The best way to set up sugar to work for us

[malene.holm]

Hi there,
I am new to sugar, but since it can be adapted to our use I think it is a very good choice. I have tried to get my head around the lead-opportunities-contacts and accounts and feel that I am a bit stuck. The situation is the following:

We sell a product (different sizes and varieties) simple!

We get our leads from our website (they sign up for a sample) or from a show where we collect peoples details.
We then follow up with emails or normal mail.
we want to log any replies and correspondence but if they buy they of course turn into customers and we can log all information (email, conversations and so on) and we want to schedule calls to re buy (if they are not on auto ship).

my question is probably about the opportunities.. do I need them? can I bypass them and turn a lead into an account?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
Malene

[davidboris]

Hello,

Opportunity is not must when you convert your lead as contact(customer). When you convert your lead as a contact you can create new account or relate the existing account to that contact. Create Opportunity is still optional there.

Hope it helps.

[malene.holm]

Hi davidboris,

thanks for your reply.
I am now pondering this scenario:

a lead if hot turns into a opportunity and if they buy they get an account and they don't actually become a contact!

How do you think that would work or should an account have a contact attached??

/Malene

[davidboris]

Hello,

If you are trying to make lead - opportunity - account relation, that is also possible BUT to create an opportunity you have to have an account related to it.

As sugar doesn't allow you to create a lead - opportunity link until you create an Opportunity and to create an Opportunity you have to link it to an existing Account.

[malene.holm]

ok.. I think the better way is to skip the opportunity and convert a lead to a contact and an account then (as it seems that a contact also needs an account attached).

Thank you so much.. sometimes too much choice makes it more difficult! but all good.