Aug. 19, 2026
Dynamics 365 Opportunity Management - Simply Explained
Key Takeaways
- Dynamics 365 Opportunity Management provides sales teams with a centralized, shared deal record to replace scattered spreadsheets, emails, and personal notes.
- An opportunity represents a serious sales conversation linked to a customer account or contact, tracking specific products, expected revenue, and anticipated close dates.
- The standard business process flow guides deals through four distinct stages: Qualify, Develop, Propose, and Close.
- Maintaining accurate and current opportunity data is crucial for producing reliable sales forecasts and preventing an artificially inflated pipeline.
- Closing opportunities as either Won or Lost preserves valuable sales history and provides essential intelligence for future strategy.
Dynamics 365 Opportunity Management gives sales teams a structured way to manage serious sales conversations from the first qualified interest through to a clear outcome: won or lost. Instead of keeping deal information across spreadsheets, emails, personal notes, and individual inboxes, Dynamics 365 Sales creates a shared opportunity record containing the customer, expected revenue, products, activities, probability, expected close date, ownership, and sales history. In this episode of M365 FM, Mirko Peters explains how opportunities work and how they connect the entire sales process.
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WHAT IS AN OPPORTUNITY IN DYNAMICS 365?
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A lead represents early interest, while an opportunity represents a potential sale with enough information to manage as a real sales conversation. An opportunity connects the possible deal to an account or contact and records what the customer might buy, how much the deal could be worth, who owns it, and when it could close.
Think of an opportunity as a shared deal folder. Every serious buying conversation can have its own opportunity, even when multiple opportunities belong to the same customer.
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HOW OPPORTUNITIES ENTER DYNAMICS 365 SALES
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Many opportunities begin as leads. When a lead develops into a genuine buying conversation, the seller can qualify it and Dynamics 365 creates an opportunity while maintaining the connection to the original lead information.
Opportunities can also be created directly. Existing customers may request additional products or services, partners may introduce potential buyers, or account managers may discover expansion and renewal opportunities during customer conversations.
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THE FOUR SALES PIPELINE STAGES
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Dynamics 365 Sales uses a Business Process Flow to guide opportunities through four standard stages: Qualify, Develop, Propose, and Close.
During Qualify, sellers establish important facts such as the customer, timeframe, potential budget, purchasing process, and decision maker. Develop focuses on understanding customer needs, identifying stakeholders and competitors, and defining the proposed solution.
During Propose, the sales team develops and reviews the proposal before presenting it to the customer. Close represents the final stage of the buying conversation, where the final proposal, expected decision date, and outcome become increasingly clear.
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BUILDING AN OPPORTUNITY RECORD YOU CAN TRUST
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The opportunity record becomes the central workspace for managing the deal. Estimated revenue shows how much the opportunity could generate, while the potential close date indicates when the customer is expected to make a decision.
Probability provides additional context about the team's confidence in winning the opportunity. These values should change whenever the customer situation changes. Accurate opportunity information is essential because these records ultimately influence sales pipeline reporting and forecasting.
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PRODUCTS, PRICING AND REVENUE
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Opportunities can contain individual product line items representing what the customer may purchase. A software opportunity might include licenses, implementation services, training, and additional support.
Products can include quantities, prices, and discounts, allowing expected revenue to reflect the actual proposed solution rather than simply an estimated number. Dynamics 365 also maintains consistent currency between the opportunity and its related product records.
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ACTIVITIES, NOTES AND OWNERSHIP
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Sales opportunities aren't only about numbers. Calls, emails, meetings, tasks, and notes provide the context behind the deal. Recording these activities helps everyone understand what happened with the customer and what needs to happen next.
Each opportunity also has an owner responsible for keeping the sales conversation moving. Other specialists and managers can participate, but clear ownership prevents important actions from disappearing between team members.
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WHY OPPORTUNITY DATA MATTERS FOR FORECASTING
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Opportunity values and expected close dates contribute directly to the organization's view of potential future revenue. Outdated opportunity information therefore creates misleading forecasts.
If a customer moves their decision from June to September, the opportunity should reflect that immediately. Keeping an old close date doesn't make the deal happen sooner; it simply gives sales management an inaccurate picture of the pipeline.
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CLOSING OPPORTUNITIES AS WON OR LOST
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Every opportunity should eventually reach a clear outcome. When the customer buys, the opportunity is closed as Won. When the customer decides not to proceed, it should be closed as Lost.
Closing opportunities properly removes completed deals from the active pipeline while preserving their history inside Dynamics 365. Won opportunities show how successful deals developed, while lost opportunities can provide useful information about competitors, budget problems, delayed projects, or other reasons customers decided not to buy.
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LEARNING FROM LOST OPPORTUNITIES
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A lost opportunity still contains valuable sales intelligence. Recording meaningful loss reasons can help sales managers identify patterns across multiple deals.
If several customers select the same competitor, postpone projects, or raise similar pricing concerns, leadership gains evidence that can inform future sales conversations, positioning, and strategy. Leaving unsuccessful opportunities permanently open hides these signals and artificially inflates the pipeline.
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KEEPING THE SALES PIPELINE HONEST
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Good opportunity management depends on continuously updating the record as the customer conversation changes. Sellers should update expected revenue, probability, decision dates, products, stakeholders, competitors, and activities when new information becomes available.
When customers say yes, opportunities should be closed as Won. When customers say no, they should be closed as Lost. Deals shouldn't remain open simply because the sales team hopes circumstances might change.
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THE KEY TAKEAWAY
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Dynamics 365 Opportunity Management gives every serious sales conversation a structured home. From lead qualification and pipeline stages to products, revenue, activities, forecasting, and the final outcome, the opportunity record creates a shared picture of what is actually happening with the customer.
Keep the deal record current and Dynamics 365 can provide sellers, managers, and leadership with a much more reliable view of the sales pipeline and potential future revenue.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a lead and an opportunity in Dynamics 365 Sales?
A lead represents early, unverified interest from a marketing activity or initial outreach, whereas an opportunity is a qualified potential sale with enough shape and information to manage as a real buying conversation.
What are the four stages of the Dynamics 365 sales pipeline?
The standard business process flow guides deals through Qualify, Develop, Propose, and Close stages, helping sales teams gather necessary facts and move conversations toward an outcome.
How does Dynamics 365 calculate estimated revenue for an opportunity?
Estimated revenue can be entered manually or calculated automatically based on the specific product line items, quantities, prices, and discounts added to the opportunity record.
Why is it important to close lost opportunities with a reason?
Recording meaningful loss reasons removes completed deals from the active pipeline while providing sales management with actionable insights regarding competitors, pricing concerns, or delayed projects.
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What exactly is an opportunity in Dynamics 365 Sales?
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Is it just another name for a lead?
