Vtiger CRM and prospecting

Vtiger is a CRM with a specific logic that you need to grasp if you want to trigger the benefits of digitizing the sales process in a CRM.

Two-level prospecting

In Vtiger, you have a LEADS (prospects) menu, which brings together people who arrive in the CRM by import, incoming email, submission of a web form, incoming call or direct interaction and for whom you need to carry out basic discovery.

The lead, a unique recording

The lead has one peculiarity that is sometimes considered an inconvenience: it does not allow several individuals or legal entities to be associated with a business opportunity.

The lead is in the same recording:

• physical contact,
• a company name,
• a single mailing address,
• a telephone,
• an email.

The lead is a record that is simple and concise, because it has only one purpose: to discover or not discover the possible business opportunity for your company.

Lead conversion

So a lead means you need to identify whether a sale is possible.

If this is the case, the lead is converted from a single record to three: the physical contact(s) in the CONTACTS database, the legal entity to be invoiced in the ACCOUNTS database, and the business opportunity becomes a BUSINESS.

The importance of not mixing LEADS and CONTACTS

Vtiger users often rush to import the physical persons they have in the CONTACTS database, but this approach is wrong.

A LEAD cannot be both prospect and customer, so you may not have the same person in the LEADS database as in the CONTACTS database.

How do you organize your import or cleaning of contacts in VTIGER?

1. In a spreadsheet, separate customer and former customer contacts from prospects.
2. Customer contacts and former customers belong to the Vtiger CONTACTS database and are respectively associated with an ACCOUNT - the legal entity attached to these customer contacts.
3. Prospects are again divided into two groups:
   1. Prospects for whom business has yet to be discovered are LEADS. This means that you need to initiate contact to find out whether the prospect's need/expectation is likely to lead to a sale.
      You can only convert these LEADS into CONTACTS + ACCOUNTS + BUSINESS from within VTIGER once you've made this basic discovery.
   2. Prospects for whom you are certain a sale is possible, because their expectations/needs correspond to the products and services you sell. These prospects are CONTACTS to be associated with a BUSINESS and attached to an ACCOUNT.

By following this logic, your CRM is in line with the golden rule of Vtiger prospecting, and you can benefit from properly calibrated dashboards and reports.

What's more, this logic has the advantage of being clear in terms of contact management:

• LEADS are potential business opportunities,
• CONTACTS are natural persons for whom opportunities have been identified, listed as BUSINESSES and associated with a legal entity in the ACCOUNTS database, which will be the entity to be invoiced.

To remember:

• A person cannot be both a LEAD and a CONTACT.
• CONTACTS, BUSINESSES and ACCOUNTS are created when a LEAD is converted.
• An ACCOUNT is a legal entity that will be invoiced if the sale is concluded.
• A CONTACT is a natural person attached to an ACCOUNT and a BUSINESS.
• An AFFAIRE is a business opportunity that can bring together several contacts from the same ACCOUNT.
• It's important to respect the logic of CRM to take advantage of Vtiger tools and gain clarity on the company's commercial situation.

Do you have a CRM project? Book a videoconference with Safyatou Diallo now.