps to create 3 new records from Create->IBO:

1. Click Create->IBO from any list view. Ensure that you don’t have anything selected (“ticked”) in that list view. This action loads a new IBO form.

Fig 1: Creating a new IBO. No Contact is selected in a listview

2. Start creating a new Contact. Search for a Contact. Type in an Account or a Contact name In the Contact section.

If a Contact is found – so you were about to create a duplicate – then you can click on the result in the list to link it to the new IBO.  

Fig 2: Searching for Contact in Contact section of IBO

If the Contact is not found, then click “ADD A NEW CONTACT”, appearing at the end of the list.

Fig 3: Adding a new Contact from a new the IBO

Clicking “ADD A NEW CONTACT” loads “New Contact” dialog.  

3. You are now creating a new Contact. Let’s take a small turn from here to create a new Account from the same “New Contact” dialog.  We’ll resume creating new Contact very soon.

Fig 4: Account finder in new Contact dialog

Let’s search Accounts by typing in the “Account Name” box in the dialog.

After you type in a few characters of the Account, ASPEC will search Accounts and present the list of matching names.   It will display the list of Accounts. The list will end with “ADD A NEW ACCOUNT”.

Click “ADD A NEW ACCOUNT” to create – you guess it – a new Account.

4. Fill out information in “New Account” dialog and save the new Account.

Before filling out the required fields, you may take advantage of Google Place if it is enabled by your ASPEC administrator.

Fig 5: Google Place in new Account dialog

Type in Account name or the address and select from the list that will appear.

Fig 6: New Account dialog: selecting Account from Google Place search

Fill out or overwrite the Account fields and scroll all the way down to click OK.  You may be prompted to override Contacts address. Click OK.

The new Account is now saved in ASPEC.  

5. Finish creating the new Contact.  

Now you are back in the “New Contact” dialog, with the address and other fields inherited from the new Account.  Its company name appears in the “Account Name” box on a grey background.

Fig 7: New Contact dialog with Account and address fields

Fill out the First Name, Last Name and other Contact fields. You can override the address if it is needed.  If the Account and Contact addresses are the same, you can click “Same as Account” to hide the address section.

Fig 8: Checkbox to hide address fields

Scroll down and click OK to save the new Contact.   

5. Finish creating the IBO

Now the new Contact dialog is gone, and you are back in the IBO form, with Account and Contact – both newly created – already linked.

Fig 9: New IBO linked to a new Account and a new Contact

Fill out IBO Essentials, the Product and any other information that is needed.

Click Save when you are ready to save the new IBO.  

The result is 3 new records added to ASPEC – a new IBO, its new Contact and its new Account.

To avoid unnecessary steps or duplicates, we recommend that you check for the Contact and Account before creating a new IBO.   Please be aware the if you decide to cancel saving your new IBO, the new Account and Contact are already saved in ASPEC.

The post You can create an Account, Contact and Opportunity from a “New IBO” screen appeared first on SalesWays - ASPEC - Unique Sales Opportunity Management & Sales Automation CRM.

Jarka is a SalesWays veteran, joining as part of the founding team. Her experience is rich in CRM and SFA solutions ranging from original concept, design and final roll out to the customer.
Currently as VP of development she is in a unique position to advise the best route to a successful implementation and conclusion to customer-facing projects. 

In this the first in a series of posts, Jarka talks about the ways that specific customer specifications can be implemented into the out of the box application software.

Each organization operates differently and has unique business needs.  a customer who doesn’t want “a few small tweaks” added to ASPEC.  What differentiates “a small tweak” from a major feature is up for discussion.  Yet, there is no doubt that having only a standard version of any business software – no matter how robust — is usually not sufficient.   Addressing unique needs can be achieved by or customization.  Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, but they represent different approaches and come with a different price tag.

Let’s take a look at the difference between configuration and customization.

From a high level, Software Configuration Management refers to an overall management of a system/software.   From a more pragmatic level, when your organization purchased an out-of-the-box software package, configuration means applying processes and techniques that introduce changes to the standard product.  The administrators use tools provided by the application manufacturer.  Usually a Setup button or a “gear” icon opens a section full of goodies, like setups for custom fields.  It might be easy and intuitive to use these goodies, but sometimes one needs to study complex instructions or to complete an online course before attempting to configure the product.  Regardless of the difficulty, configuration is achieved without changing the out-of-the-box code that is available to all customers.

Configuring ASPEC is a breeze.  More on that in one of the next posts of this series.

Software customization is a different approach, considered when configuration options do not suffice.  Customization goes beyond using tools provided in the product’s supplier.  That supplier could be your in-house team, external contractors or the manufacturer of the software.  Customization, in any of these cases, results in a tailor-made software, written for a single customer.   It literally involves changing parts of the program in the background and requires that a team of business analysts, programmers, testers and other people work together to produce a unique solution.

Customizing – and maintaining – any application is costly.  Designing, writing and testing any software is expensive.  You may say “Fine, I can live with it. This is a one-time cost of having exactly what I want”.  But for how long?   Technology changes, trends change, internal initiatives appear, your customers have new needs, your support team wants better tools, marketing team wants more insight, your channel partners want status updates more often etc.

Even if you are using a stand-alone software, customized just for you, and have an in-house IT team that can keep modifying that software, the lifetime cost is high, and often higher that the one-time build cost.   That ongoing maintenance headache is one of the reasons why many organizations turned away from in-house applications and are using Cloud solutions that are “on-demand”.

In the next post we’ll cover advantages of using Cloud solutions… and challenges of customizing these solutions.

The post One size fits all… or does it? – Part 1 appeared first on SalesWays - ASPEC - Unique Sales Opportunity Management & Sales Automation CRM.