Potentials

Potentials

A Potential is an early sales-job stage used before an Inquiry. It is the place to record the job, qualify the opportunity, and then receive an inquiry when the work is ready to continue. An Inquiry is the next sales-job stage for work that continues from a Potential.

The normal path is Potential → Inquiry → Offer → Order → Delivered. A Potential can also leave the active path through missed, regretted, or cancelled outcomes.

Before you start

Prerequisites

• Have the job information ready: the responsible salesperson, product type, job title, client, vendor, and the qualification details you want to record.
• Know the inquiry date and bid due date if the Potential includes an inquiry panel.
• Have access to the target-job flow. The Potentials tab is available for a target job, not for direct or instant jobs.
• Save the Potential before using actions that require a saved record, such as Receive inquiry.
• Keep the panel free of unsaved changes before using a stage action.

Find and open a Potential

A Potential list is the starting point when you need to choose an existing sales job. The list presents the job and inquiry information as columns, while the new-Potential route opens an empty job surface.

Prerequisites

• Know whether you are creating a new Potential or opening an existing one.
• For an existing record, know enough of the visible job information to choose the correct row.

Steps

1. Open the Potentials list at /sales/list/Potentials/view.

2. Use the visible headers to identify the row.

   Job identity	Responsibility and parties	Dates and stage
   Use Job No., File No., and Job title	Use Sales responsible, Vendor, and Client	Use Estimated value, Inquiry date, Bid due date, Inquiry type, and Inquiry stage

3. Choose the path for the work you need to do.

   If you need to…	Action
   Open an existing Potential	Select its row.
   Create a new Potential	Open the new Potential entry from the Sales jobs area.

Result: The Potentials list is open for selection, or the new-Potential surface is ready for entry.

Understand the Potential screen

The Potential screen combines the sales-job information with the Potential panel, an item area, stage tabs, and save controls. The list's columns are the headers visible in your list; the new-Potential surface currently shows the following fields and controls.

The new-Potential surface also shows the item-area columns Item Description, Unit, and Qty. The availability fields are Contact to Decision Makers, Budget Availability, Chance in Competition, and Order chance. Their required markers depend on company configuration.

When enabled for your company, the Potential screen also provides Commissions and Margin. These surfaces are conditional and do not appear for every configuration.

The Potential panel appears for Potential through Cancelled Potential, and for a deleted job. Open the panel before looking for its fields. The list shows 11 columns and three toolbar buttons titled Refresh, Table Layout, and Settings.

Create and qualify a Potential

Creating a Potential records the early sales opportunity and its qualification information before the work becomes an Inquiry.

Prerequisites

• Open the new Potential entry from the Sales jobs area.
• Have the job and qualification information ready.

Steps

1. In Salesperson Responsible, select the person responsible for the sales job.

2. In Product Type, select the product type for the job.

3. In Job Title, enter the job title.

4. In Branch, select or enter the branch shown for the job.

5. In End User, select the end user when the job requires one.

6. In Estimated Value, enter a value of 0 or greater.

7. In File Number, enter the file reference when one is available.

8. In Client, select the client for the Potential.

9. In Vendor, select the vendor for the Potential.

10. In Contact to Decision Makers, select the qualification value when the field is configured for your company.

11. In Budget Availability, select the qualification value when the field is configured for your company.

12. In Chance in Competition, select the qualification value when the field is configured for your company.

13. In Order chance, select the qualification value when the field is configured for your company.

14. Select Save or Save and Close to finish the entry.

    If you want to…	Select
    Save the Potential and remain on the entry surface	Save
    Finish entering the Potential from this surface	Save and Close

If a required value is missing, the screen can show Check mandatory field(s). Correct the required field and select Save again. A successful update can show Job updated successfully.

Result: The Potential is saved with the job information and qualification values entered on the screen.

Add an item to a Potential

Use an item when the Potential must carry a requested product or service line into the next stage.

Prerequisites

• Open a new Potential.
• Have the item description and quantity ready.

Steps

1. Select Item in the Potential item area.
2. In Item Description, enter the item description.
3. In Qty, enter a quantity from 0.1 through the configured maximum.
4. Select the Potential panel Save.

