Quiz do módulo

Managing the sales forecast

The forecast provides a summary of the sales pipeline. This scenario explains how to analyze and adjust the forecast to improve the quality of the opportunity status.

Forecast management improves a sales organization's ability to predict the sales cycle by providing weighted, unweighted, or predictive forecasts for the sales pipeline.

Territory Owners at all levels can adjust opportunity amounts, close dates, and forecast categories to provide the most realistic sales picture possible at each reporting level. Behind every element in the forecast is an audit of the recent changes, with an indication of how it affects a forecast, so that the sales team always knows why and when the forecast was updated.

To access the forecast, click Forecast.

Here you see the forecast for Terry Mason, a sales representative who owns the North East Territory.

Terry Mason can filter opportunities in the North East territory that he owns. The forecast shows the annual sales pipeline by forecast category and fiscal quarter. Terry can drill down to see which opportunities make up each forecast total and filter using the following criteria:

Territory	Specifies the territory for which data is included in the forecast.
Override level	Specifies the forecast adjustment layer used to display overridden values. For example, if you select the `North` `America` territory but select the `Global` override level, the forecast will reflect adjustments made at the global level, not just within North America.
Selling mode	Specifies whether the forecast includes B2B opportunities, B2C opportunities, or both. By default, the filter is set to All, which means both the opportunity types.
Sales type	Specifies whether the forecast includes new business opportunities, renewal opportunities, or both. Applies only if the Enable service account and asset creation and Enable renewals settings checkboxes are selected in the SA - Renewals settings.
Year	Specifies the fiscal year for which data is included in the forecast. By default, the current year is selected.
Owner	Enables you to view the forecast for specific opportunity owners only.
Forecast by	Specifies the time period by which to display the forecast. For example, yearly or monthly.
Opportunity partner	Displays forecast data for opportunities associated with the selected partner.
Forecast type	Specifies how the system presents the data: Unweighted Displays opportunity data without any adjustments. Weighted Displays opportunity data adjusted based on opportunity to win probability determined by the opportunity stage. Predictive Displays opportunity data adjusted based on an AI-predicted opportunity to win probability. By default, Unweighted is selected. Nota: You can select this forecast type only if artificial intelligence and opportunity insights are enabled for your application.
Opportunity products	Displays forecast data for opportunities associated with the selected products.

View the forecast

Use the Forecast table to view the forecast data based on the filters that you applied.

If artificial intelligence and opportunity insights are enabled, and the variance between the weighted and predictive forecast exceeds a defined threshold, the system displays an icon in the appropriate cell. Clicking the icon displays the Unweighted, Predictive, and Weighted amounts, and the variance between the weighted and predictive amounts, as shown in the following figure:

Goal specifies the sales goal amount for Terry for each quarter. Sales managers can have an individual goal assigned to them, in addition to the goals of the representatives on their team.

Closed + Commit specifies the cumulative total of the opportunities with the Commit and Closed forecast categories.

The forecast categories separate the opportunities according to the likelihood of the opportunity closing for the given quarter.

Closed means the sales representative has already won the opportunity.

Commit means the sales representative has high confidence that the opportunities will close in the given quarter.

Stretch opportunities may close in the given quarter, but uncertainty is greater than in the Upside category. Larger qualified deals are separated into the stretch category to avoid providing an overly optimistic forecast.

Opportunities in the Upside category could close in the given quarter, but there is some uncertainty.

Not Forecasted means that the opportunities are not included in the forecast. Quarterly subtotals exclude these opportunities.

These forecast category definitions can be redefined according to your organization's sales practices.

In the forecast, you click on the amount to display the opportunities for the given forecast category and time period.

Terry, the owner of the North East territory, wants to adjust the amount and the close date for an opportunity in the Q4 Commit category. He clicks the amount in the Commit category: 80,000. One opportunity is displayed on the Opportunities list.

Terry clicks Wireless Garage Tilt Sensors for Marguerita Hiatt to display the opportunity. He changes the amount to $75,000 and moves the close date out of one week. The changes are reflected in the forecast:

Susan Kendall, Terry's manager who owns the entirety of North America, can filter opportunities by any territory in North America or by all North America. When Susan reviews the forecast for the North East territory, she can see Terry's changes in the forecast; this is because the forecast amounts roll up according to the territory hierarchy.

Susan clicks the Commit category to view the updated opportunity.

If Susan recognizes that the opportunity amount is too optimistic or realizes that close dates need an extension, she can adjust the Forecast for all North America.