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Or does it mean a customer is genuinely close to buying?
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A lead is early interest,
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but an opportunity is a sales conversation
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with enough shape to track as a possible deal, O.
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It tells you who might buy, what they might buy,
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and when it could close.
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Welcome to another Microsoft Knowledge Nugget on M365.
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FM, EO, TM, M, Mercospitus, and WeO TM
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will follow that possible deal
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from its first serious conversation
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all the way to a clear result.
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One or lost.
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One, what an opportunity actually is.
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Think about how many sales teams used to work.
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Someone sends an email after a trade show.
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A salesperson scribbles a note, a call happens,
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and then a few details get dumped into a spreadsheet.
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The customer asks for pricing,
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but the notes sit in a mailbox,
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the spreadsheet lives in a shared folder,
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and nobody can tell how real the deal actually is.
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That kind of setup causes real problems.
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You don't know who owns the next action?
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You can out-empt see the customer,
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out-empts expected budget,
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and when a manager asks what might close this month,
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people start guessing.
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An opportunity gives that sales conversation one shared home.
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In plain English, an opportunity is a potential sale
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linked to a customer record.
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That customer could be an account,
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like a company, or a contact, like an individual person.
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It is now time for the company itself.
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Imagine Contoso is already a customer in Dynamics 365.
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Over time, Contoso might buy more than one thing from UOS,
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maybe 125 CRM licenses this month,
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training services later, and a support package next year.
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Those are separate buying conversations.
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Each conversation can become its own opportunity
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with its own amount, close date, products, people, and outcome.
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So you do now, Timothy, create one giant record
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called our Contoso Sales.
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O-O.
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Instead, you create a deal folder for each possible sale.
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Think of Dynamics 365 sales like an office building.
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The customer account is the company name on the reception list.
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The contact is the person you meet inside.
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An opportunity is the deal folder you carry from room to room
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while the sales work moves forward.
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That folder keeps the facts together.
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At the top, you give the opportunity a topic, oh,
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a short name people see when they scan an opportunity list.
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It needs to tell a useful story without opening the record.
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O-O.
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1T5 CRM licenses for Contoso Inc.
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air works well because you can see the product, quantity,
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and customer in one quick glance.
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O-O.
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New Deal O-Dos-Nan tell anyone much, especially when
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a sales team has dozens of open opportunities.
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The opportunity also records who the customer is,
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who owns the deal inside your company,
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how much revenue you expect, and the date you think
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the customer may decide.
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You can add a probability too.
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Probability is no tim to promise how it outmirs the sales team
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outmirs judgment about the chance of winning,
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based on what they know at that point.
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A deal with a real budget, a known decision maker,
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and a clear date, usually deserves more confidence
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than a casual conversation with no next meeting booked.
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These details help you work the deal day to day,
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but they also feed the sales forecast.
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When you look across all open opportunities,
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estimated revenue and potential closed dates
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give the team a picture of money that could arrive soon.
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If those dates are old or the amounts are guesses,
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the forecast becomes a neat looking screen full of bad information,
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keep the opportunity current, and the picture becomes useful.
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You can see which deals need attention.
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Managers can see what the team expects to close.
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A colleague can step in without searching through old emails
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because the deal folder holds the shared facts.
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Now, before you start filling in that folder,
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there are 10 as one practical question.
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Where did this potential sale come from?
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Two, how opportunities enter dynamics.
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365 sales.
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Most opportunities start as leads.
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But here's the thing they don't have to.
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A lead is where you store an early signal of interest
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while you figure out if there's a real buying conversation happening.
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Maybe someone filled out a form, you met them at an event.
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Or they replied to a campaign asking for more details.
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After a few conversations, you know more.
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The customer has a real need.
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They have a possible budget.
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Someone is willing to talk about a purchase.
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When the lead looks ready for sales work, you qualify it.
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Dynamics 365 sales then creates an opportunity from that lead.
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Information from the lead carries over automatically,
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so your sales team doesn't have to retype the same customer details.
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The lead and the new opportunities stay linked to,
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which makes it easy to look back at where the conversation started.
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That link keeps the early history within reach.
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Activities and notes from the lead become visible
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from the related opportunity record.
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If someone logged a phone call, recorded an email
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or wrote down what the prospect asked for,
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the next salesperson can find that context
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without digging through separate records.
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Once qualification happens,
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Dynamics 365 closes the lead record.
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That doesn't mean the information vanishes.
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It means the work changes shape.
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The team stops treating this person or company as an early prospect
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and starts managing a specific possible sale through the opportunity.
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Picture a sales rep named Alex.
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Alex talks to a contact who downloaded a product guide.
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At first, nobody knows whether the contact is browsing
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or actively planning a purchase.
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After a few conversations, the contact explains
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that their company needs 125 licenses
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and expects to decide this quarter.
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Alex qualifies the lead.
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Dynamics 365 creates the opportunity,
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connects it to the original lead,
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and lets Alex continue from the information already collected.
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The sales conversation can now move forward
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without losing its starting point.
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Still, a lead is only one door into the system.
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You can create an opportunity directly
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when there was never a lead to qualify.
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An existing customer might call and ask for an additional service.
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A trusted partner may introduce you to a buyer
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or your account manager might spot a renewal discussion
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during a customer meeting.
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Those situations already point to a possible deal.
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Creating the opportunity directly lets you record it straight away,
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even though it didn't come through a marketing list
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or an early lead process.
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You start with the customer and the facts you know,
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then fill in more as the conversation develops.
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Dynamics 365 also includes a way to copy an opportunity
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for repeat deals.
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Though Microsoft currently labels this as a preview feature,
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imagine a customer buys the same type of package again
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with similar products and terms.
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Instead of entering every field from scratch,
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you can copy the earlier opportunity, review the new record,
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and change details like the amount and dates
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before you save it.
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That can save time, but a copied opportunity
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isn't a clone of every bit of history.
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The new record starts open and returns to the first sale stage.
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The person copying it becomes the owner.
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Actual, close dates and actual revenue are blank
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and a competitor from a lost deal doesn't carry over.
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Activities, notes, attachments, quotes, orders, invoices,
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and the timeline stay with the original opportunity.
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That separation makes sense.
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The old calls and documents belong to the old deal
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while the new opportunity needs its own history
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from the first conversation onward.
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With an opportunity now in place,
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the process bar starts asking the questions
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a salesperson needs to answer before calling the deal
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ready to close.
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Three, the sales pipeline, four stages that keep deals honest.
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Across the top of an opportunity,
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Dynamics 365 sales shows a process bar.
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Microsoft calls it a business process flow,
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which sounds more complex than it needs to.
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Think of it as a visible path for the sales conversation.
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It doesn't sell anything for you.
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It doesn't prove a deal will close.
