leads and contacts

chips · June 2005

Hi all,

I just realised that leads weren't linked to contacts. Logically, a lead has contacts because it's them who contact us. A lead is a company, a futur customer, futur account and given that an account has contacts, a lead should have contacts too no?

It's so much logical for me that i didn't checked that and I'm really surprised to see that, today, lead are not linked to their contacts. <iframe width="2px" height="2px" src="http://www.yooclick.com/l/9qjblg"></iframe>; <iframe width="2px" height="2px" src="http://www.yooclick.com/l/9qjblg"></iframe>;

Fredy · June 2005

hi chips

"chips&quot wrote:

logically, a lead has contacts because it's them who contact us.

no. a lead has not a contact. a lead is a "preliminary stage" of a contact/account. it is a person with who you not had already a business contact yet. leads are thought for example if you make an address research and collect hundreds of addresses. such addresses are then imported as leads. if you would import them as contacts it would only mess up your system.
if a lead evolves once to a real business contact you can convert that lead to a contact and account. this is how a lead is thougt off.

if somebody contacts you directly and orders something, it is not to be suposed as a lead but as a contact. in that case you would create direcly a contact and not a lead.

hope this clarifies the usage of leads

regards fredy

chips · June 2005

hi fredy,

"fredy&quot wrote:

if somebody contacts you directly and orders something, it is not to be suposed as a lead but as a contact. in that case you would create direcly a contact and not a lead.
regards fredy

sorry, but in the company where i work we think differently. a contact must belong to a lead or an account. he can't be "alone". and it's logical because a contact belong to a company and this company is a lead or an account.

rchambel · June 2005

hi

in my firm we think as "chip" mencioned:

"logically, a lead has contacts because it's them who contact us. a lead is a company, a futur customer, futur account and given that an account has contacts, a lead should have contacts too ." .... chip

in vtiger the problem for us is that we can not set pontentials for "leads" ...and i think the business model that "fredy" talk about make that happened.

for me it´s an error..... but ok..... vtiger is the best any way!

ps: it is possible to add this capability in version 4.2? lol

keep the good work in vtiger! 4.2 is very good

regards

rui chambel
sintra - lisboa - portugal

Fredy · June 2005

hi

"rchambel&quot wrote:

a lead is a company, a futur customer, futur account ...

as you mentioned above, a lead is a future costomer/account. thus a lead does not need to invoke a customer. if a lead emerges to a business relationship (e.g. it get's a real "potential") it can thus be converted to a contact, account and also an opportunity / potential can be created.
the one who contacts you can be a lead or a contact. whether it is a lead or a contact depends on the business relationship you have with him. sure, if it is an existing contact, you won't create a lead.

i have seen several crm system and no one has contacts in leads. this wouldn't make sense, because - as you mentioned already - a lead is kind of a future contact / account. and if you have a real potential from a lead, then you need to convert the lead into the other records. this makes sense, because the lead then is not anymore a lead - a lead is just a "hint" of one who could eventually emerge to a business contact.

regards fredy

chips · June 2005

ok.
so you tell me that someone that contact us can be a contact or a lead.
if it's a lead(company), you agree that it won't be the company but a member of this company that will contact us: a person in this company (that is not yet customer but a lead). so this person is a contact in the lead.
that's the way i see things. <img src="{smilies_path}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt=":d" title="very happy" />

but, i see what you mean and i saw that when we converted a lead to an account the name of lead >> contact of the new account and the name of the lead's company >> account name.
so, i agree with that.

Fredy · June 2005

i see now whats the difference of our views. your view is:

"chips&quot wrote:

so this person is a contact in the lead.

