Managing Role Players
Key persons, or role players, associated with an opportunity are responsible for making decisions about the opportunity. Using the Opportunities module, you can maintain details of external and internal role players.
External role players are members of the profile organization that offers the opportunity. They can also belong to other profiles. For example, the profile offering the opportunity can have a partner who plays an important role in the opportunity.
Internal role players are members of your organization, such as sales representatives, who are responsible for managing the opportunity.
Since both internal and external role players consider partners and competitors while making business decisions, maintaining their details in the Opportunities module is crucial. This also provides easy access to required information, expediting the decision-making process. For example, when you specify details of a competitor in an opportunity, you also specify the competing products and relevant information. This is useful while analyzing the success probability.
The Role Players tab of the Opportunity Details defines four types of role players who can be associated with an opportunity. The defined types are:
• External
• Internal
• Competitor
• Partner
The Opportunity Details screen lets you add new role players, or edit, copy, and delete existing records.
Role Players
External Role Player
All contacts attached to a profile that is targeted as an opportunity can be considered as external role players.
1 To add an external role player, select the External folder icon in the Role Players tab.
2 Right-click and select Add from the menu. This displays the Profile Details window.
3 In the Profile Details window, select the profile and the relevant contact who you want to add as an external role player. Enter the reporting details and the organizational relationship. Indicate the level of influence the profile is likely to have as a role player.
4 Select the Primary check box if you want to add this contact as the primary role player. To include this contact in performance evaluation, select the Participate in Performance Evaluation check box.
5 Save the record. The External icon displays the role player and the associated profile name, along with the relationship you have assigned to it.
Internal Role Player
People who are part of the organization and play a part in converting an opportunity to an actual sales order can be defined as internal role players. Account managers or sales representatives fall into this category.
1 To add an internal role player, select the Internal folder icon in the Role Players tab.
2 Right-click and select Add from the menu. This displays the SalesRep Details window.
3 In the SalesRep Details window, select the representative who you want to add as an internal role player. Enter the organizational relationship and the commission charged by this sales representative.
4 Select the Primary check box if you want to add this contact as the primary role player. To include this contact in performance evaluation, select the Participate in Performance Evaluation check box.
5 Save the record. The Internal icon displays the role player and the associated profile name, along with the relationship you have assigned to it.
Competitor
Any company that has a comparable product in the market can be termed as a competitor.
1 To add a competitor, select the Competitor folder icon in the Role Players tab.
2 Right-click and select Add from the menu. This displays the Competitors Details window.
3 In the Competitors Details window, select the profile you want to add as a competitor, and the relevant contacts.
4 Select the Primary check box if you want to add this competitor as the primary role player in this category.
5 Select the competing products from the look-up provided and add comments, if any.
6 Save the record. The Competitor icon displays the role player and the associated profile name.
Partner
Partners can be referred to as associates of the profile offering the opportunity. These partners may play an important role in deciding the fate of the opportunity; recording their details is important.
1 To add a partner, select the Partner folder icon in the Role Players tab.
2 Right-click and select Add from the menu. This displays the Partners Details window.
3 In the Partners Details window, select the profile and the relevant contacts who you want to add as role players.
4 Enter comments, if any, and save the record. The Partner icon displays the role player and the associated profile name.