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What it does is remind you which questions
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still need answers before you move the opportunity forward.
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The standard process includes four stages.
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Qualify, develop, propose, and close.
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Each stage asks for a different kind of information
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that matters because a deal can feel promising
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after one good meeting while the customer still
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hasn't shared a budget named the person who decides
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or agreed on when they will choose.
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The first stage is qualify.
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By this point, you collect the basic facts
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about the customer and their possible purchase.
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You identify the contact you are working with
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and link the opportunity to the right account.
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You also ask about the purchase timeframe
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is the customer thinking about buying this month,
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this quarter, or sometime next year.
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A rough answer is better than no answer
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because it gives the team a starting point
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for the expected decision.
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Then there is budget.
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Estimated budget means the money the customer may have available.
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It isn't the same as the revenue you expect from the sale.
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00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,080
A customer might have a budget of $50,000
203
00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:29,160
while the product package you propose only costs 30,000.
204
00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:32,600
The process also asks how the customer makes buying decisions.
205
00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:33,960
One person may choose alone.
206
00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:35,840
A larger company may use a committee
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00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:38,640
with someone from finance, IT, procurement,
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and the business team involved.
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00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,640
You need to know which kind of decision you are dealing with
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because the next steps look very different
211
00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:46,360
and then you identify the decision maker.
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00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:48,760
A friendly contact can help you understand the problem
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but they may not control the budget
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00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:51,920
or approve the final purchase.
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00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:54,960
Marking the decision maker step complete means you know
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who can actually move the deal forward.
217
00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:58,680
You can also capture a short summary.
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00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:01,040
That summary gives anyone opening the opportunity
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00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:03,200
a quick view of the situation without asking them
220
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to read every call note first.
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Once you understand the basic shape of the deal
222
00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:09,240
you move into develop, this is where the conversation
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gets more specific.
224
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You record the customer need.
225
00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:15,800
What are they trying to fix, improve, replace, or achieve?
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Perhaps their sales team tracks customer details
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00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,600
in separate spreadsheets and can't see the full history
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when someone calls.
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That is the need.
230
00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:24,920
Next, you record the proposed solution.
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This is your answer to that need,
232
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such as a set of Dynamics 365 sales licenses,
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00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,680
set up help and training for the sales team.
234
00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,240
The stage also asks you to identify stakeholders.
235
00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:36,120
Stakeholders are people on the customer side
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who take part in the deal,
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00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:39,320
even if they don't sign the final approval.
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00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:41,240
A sales manager may care about reporting.
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00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:43,760
An IT lead may care about security and set up.
240
00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:45,680
A finance person may care about cost.
241
00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:47,960
Their concerns can change the whole conversation.
242
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Develop also includes competitors.
243
00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:51,800
If the customer is looking at another supplier
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00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:52,680
or another product,
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00:08:52,680 --> 00:08:53,880
record that when you know it.
246
00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:55,000
You don't need to guess.
247
00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,600
But if the customer tells you they are comparing options
248
00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,200
your team should see that before presenting a proposal
249
00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:01,400
then comes proposed.
250
00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:04,320
At this point you are ready to put a solution in front of the customer.
251
00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:06,080
The process asks you to identify the people
252
00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,480
from your own company who will help with the deal.
253
00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:11,240
A larger opportunity may need a sales person,
254
00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:12,360
a product expert,
255
00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:14,400
and someone who can answer technical questions
256
00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:16,360
even a smaller deal may need an internal review.
257
00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:18,440
So another person checks that the proposal matches
258
00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:19,600
what the customer asked for.
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00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:20,880
You develop the proposal.
260
00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:22,000
That might include the products,
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00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:23,440
pricing, scope of work,
262
00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:25,320
or terms the customer needs to review.
263
00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:29,040
Dynamics 365 lets you attach proposal files to the opportunity
264
00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:31,840
so the working record can point to what the customer received.
265
00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:33,080
Before you send or present it,
266
00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:34,680
complete the internal review.
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00:09:34,680 --> 00:09:36,120
This avoids a common problem.
268
00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:38,640
A salesperson sends a document that promises something
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00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:40,400
the delivery team can't provide
270
00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:42,560
or uses pricing that hasn't been approved.
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The customer presentation comes after that internal check.
272
00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:46,520
Only then do you move to close.
273
00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:48,320
Close doesn't mean the customer already agreed.
274
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It means the deal reached the final part of the buying conversation.
275
00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,280
You complete the final proposal and present it to the customer.
276
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You confirm the expected decision date
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rather than leaving an old date
278
00:09:57,680 --> 00:09:59,760
in the record from a meeting two months ago.
279
00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:02,720
The process also includes sending a thank you and filing a debrief.
280
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A thank you keeps the conversation professional,
281
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whether the answer is yes or no.
282
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A debrief captures what the team learned while the details are still fresh,
283
00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:12,160
especially when several people worked on the opportunity.
284
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Keep the stage current.
285
00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:16,920
Dynamics 365 uses stages in charts and dashboard views,
286
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including funnel charts that show how many opportunities
287
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sit at each point in the sales process.
288
00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:23,880
If people leave every deal in-propose because it sounds close,
289
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the funnel can look healthy.
290
00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,520
While the sales team has no clear decision dates or approved budgets,
291
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imagine a salesperson tells the manager
292
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all the software deal should close soon.
293
00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:33,800
Oh, it sounds good.
294
00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:36,760
But the qualifier stage still shows no known budget
295
00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:39,160
and nobody has identified the decision maker.
296
00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:40,720
The customer contact likes the product,
297
00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:43,400
but they may only be gathering information for someone else.
298
00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,200
That deal isn't ready to be treated like a near certain sale.
299
00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,600
The process bar doesn't replace good sales judgment,
300
00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:51,240
but it gives that judgment a place to show its work.
301
00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:53,600
Stages tell you where the conversation sits.
302
00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:55,560
The opportunity record holds the money,
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00:10:55,560 --> 00:10:57,280
products and history behind it.
304
00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:01,360
Adam 4, building a deal record you can trust so you owe TM.
305
00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:03,520
We got a sales conversation moving forward.
306
00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:06,040
The process bar shows that, but the real work
307
00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:07,640
lives in the opportunity record,
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oh, the place where your team keeps all the working details.
309
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Think of it as the shared file for one possible sale.
310
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You keep the customer discussion,
311
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the expected revenue, the products they are,
312
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tomry considering the calls, the meetings,
313
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and the open tasks all in one spot.
314
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That way, nobody has to rebuild the story from memory
315
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before the next customer calls.
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Let's now start with the numbers people usually ask about first.
317
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Estimated revenue is the amount you expect
318
00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:31,640
this opportunity could bring in.
319
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Potential close date is when you expect the customer to decide.
