SFA (Sales Force Automation) is a tool to streamline and automate sales activities, deal management, customer management, etc., in order to strengthen sales capabilities. It is often referred to as a https://slimtime.co.jp/ sales support system .
In conventional sales methods, there are cases where managers are unable to grasp the progress of business negotiations, forecast and actual results, customer information, etc., and thus are unable to formulate effective sales strategies. In addition, since sales information and know-how are not accumulated, the transfer or resignation of a sales representative can have a significant impact on sales.
With the introduction of SFA, it is now possible to quantitatively grasp the behavior of sales representatives and the progress of negotiations, and to improve sales by discovering areas for improvement and implementing the PDCA cycle.
SFA makes it easier for managers to identify problems and improvements by understanding the behavior of sales representatives and visualizing the process. In addition, by centrally managing the information of each sales representative, which tends to be impersonal, managers will be able to provide appropriate guidance and advice at the right time.
On the other hand, there are also great benefits for sales representatives. By automating reporting tasks such as daily reports, which tend to be routine, salespeople can focus on approaching potential customers with high accuracy.
What SFA can do for you
The main functions of SFA include customer information management, case management, forecasting and forecasting, negotiation management, sales behavior management, task management, and daily and weekly reporting. For example, if you have a problem that you don't know how far a project is progressing, you can use the project management function of SFA to centrally manage information such as the progress of the project, expected orders, and sales amount, and share it with your team. You will also be able to follow up even when the person in charge of the case is not available, preventing lost opportunities.
Differences from CRM and MA
MA (Marketing Automation) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) are tools that can be easily confused with SFA. MA refers mainly to tools for automating marketing activities. MA is mainly a tool to automate marketing activities, such as sending out accurate information to target potential customers and grasping the degree of potential in real time. CRM, on the other hand, is a tool that can be translated as "customer relationship management," and is mainly used to centrally manage individual customer information and strengthen the relationship between the company and its customers.
Each tool has its own area of expertise: SFA is for streamlining sales activities, MA is for nurturing potential customers, and CRM is for building relationships with existing customers. On the other hand, SFA and CRM share many common functions, and since both are often used by sales departments, there is an aspect of similarity.
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