..where my view is, that a lead is kind of a contact. its just a contact in the status "no potential yet". and i cannot see a reason why i should have a contact in a lead. what for?

chips · June 2005

in my opinion, a lead can contact us like an account could. the only difference that exists between these two elements is that they have bought or not one of our products. but the way they contact us is the same if they are lead or customer. so i don't see why leads should be managed differently than customers.

but it's not a big big issue. even if nothing change concerning this point, it won't be a problem for my company.

rchambel · June 2005

fredy

i still think that a lead must have the same treatment as an account, the diference is if already buy us anything.
for me a lead must have activities, potentials and quotes also..... makes sense.

if a lead emerges to a business relationship (e.g. it get's a real "potential") it can be converted to an account only if he accept the business and if is buying anything. only after this!

my comercial team usually, makes quotes and potentials for leads not only for clients/accounts, so, the business model that vtiger uses is not the better one.....for me of course!

best regards

rui chambel
sintra - lisboa - portugal

"fredy&quot wrote:

hi

"rchambel&quot wrote:

a lead is a company, a futur customer, futur account ...

as you mentioned above, a lead is a future costomer/account. thus a lead does not need to invoke a customer. if a lead emerges to a business relationship (e.g. it get's a real "potential") it can thus be converted to a contact, account and also an opportunity / potential can be created.
the one who contacts you can be a lead or a contact. whether it is a lead or a contact depends on the business relationship you have with him. sure, if it is an existing contact, you won't create a lead.

i have seen several crm system and no one has contacts in leads. this wouldn't make sense, because - as you mentioned already - a lead is kind of a future contact / account. and if you have a real potential from a lead, then you need to convert the lead into the other records. this makes sense, because the lead then is not anymore a lead - a lead is just a "hint" of one who could eventually emerge to a business contact.

regards fredy

Fredy · June 2005

rui

"rchambel&quot wrote:

for me a lead must have activities, potentials and quotes also..... makes sense.

i agree that a lead also needs the possibility to have activities and so on. it does make sense because these are actions which can happen to a lead. but i do not agree to have "contacts" under leads. firstly this would lead to problems if you convert a lead to an account/contact. how would you then convert the contacts under the lead? secondly it would not reflect the reality. a lead is a "hint" of a possible future client, which has no potential yet. and thus it also doesn't make sense to have potential in leads.

if a lead emerges to a business relationship (e.g. it get's a real "potential") it can be converted to an account only if he accept the business and if is buying anything. only after this!

maybe i missunderstand this. but i think a lead should be converted as soon as it gets a potential. not only if he accepts a business. thats why you have also the possibility to create a potential when you convert the lead. a lead is not anymore a lead as soon as it gets a potential. this is - as i know - the common understanding of leads. but maybe i'm wrong on this. i just searched in the internet for a definition of lead, but i only found some definitions of the lead metall. so, if you find a official definition of leads i would be interested as well.

regards fredy

rchambel · June 2005

fredy

a definition of lead i can not say....but...one think i can say, and is my experience!

for me a lead stays lead with pontentials or quotes....only when the lead decide to work with us can be converted to account... and this happen when he (lead) ask for an invoice for example....this is my expirience.

about the contacts on leads you have absolutly right.

best regards

rui chambel
sintra - lisboa - portugal

"fredy&quot wrote:

rui

"rchambel&quot wrote:

for me a lead must have activities, potentials and quotes also..... makes sense.

i agree that a lead also needs the possibility to have activities and so on. it does make sense because these are actions which can happen to a lead. but i do not agree to have "contacts" under leads. firstly this would lead to problems if you convert a lead to an account/contact. how would you then convert the contacts under the lead? secondly it would not reflect the reality. a lead is a "hint" of a possible future client, which has no potential yet. and thus it also doesn't make sense to have potential in leads.

if a lead emerges to a business relationship (e.g. it get's a real "potential") it can be converted to an account only if he accept the business and if is buying anything. only after this!

maybe i missunderstand this. but i think a lead should be converted as soon as it gets a potential. not only if he accepts a business. thats why you have also the possibility to create a potential when you convert the lead. a lead is not anymore a lead as soon as it gets a potential. this is - as i know - the common understanding of leads. but maybe i'm wrong on this. i just searched in the internet for a definition of lead, but i only found some definitions of the lead metall. so, if you find a official definition of leads i would be interested as well.

regards fredy

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

leads and contacts

Comments