320
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Together, those two fields help a manager see
321
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what might land in a given month or quarter.
322
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But they need honest updates.
323
00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:42,800
If a customer pushes their decision from June to September,
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change the potential close date the moment you learn that.
325
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Leaving June in the record will now
326
00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,280
might make the sale happen faster.
327
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It only gives the team a false picture of what who TM's ahead.
328
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You can enter estimated revenue yourself
329
00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:57,280
when you don't know it empty yet know the full product list.
330
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Later, when you add products,
331
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Dynamics 365 can calculate the revenue
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from product prices, quantities, and discounts.
333
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That gives the amount more detail
334
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because it ties the expected money to the things
335
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the customer may actually buy.
336
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Probability sits right next to those numbers
337
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and it needs the same care.
338
00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:15,720
A probability is your team out TM's view of the chance of winning.
339
00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,640
It helps people look at a group of open deals with more context,
340
00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:19,960
but it does know it in Tirte de Tener,
341
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turn a guess into a forecast you can rely on.
342
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Let the customer conversation guide it.
343
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A deal where the buyer agreed on the solution, budget,
344
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and decision date can carry more confidence
345
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than one where a contact simply asked for a brochure.
346
00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:33,840
If the buyer stops replying or adds a new approval step,
347
00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:37,120
lower the probability, rather than keeping an old optimistic number,
348
00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:38,240
then add the products.
349
00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,000
An opportunity can include product line items, are you?
350
00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:42,840
The individual items the customer may buy.
351
00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:45,600
For a software sale, that could mean 125 licenses,
352
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a training package, and set up services.
353
00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:50,400
Each line carries a quantity and pricing details.
354
00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:52,880
This connects the deal to the actual proposal.
355
00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:54,880
It also keeps an important rule in place.
356
00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:58,000
The opportunity and its product lines use the same currency.
357
00:12:58,000 --> 00:12:59,880
If the opportunity uses US dollars,
358
00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:01,840
the product lines use US dollars too,
359
00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:03,760
and records created from the opportunity,
360
00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:06,200
are you like quotes, orders, or invoices?
361
00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,560
Oh, follow that same currency.
362
00:13:08,560 --> 00:13:11,720
Changing currency later can take a little work.
363
00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:14,080
Dynamics 365, one out damn.
364
00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:16,760
Let you change the opportunity currency
365
00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:18,680
while product lines still sit on the record.
366
00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:21,560
You remove those line items first, change the currency,
367
00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:23,640
then add the right items again.
368
00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:25,240
That stops one deal from mixing amounts
369
00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,080
that do not automatically belong together.
370
00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:30,720
Numbers matter, but sales work happens through conversations.
371
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Use the activity area for phone calls, meetings, emails,
372
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and tasks.
373
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After a customer call, record what changed,
374
00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:40,040
who needs to do something next, and when that action should happen.
375
00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:42,240
Before your next call, you can see the last discussion
376
00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:43,600
without searching your inbox.
377
00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:45,840
Notes hold the extra context that does now
378
00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:47,840
to match fit neatly into a field.
379
00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,040
Maybe the customer prefers a face setup.
380
00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:52,080
Maybe their finance team needs a certain document
381
00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:53,280
before approval.
382
00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:55,800
Write it down while it outerms fresh,
383
00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:59,320
using clear words that another person can understand.
384
00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:01,400
The owner field gives one person responsibility
385
00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:03,240
for keeping the opportunity moving.
386
00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:05,200
That does not mean they work alone.
387
00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:07,600
A sales manager, product specialist, or colleague
388
00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:09,000
can all take part.
389
00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,000
But the owner makes sure the next step does not
390
00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:12,680
to meet the disappear because everybody
391
00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:14,760
assumed somebody else would handle it.
392
00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:17,120
A good opportunity record lets the wider team work
393
00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:18,320
from the same facts.
394
00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:20,560
If the owner takes a day off, the customer does not
395
00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:22,880
out mad, need to repeat their story.
396
00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,520
If a manager asks about the amount or expected date,
397
00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:27,960
the answer sits in the record rather than in someone
398
00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:30,720
or to his head, keep it current as the deal changes.
399
00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,000
A well-filled record supports the team during the sale,
400
00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:34,960
but eventually the customer reaches a decision
401
00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:38,560
and Dynamics 365 needs that decision recorded clearly.
402
00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:42,640
Five, winning, losing, and learning from every deal.
403
00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:44,960
Eventually, the customer reaches a decision.
404
00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:48,040
When that happens, don't know team mint, just change a status
405
00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:49,080
field, and move on.
406
00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:52,120
Dynamics 365 sales treats closing an opportunity
407
00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,120
as a formal action because the outcome
408
00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:55,760
affects the sales record, the forecast,
409
00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:57,960
and the way your team reviews its work later.
410
00:14:57,960 --> 00:14:59,360
You close it as one or lost.
411
00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:01,080
One means the customer agreed to buy.
412
00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:03,560
The opportunity no longer sits in the open pipeline
413
00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,120
as money that might arrive because the sale has a confirmed
414
00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:06,800
result.
415
00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:08,840
The record stays in Dynamics 365.
416
00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:10,680
That matters because a one opportunity
417
00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,200
contains the history of how the deal came together.
418
00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:14,480
Later, someone can see the customer
419
00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:16,360
need the proposal, the activity history,
420
00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:18,720
and the final result without trying to remember a deal
421
00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:21,760
from months ago, closing as lost matters just as much.
422
00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:24,000
A lost opportunity does not disappear,
423
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:25,480
and it should not.
424
00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:26,960
The customer may come back later.
425
00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:29,720
The same customer may still buy a different product.
426
00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:32,480
Your team may also need to understand why the conversation
427
00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:34,760
stopped, rather than quietly pretending
428
00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:36,200
the deal never existed.
429
00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:38,400
When you choose one or lost Dynamics 365
430
00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:40,160
opens an opportunity close form.
431
00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:41,800
This is where your organization can collect
432
00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:44,200
the final details it wants people to record
433
00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:46,920
for a one deal that could include the actual revenue.
434
00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:48,560
For a lost deal, it may include the reason
435
00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:50,160
the customer chose not to buy.
436
00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:51,160
Keep that reason useful.
437
00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:52,840
Our lost tower tells you nothing.
438
00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:53,880
Our budget removed.
439
00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:55,400
Our user elected a competitor.
440
00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:57,200
Our own project delayed until next year
441
00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,560
or gives the team a real reason they can review later.
442
00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,320
Competitor information can help too when you know it.
443
00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:04,280
Suppose several opportunities closes lost
444
00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:06,760
because customers choose the same competing product.
445
00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:09,480
That does notem-t automatically mean your product is wrong.
446
00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:11,920
But it gives sales leaders a question to investigate.
