question about accounts, contacts and opportunities

[Guest]

Hi there,

I run a direct selling business (tupperware) and am trying to use the BCM to
assist me when I'm at a party.
With direct selling, your customers attend a party at the residence of the
hostess.
I was setting up the host as an account, and the custmers as contacts. Here
is where my problems start:
A host can be a contact at another party, contacts can attend multiple
parties.

Also: with the opportunities, I'm trying to get the total to be displayed
and a difference between opportunities now, and completed. What can I do????

thanks,
Agnes

 

[Tim P via OfficeKB.com]

Agnes,

BCM is largely intended as a single user (or single business) database. If I
were you I would relate your BCM items in the following way. I would start
with just the Business Contact records only (regardless of what roles
different people have at different events) and use the category field as
necessary to differentiate them. You could think of (and categorize) these
Business Contact Records as "Leads" eventhough BCM does not have a designated
record for this. Each Lead can potentially evolve into an Opportunity once
they are possibly ready to buy. You can then create and link each of your
potential buyer Business Contacts to a separate Opportunity record according
to the financial transaction details of each. Once a purchase transaction
actually occurs, the Opportunity can then evolve into an Account Record with
both of the previous Business Contact and already linked Opportunity record
now linked to the Account Record with the Business Contact now also
designated in the Primary Contact field of the Account. If this Account
purchases again in the future you can create and link another Opportunity as
needed.

Best wishes,

-THP

 

[Guest]

Hi Tim,

Thanks for your answer, I'll try that.

The only limit I can see here is that I cannot use the bcm to calculate
total party sales, which is one of my requirements. I tried using the reports
but am not getting very far with it yet. I'll work it out one day

Thanks again

Agnes