If the description is blank, the item cannot be saved. If the quantity is invalid, correct it before saving. The Potential item grid shows Item Description, Unit, and Qty; a new Unitized item starts with quantity 1 and unit price 0, although price is not a Potential grid column.

If the item data is invalid, the validation summary can show Please Solve the Following Issues :. For an empty item description, it can include Item No. 1 Description is required. Correct the item before selecting Save again.

Result: The Potential contains the active item line and is ready for validation or conversion.

Mark a Potential missed

Use the missed outcome when a saved Potential is no longer active.

Prerequisites

• Open a saved Potential that you can edit.
• The Potential is not already missed.

Steps

1. Open the Potential action menu.
2. Select Missed opportunity.
3. In the Missed opportunity dialog, select OK.

PAMS displays Job updated successfully and refreshes the record history.

Result: The Potential moves to the missed outcome.

Reactivate a missed Potential

Reactivate a missed opportunity when it returns to active Potential work.

Prerequisites

• Open a job in the missed Potential state.
• Have permission to edit the job.

Steps

1. Open the Potential action menu.
2. Select Reactivate opportunity.
3. In the Activate missed opportunity dialog, select OK.

PAMS displays Job updated successfully and refreshes the record history.

Result: The missed opportunity returns to active Potential work.

Maintain the Potential panel and receive an inquiry

The Potential panel holds the client-facing inquiry details that become relevant as the early opportunity is qualified. Maintaining it keeps the record ready for the next sales stage.

Prerequisites

• Open a Potential panel.
• Save the Potential before using Receive inquiry.
• Make sure the panel has no unsaved changes before using a stage action.

Steps

1. In Client Inquiry Number, enter the client inquiry reference when the field is configured for your company.
2. In Inquiry Date, enter today or an earlier date.
3. In Bid Due Date, enter a date on or after Inquiry Date.
4. In Requested Offer Type, select the requested offer type when the field is configured for your company.
5. Select Save in the Potential panel when the panel is new or has unsaved changes.
6. Select Receive inquiry when the Potential is saved, its potential stage is new, the job is not deleted, and the job is not Missed Potential.

The conversion creates an Inquiry and copies the Potential's active item lines. After conversion, select the Inquiry panel header to expand it.

PAMS displays Converted to inquiry successfully after Receive inquiry. If the conversion cannot complete, it displays An error occurred while processing your request.

The send-mail variant of the handoff also depends on mail permission and the principal relationship. When mail is unavailable, the alternative Consider As Sent To Principal action can be shown for a new inquiry when its conditions are met.

Result: The Potential panel is saved, or the eligible Potential is handed to the Inquiry stage.

Go to offer

Use Go to offer when the Inquiry is eligible to move into Offer work.

Prerequisites

• Have an Inquiry reached from a Potential.
• For an external principal, the Inquiry is before Offered and meets the relationship conditions.
• For an own-company Vendor, the Inquiry is new.

Steps

1. Open the Inquiry action menu.
2. Select Go to offer.

PAMS displays Converted to offer successfully after the action.

Result: The Inquiry moves to Offer work.

When a Potential does not behave as expected

Use the message shown on screen to decide what to correct. The following messages belong to the Potential flows.

The Potential-specific actions are also conditional. Receive inquiry requires a saved Potential at the new stage. Go to offer is available before the Offered stage under its relationship conditions. Back to potential requires a target job at Potential with an inquiry at new. Editing and approval actions also depend on permissions and the current state.

The new-Potential surface shows the controls listed in the job information, Potential details, and qualification fields described in Understand the Potential screen. It does not show Bid Due Date or Requested Offer Type on that surface; those fields belong to the opened Potential panel.

Out of scope

The message Please save opened inquiry first belongs to the opened Inquiry flow rather than the Potential flow.

What happens next

• Open Inquiries to continue the inquiry work after Receive inquiry.
• Open Offers when the inquiry is ready for offer work after Go to offer.

Result: Inquiry work continues on the Inquiries page, followed by offer work when the inquiry is eligible.