447
00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:14,320
Our customers hearing a clearer message from that competitor
448
00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:15,800
is there a pricing concern?
449
00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,560
Does the team need better answers to a common objection?
450
00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:21,280
The close record gives those conversations some evidence.
451
00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:23,680
Without it, a manager sees only a list of deals
452
00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:25,000
that did not emit close.
453
00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,400
With a clear lost reason, they can look for patterns
454
00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:29,880
across many opportunities, while still remembering
455
00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,400
that each customer made their own decision.
456
00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:34,320
A clean close also changes the forecast.
457
00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,280
Open opportunities represent possible future revenue.
458
00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:39,080
Close opportunities record results.
459
00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:40,720
When sellers leave all deals open
460
00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:42,840
because closing them feels uncomfortable,
461
00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:44,360
the pipeline starts carrying money
462
00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:46,600
that no longer has a real chance of arriving.
463
00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:48,000
That can lead to bad decisions.
464
00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:50,040
A manager might expect a strong quarter,
465
00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:52,000
plan around that expected revenue,
466
00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:53,760
and only discover too late that several
467
00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,040
I will leakily our deals had already stalled
468
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or gone elsewhere.
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Closing loss does not know to make create the problem.
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It lets the team see the problem while there is still time
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to respond.
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Imagine a customer chooses another supplier
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after weeks of meetings.
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The salesperson could leave the opportunity open,
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perhaps hoping the customer changes their mind.
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But the customer has signed elsewhere,
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so the active sale has ended.
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Closing it as lost records the result captures what happened
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and removes an amount from the open forecast
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that the team should not meet the count on.
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That is honest sales management.
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The same habit applies to wins.
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If the customer confirms the purchase,
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close it as one rather than leaving it in a late sales stage
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while the next steps happen outside the system.
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A sale that already closed should now
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met keep inflating the open pipeline.
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Update the record when the customer conversation changes.
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Don't know to maintain, wait for a Friday review meeting,
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the end of the month, or a manager asking questions.
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If the decision date moves recorded,
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if a competitor enters the deal recorded,
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if the customer says no, close it properly,
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that gives your team a sales view
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based on current customer decisions, not old hope.
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Conclusion?
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Keep the deal folder current.
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Think of opportunity management
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as keeping a deal folder for each serious sales conversation.
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Keep it current and your forecast
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will show what customers are likely to buy.
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Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform
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and share this knowledge nugget
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with someone learning Dynamics 365 sales.
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Next time a customer decides
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that opportunity should show one or lost.
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Not sit open with a date from last quarter.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,640
What exactly is an opportunity in Dynamics 365 Sales?
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Is it just another name for a lead?
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Or does it mean a customer is genuinely close to buying?
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A lead is early interest,
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but an opportunity is a sales conversation
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with enough shape to track as a possible deal, O.
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It tells you who might buy, what they might buy,
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and when it could close.
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Welcome to another Microsoft Knowledge Nugget on M365.
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FM, EO, TM, M, Mercospitus, and WeO TM
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will follow that possible deal
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from its first serious conversation
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all the way to a clear result.
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One or lost.
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One, what an opportunity actually is.
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Think about how many sales teams used to work.
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Someone sends an email after a trade show.
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A salesperson scribbles a note, a call happens,
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and then a few details get dumped into a spreadsheet.
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The customer asks for pricing,
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but the notes sit in a mailbox,
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the spreadsheet lives in a shared folder,
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and nobody can tell how real the deal actually is.
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That kind of setup causes real problems.
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You don't know who owns the next action?
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You can out-empt see the customer,
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out-empts expected budget,
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and when a manager asks what might close this month,
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people start guessing.
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An opportunity gives that sales conversation one shared home.
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In plain English, an opportunity is a potential sale
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linked to a customer record.
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That customer could be an account,
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like a company, or a contact, like an individual person.
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It is now time for the company itself.
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Imagine Contoso is already a customer in Dynamics 365.
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Over time, Contoso might buy more than one thing from UOS,
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maybe 125 CRM licenses this month,
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training services later, and a support package next year.
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Those are separate buying conversations.
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Each conversation can become its own opportunity
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with its own amount, close date, products, people, and outcome.
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So you do now, Timothy, create one giant record
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called our Contoso Sales.
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O-O.
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Instead, you create a deal folder for each possible sale.
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Think of Dynamics 365 sales like an office building.
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The customer account is the company name on the reception list.
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The contact is the person you meet inside.
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An opportunity is the deal folder you carry from room to room
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while the sales work moves forward.
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That folder keeps the facts together.
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At the top, you give the opportunity a topic, oh,
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a short name people see when they scan an opportunity list.
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It needs to tell a useful story without opening the record.
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O-O.
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1T5 CRM licenses for Contoso Inc.
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air works well because you can see the product, quantity,
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and customer in one quick glance.
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O-O.
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New Deal O-Dos-Nan tell anyone much, especially when
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a sales team has dozens of open opportunities.
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The opportunity also records who the customer is,
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who owns the deal inside your company,
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how much revenue you expect, and the date you think
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the customer may decide.
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You can add a probability too.
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Probability is no tim to promise how it outmirs the sales team
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outmirs judgment about the chance of winning,
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based on what they know at that point.
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A deal with a real budget, a known decision maker,
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and a clear date, usually deserves more confidence
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than a casual conversation with no next meeting booked.
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These details help you work the deal day to day,
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but they also feed the sales forecast.
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When you look across all open opportunities,
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estimated revenue and potential closed dates
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give the team a picture of money that could arrive soon.
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If those dates are old or the amounts are guesses,
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the forecast becomes a neat looking screen full of bad information,
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keep the opportunity current, and the picture becomes useful.
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You can see which deals need attention.
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Managers can see what the team expects to close.
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A colleague can step in without searching through old emails
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because the deal folder holds the shared facts.
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Now, before you start filling in that folder,
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there are 10 as one practical question.
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Where did this potential sale come from?
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Two, how opportunities enter dynamics.
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365 sales.
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Most opportunities start as leads.
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But here's the thing they don't have to.
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A lead is where you store an early signal of interest
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while you figure out if there's a real buying conversation happening.
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Maybe someone filled out a form, you met them at an event.
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Or they replied to a campaign asking for more details.
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After a few conversations, you know more.
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The customer has a real need.
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They have a possible budget.
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Someone is willing to talk about a purchase.
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When the lead looks ready for sales work, you qualify it.
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Dynamics 365 sales then creates an opportunity from that lead.
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Information from the lead carries over automatically,
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so your sales team doesn't have to retype the same customer details.
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The lead and the new opportunities stay linked to,
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which makes it easy to look back at where the conversation started.
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That link keeps the early history within reach.
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Activities and notes from the lead become visible
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from the related opportunity record.
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If someone logged a phone call, recorded an email
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or wrote down what the prospect asked for,
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the next salesperson can find that context
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without digging through separate records.
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Once qualification happens,
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Dynamics 365 closes the lead record.
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That doesn't mean the information vanishes.
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It means the work changes shape.
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The team stops treating this person or company as an early prospect
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and starts managing a specific possible sale through the opportunity.
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Picture a sales rep named Alex.
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Alex talks to a contact who downloaded a product guide.
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At first, nobody knows whether the contact is browsing
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or actively planning a purchase.
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After a few conversations, the contact explains
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that their company needs 125 licenses
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and expects to decide this quarter.
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Alex qualifies the lead.
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Dynamics 365 creates the opportunity,
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connects it to the original lead,
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and lets Alex continue from the information already collected.
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The sales conversation can now move forward
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without losing its starting point.
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Still, a lead is only one door into the system.
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You can create an opportunity directly
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when there was never a lead to qualify.
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An existing customer might call and ask for an additional service.
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A trusted partner may introduce you to a buyer
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or your account manager might spot a renewal discussion
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during a customer meeting.
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Those situations already point to a possible deal.
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Creating the opportunity directly lets you record it straight away,
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even though it didn't come through a marketing list
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or an early lead process.
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You start with the customer and the facts you know,
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then fill in more as the conversation develops.
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00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,240
Dynamics 365 also includes a way to copy an opportunity
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for repeat deals.
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Though Microsoft currently labels this as a preview feature,
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imagine a customer buys the same type of package again
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with similar products and terms.
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Instead of entering every field from scratch,
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you can copy the earlier opportunity, review the new record,
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and change details like the amount and dates
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before you save it.
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That can save time, but a copied opportunity
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isn't a clone of every bit of history.
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The new record starts open and returns to the first sale stage.
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The person copying it becomes the owner.
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Actual, close dates and actual revenue are blank
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and a competitor from a lost deal doesn't carry over.
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Activities, notes, attachments, quotes, orders, invoices,
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and the timeline stay with the original opportunity.
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That separation makes sense.
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The old calls and documents belong to the old deal
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while the new opportunity needs its own history
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from the first conversation onward.
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With an opportunity now in place,
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the process bar starts asking the questions
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a salesperson needs to answer before calling the deal
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ready to close.
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Three, the sales pipeline, four stages that keep deals honest.
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Across the top of an opportunity,
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Dynamics 365 sales shows a process bar.
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Microsoft calls it a business process flow,
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which sounds more complex than it needs to.
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Think of it as a visible path for the sales conversation.
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It doesn't sell anything for you.
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It doesn't prove a deal will close.
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What it does is remind you which questions
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still need answers before you move the opportunity forward.
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The standard process includes four stages.
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Qualify, develop, propose, and close.
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Each stage asks for a different kind of information
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that matters because a deal can feel promising
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after one good meeting while the customer still
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hasn't shared a budget named the person who decides
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or agreed on when they will choose.
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The first stage is qualify.
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By this point, you collect the basic facts
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about the customer and their possible purchase.
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You identify the contact you are working with
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and link the opportunity to the right account.
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You also ask about the purchase timeframe
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is the customer thinking about buying this month,
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this quarter, or sometime next year.
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A rough answer is better than no answer
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because it gives the team a starting point
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for the expected decision.
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Then there is budget.
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Estimated budget means the money the customer may have available.
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It isn't the same as the revenue you expect from the sale.
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A customer might have a budget of $50,000
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while the product package you propose only costs 30,000.
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The process also asks how the customer makes buying decisions.
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One person may choose alone.
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A larger company may use a committee
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with someone from finance, IT, procurement,
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and the business team involved.
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You need to know which kind of decision you are dealing with
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because the next steps look very different
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and then you identify the decision maker.
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A friendly contact can help you understand the problem
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but they may not control the budget
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or approve the final purchase.
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Marking the decision maker step complete means you know
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who can actually move the deal forward.
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You can also capture a short summary.
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That summary gives anyone opening the opportunity
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a quick view of the situation without asking them
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to read every call note first.
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Once you understand the basic shape of the deal
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you move into develop, this is where the conversation
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gets more specific.
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You record the customer need.
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What are they trying to fix, improve, replace, or achieve?
226
00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:17,960
Perhaps their sales team tracks customer details
227
00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,600
in separate spreadsheets and can't see the full history
228
00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:21,760
when someone calls.
229
00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:22,760
That is the need.
230
00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:24,920
Next, you record the proposed solution.
231
00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:26,440
This is your answer to that need,
232
00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:29,200
such as a set of Dynamics 365 sales licenses,
233
00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,680
set up help and training for the sales team.
234
00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,240
The stage also asks you to identify stakeholders.
235
00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:36,120
Stakeholders are people on the customer side
236
00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:37,360
who take part in the deal,
237
00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:39,320
even if they don't sign the final approval.
238
00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:41,240
A sales manager may care about reporting.
239
00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:43,760
An IT lead may care about security and set up.
240
00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:45,680
A finance person may care about cost.
241
00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:47,960
Their concerns can change the whole conversation.
242
00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:49,840
Develop also includes competitors.
243
00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:51,800
If the customer is looking at another supplier
244
00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:52,680
or another product,
245
00:08:52,680 --> 00:08:53,880
record that when you know it.
246
00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:55,000
You don't need to guess.
247
00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,600
But if the customer tells you they are comparing options
248
00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,200
your team should see that before presenting a proposal
249
00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:01,400
then comes proposed.
250
00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:04,320
At this point you are ready to put a solution in front of the customer.
251
00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:06,080
The process asks you to identify the people
252
00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,480
from your own company who will help with the deal.
253
00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:11,240
A larger opportunity may need a sales person,
254
00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:12,360
a product expert,
255
00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:14,400
and someone who can answer technical questions
256
00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:16,360
even a smaller deal may need an internal review.
257
00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:18,440
So another person checks that the proposal matches
258
00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:19,600
what the customer asked for.
259
00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:20,880
You develop the proposal.
260
00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:22,000
That might include the products,
261
00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:23,440
pricing, scope of work,
262
00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:25,320
or terms the customer needs to review.
263
00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:29,040
Dynamics 365 lets you attach proposal files to the opportunity
264
00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:31,840
so the working record can point to what the customer received.
265
00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:33,080
Before you send or present it,
266
00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:34,680
complete the internal review.
267
00:09:34,680 --> 00:09:36,120
This avoids a common problem.
268
00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:38,640
A salesperson sends a document that promises something
269
00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:40,400
the delivery team can't provide
270
00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:42,560
or uses pricing that hasn't been approved.
271
00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:45,120
The customer presentation comes after that internal check.
272
00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:46,520
Only then do you move to close.
273
00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:48,320
Close doesn't mean the customer already agreed.
274
00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,480
It means the deal reached the final part of the buying conversation.
275
00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,280
You complete the final proposal and present it to the customer.
276
00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:56,280
You confirm the expected decision date
277
00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:57,680
rather than leaving an old date
278
00:09:57,680 --> 00:09:59,760
in the record from a meeting two months ago.
279
00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:02,720
The process also includes sending a thank you and filing a debrief.
280
00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:04,640
A thank you keeps the conversation professional,
281
00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:06,880
whether the answer is yes or no.
282
00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,800
A debrief captures what the team learned while the details are still fresh,
283
00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:12,160
especially when several people worked on the opportunity.
284
00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:13,560
Keep the stage current.
285
00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:16,920
Dynamics 365 uses stages in charts and dashboard views,
286
00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,360
including funnel charts that show how many opportunities
287
00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:21,440
sit at each point in the sales process.
288
00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:23,880
If people leave every deal in-propose because it sounds close,
289
00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:25,280
the funnel can look healthy.
290
00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,520
While the sales team has no clear decision dates or approved budgets,
291
00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:30,240
imagine a salesperson tells the manager
292
00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:32,400
all the software deal should close soon.
293
00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:33,800
Oh, it sounds good.
294
00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:36,760
But the qualifier stage still shows no known budget
295
00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:39,160
and nobody has identified the decision maker.
296
00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:40,720
The customer contact likes the product,
297
00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:43,400
but they may only be gathering information for someone else.
298
00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,200
That deal isn't ready to be treated like a near certain sale.
299
00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,600
The process bar doesn't replace good sales judgment,
300
00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:51,240
but it gives that judgment a place to show its work.
301
00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:53,600
Stages tell you where the conversation sits.
302
00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:55,560
The opportunity record holds the money,
303
00:10:55,560 --> 00:10:57,280
products and history behind it.
304
00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:01,360
Adam 4, building a deal record you can trust so you owe TM.
305
00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:03,520
We got a sales conversation moving forward.
306
00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:06,040
The process bar shows that, but the real work
307
00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:07,640
lives in the opportunity record,
308
00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:10,240
oh, the place where your team keeps all the working details.
309
00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:12,880
Think of it as the shared file for one possible sale.
310
00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:14,280
You keep the customer discussion,
311
00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:15,880
the expected revenue, the products they are,
312
00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:18,200
tomry considering the calls, the meetings,
313
00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:20,360
and the open tasks all in one spot.
314
00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,360
That way, nobody has to rebuild the story from memory
315
00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:25,280
before the next customer calls.
316
00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,520
Let's now start with the numbers people usually ask about first.
317
00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:30,200
Estimated revenue is the amount you expect
318
00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:31,640
this opportunity could bring in.
319
00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:34,320
Potential close date is when you expect the customer to decide.
320
00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:36,520
Together, those two fields help a manager see
321
00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:38,680
what might land in a given month or quarter.
322
00:11:38,680 --> 00:11:40,000
But they need honest updates.
323
00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:42,800
If a customer pushes their decision from June to September,
324
00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:45,600
change the potential close date the moment you learn that.
325
00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:47,120
Leaving June in the record will now
326
00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,280
might make the sale happen faster.
327
00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:52,560
It only gives the team a false picture of what who TM's ahead.
328
00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:54,440
You can enter estimated revenue yourself
329
00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:57,280
when you don't know it empty yet know the full product list.
330
00:11:57,280 --> 00:11:58,760
Later, when you add products,
331
00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:00,880
Dynamics 365 can calculate the revenue
332
00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:03,440
from product prices, quantities, and discounts.
333
00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:04,960
That gives the amount more detail
334
00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:07,120
because it ties the expected money to the things
335
00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:08,880
the customer may actually buy.
336
00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:10,640
Probability sits right next to those numbers
337
00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:12,120
and it needs the same care.
338
00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:15,720
A probability is your team out TM's view of the chance of winning.
339
00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,640
It helps people look at a group of open deals with more context,
340
00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:19,960
but it does know it in Tirte de Tener,
341
00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:22,240
turn a guess into a forecast you can rely on.
342
00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:24,320
Let the customer conversation guide it.
343
00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:26,560
A deal where the buyer agreed on the solution, budget,
344
00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:28,320
and decision date can carry more confidence
345
00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:30,960
than one where a contact simply asked for a brochure.
346
00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:33,840
If the buyer stops replying or adds a new approval step,
347
00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:37,120
lower the probability, rather than keeping an old optimistic number,
348
00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:38,240
then add the products.
349
00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,000
An opportunity can include product line items, are you?
350
00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:42,840
The individual items the customer may buy.
351
00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:45,600
For a software sale, that could mean 125 licenses,
352
00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:47,800
a training package, and set up services.
353
00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:50,400
Each line carries a quantity and pricing details.
354
00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:52,880
This connects the deal to the actual proposal.
355
00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:54,880
It also keeps an important rule in place.
356
00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:58,000
The opportunity and its product lines use the same currency.
357
00:12:58,000 --> 00:12:59,880
If the opportunity uses US dollars,
358
00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:01,840
the product lines use US dollars too,
359
00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:03,760
and records created from the opportunity,
360
00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:06,200
are you like quotes, orders, or invoices?
361
00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,560
Oh, follow that same currency.
362
00:13:08,560 --> 00:13:11,720
Changing currency later can take a little work.
363
00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:14,080
Dynamics 365, one out damn.
364
00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:16,760
Let you change the opportunity currency
365
00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:18,680
while product lines still sit on the record.
366
00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:21,560
You remove those line items first, change the currency,
367
00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:23,640
then add the right items again.
368
00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:25,240
That stops one deal from mixing amounts
369
00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,080
that do not automatically belong together.
370
00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:30,720
Numbers matter, but sales work happens through conversations.
371
00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:33,800
Use the activity area for phone calls, meetings, emails,
372
00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:34,760
and tasks.
373
00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:37,080
After a customer call, record what changed,
374
00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:40,040
who needs to do something next, and when that action should happen.
375
00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:42,240
Before your next call, you can see the last discussion
376
00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:43,600
without searching your inbox.
377
00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:45,840
Notes hold the extra context that does now
378
00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:47,840
to match fit neatly into a field.
379
00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,040
Maybe the customer prefers a face setup.
380
00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:52,080
Maybe their finance team needs a certain document
381
00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:53,280
before approval.
382
00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:55,800
Write it down while it outerms fresh,
383
00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:59,320
using clear words that another person can understand.
384
00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:01,400
The owner field gives one person responsibility
385
00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:03,240
for keeping the opportunity moving.
386
00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:05,200
That does not mean they work alone.
387
00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:07,600
A sales manager, product specialist, or colleague
388
00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:09,000
can all take part.
389
00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,000
But the owner makes sure the next step does not
390
00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:12,680
to meet the disappear because everybody
391
00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:14,760
assumed somebody else would handle it.
392
00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:17,120
A good opportunity record lets the wider team work
393
00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:18,320
from the same facts.
394
00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:20,560
If the owner takes a day off, the customer does not
395
00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:22,880
out mad, need to repeat their story.
396
00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,520
If a manager asks about the amount or expected date,
397
00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:27,960
the answer sits in the record rather than in someone
398
00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:30,720
or to his head, keep it current as the deal changes.
399
00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,000
A well-filled record supports the team during the sale,
400
00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:34,960
but eventually the customer reaches a decision
401
00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:38,560
and Dynamics 365 needs that decision recorded clearly.
402
00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:42,640
Five, winning, losing, and learning from every deal.
403
00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:44,960
Eventually, the customer reaches a decision.
404
00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:48,040
When that happens, don't know team mint, just change a status
405
00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:49,080
field, and move on.
406
00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:52,120
Dynamics 365 sales treats closing an opportunity
407
00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,120
as a formal action because the outcome
408
00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:55,760
affects the sales record, the forecast,
409
00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:57,960
and the way your team reviews its work later.
410
00:14:57,960 --> 00:14:59,360
You close it as one or lost.
411
00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:01,080
One means the customer agreed to buy.
412
00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:03,560
The opportunity no longer sits in the open pipeline
413
00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,120
as money that might arrive because the sale has a confirmed
414
00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:06,800
result.
415
00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:08,840
The record stays in Dynamics 365.
416
00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:10,680
That matters because a one opportunity
417
00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,200
contains the history of how the deal came together.
418
00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:14,480
Later, someone can see the customer
419
00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:16,360
need the proposal, the activity history,
420
00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:18,720
and the final result without trying to remember a deal
421
00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:21,760
from months ago, closing as lost matters just as much.
422
00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:24,000
A lost opportunity does not disappear,
423
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:25,480
and it should not.
424
00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:26,960
The customer may come back later.
425
00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:29,720
The same customer may still buy a different product.
426
00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:32,480
Your team may also need to understand why the conversation
427
00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:34,760
stopped, rather than quietly pretending
428
00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:36,200
the deal never existed.
429
00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:38,400
When you choose one or lost Dynamics 365
430
00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:40,160
opens an opportunity close form.
431
00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:41,800
This is where your organization can collect
432
00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:44,200
the final details it wants people to record
433
00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:46,920
for a one deal that could include the actual revenue.
434
00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:48,560
For a lost deal, it may include the reason
435
00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:50,160
the customer chose not to buy.
436
00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:51,160
Keep that reason useful.
437
00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:52,840
Our lost tower tells you nothing.
438
00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:53,880
Our budget removed.
439
00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:55,400
Our user elected a competitor.
440
00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:57,200
Our own project delayed until next year
441
00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,560
or gives the team a real reason they can review later.
442
00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,320
Competitor information can help too when you know it.
443
00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:04,280
Suppose several opportunities closes lost
444
00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:06,760
because customers choose the same competing product.
445
00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:09,480
That does notem-t automatically mean your product is wrong.
446
00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:11,920
But it gives sales leaders a question to investigate.
447
00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:14,320
Our customers hearing a clearer message from that competitor
448
00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:15,800
is there a pricing concern?
449
00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,560
Does the team need better answers to a common objection?
450
00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:21,280
The close record gives those conversations some evidence.
451
00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:23,680
Without it, a manager sees only a list of deals
452
00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:25,000
that did not emit close.
453
00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,400
With a clear lost reason, they can look for patterns
454
00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:29,880
across many opportunities, while still remembering
455
00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,400
that each customer made their own decision.
456
00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:34,320
A clean close also changes the forecast.
457
00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,280
Open opportunities represent possible future revenue.
458
00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:39,080
Close opportunities record results.
459
00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:40,720
When sellers leave all deals open
460
00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:42,840
because closing them feels uncomfortable,
461
00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:44,360
the pipeline starts carrying money
462
00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:46,600
that no longer has a real chance of arriving.
463
00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:48,000
That can lead to bad decisions.
464
00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:50,040
A manager might expect a strong quarter,
465
00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:52,000
plan around that expected revenue,
466
00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:53,760
and only discover too late that several
467
00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,040
I will leakily our deals had already stalled
468
00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:57,400
or gone elsewhere.
469
00:16:57,400 --> 00:16:59,680
Closing loss does not know to make create the problem.
470
00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:01,640
It lets the team see the problem while there is still time
471
00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:02,480
to respond.
472
00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:04,120
Imagine a customer chooses another supplier
473
00:17:04,120 --> 00:17:05,400
after weeks of meetings.
474
00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:07,720
The salesperson could leave the opportunity open,
475
00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,040
perhaps hoping the customer changes their mind.
476
00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:11,680
But the customer has signed elsewhere,
477
00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:13,360
so the active sale has ended.
478
00:17:13,360 --> 00:17:15,920
Closing it as lost records the result captures what happened
479
00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:17,720
and removes an amount from the open forecast
480
00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:19,360
that the team should not meet the count on.
481
00:17:19,360 --> 00:17:21,360
That is honest sales management.
482
00:17:21,360 --> 00:17:23,080
The same habit applies to wins.
483
00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:24,680
If the customer confirms the purchase,
484
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:27,320
close it as one rather than leaving it in a late sales stage
485
00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:29,440
while the next steps happen outside the system.
486
00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:31,400
A sale that already closed should now
487
00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:34,080
met keep inflating the open pipeline.
488
00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:36,800
Update the record when the customer conversation changes.
489
00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:39,200
Don't know to maintain, wait for a Friday review meeting,
490
00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:41,600
the end of the month, or a manager asking questions.
491
00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:43,200
If the decision date moves recorded,
492
00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:44,880
if a competitor enters the deal recorded,
493
00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:47,320
if the customer says no, close it properly,
494
00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:48,800
that gives your team a sales view
495
00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:51,520
based on current customer decisions, not old hope.
496
00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:53,640
Conclusion?
497
00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:55,720
Keep the deal folder current.
498
00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:57,000
Think of opportunity management
499
00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,240
as keeping a deal folder for each serious sales conversation.
500
00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:01,800
Keep it current and your forecast
501
00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:03,720
will show what customers are likely to buy.
502
00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:05,680
Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform
503
00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:06,840
and share this knowledge nugget
504
00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:09,560
with someone learning Dynamics 365 sales.
505
00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:10,960
Next time a customer decides
506
00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:13,120
that opportunity should show one or lost.
507
00:18:13,120 --> 00:18:15,320
Not sit open with a date from last quarter.
