Potentials are details from the customer regarding a prospective booking including probable room nights and persons and possibly the budget the customer can spend. The Potentials tab shows potentials recorded for the selected account. You can add, edit and delete potentials.

In this article:

• Viewing potentials
• Adding/editing a potential
• Deleting a potential
• Copying a potential
• Editing the options tab for a potential
• Selecting a lead recipient at a hotel
• Sending a lead (with or without an attachment)
• Activities option from the potentials screen

Viewing potentials

1. From the account detail, select the Potentials tab.
   B2B Sales displays a list with potentials recorded for the selected account.
   

You can see, for example, the from/to dates, the type of potential and the description for the prospective booking, the status of the potential, expected room, F&B, other, and total budgeted revenue in account currency. In addition, B2B Sales will display the expected room, F&B, other and total budgeted revenue in the headquarter currency (HQ columns). If a potential has been lost, it will show the status Lost.

2. To proceed from here, select the required option. You can:

• Add a potential booking by selecting New.
• Edit a potential by selecting the potential and selecting Edit.
• Delete a potential by selecting the potential and selecting Delete.
• Copy a potential booking, edit and then paste it to the same account. This is very useful if you want to schedule potential bookings for recurring events. Select Copy.

Adding/editing a potential

From the Potential dialog box, you can enter and edit the potential, record custom-specific fields via the Options tab, assign leads by selecting the Leads tab, and create, view and modify activities linked to a selected potential directly from here by using the Activities tab.

Adding/editing a potential:

1. Do one of the following:

• On the Potentials tab, select the New icon to add a new potential.
• On the Potentials tab, select the required potential and select Edit.
  B2B Sales opens the Potential dialog box.
  

2. Fill in/modify all the information the customer has provided on the prospective booking. If available, enter the number of rooms, number of persons, and budget information. This may determine the importance of the customer to your business.

The system supports you when entering the budget figures, by calculating totals based on the number of rooms, nights and the expected revenue per person.

For a field description of the Potential dialog box, see the below table.

Note: Once you have recorded a plan date, a contact for a potential booking and saved the potential, B2B Sales will automatically create an activity for this contact, insert the plan date as due date, and link the potential information to the activity. You can view the new activity from the Activities tab directly from the potentials screen, and in the list of activities.

3. When you have added the required information, select Ok to save the information. If you want to abort your changes, select Cancel.

From a selected potential, you have the following options:

• Select the Options tab and fill in the fields, if you want to record custom-specific information about the potential.
• Select the Leads tab, if you want to:
  • Add a new lead.
  • Send the lead you have just created to selected hotels.
  • Delete a lead.
  • Add/view/edit activities linked to potentials

Table: Potentials Dialog – Description of Fields

Field Name	Description
(Potential) Type	Category of the potential booking. Select the down arrow and select the type of potential that you are recording from the pickbox. Types can be Conference, Group, Incentive, Individual, Training, etc. Tip: Select the Type Generic, if you want to plan room allotments independent of the date range. Using the Generic Potential Type, you can plan potential bookings spaced over a certain amount of time without adhering to the indicated time range (indicated by the From/Until fields) for instance yearly allotments or other room contingents.)
Contact	Account contact responsible for this potential booking. Select the down arrow and select the contact from the pickbox listing all contact persons recorded for the respective account. Please note that Inactive contacts are marked with an asterisk (for example:* Smith, John.) Once you have selected a contact and a plan date, B2B Sales will automatically create an activity with the details of this potential.
Currency	Currency in which the booking is to be handled, and in which you will enter the budget figures below. Select the down arrow and select the required currency from the pickbox. Usually, this will be the account currency, i.e. the currency of the country in which your customer is located.
Subject	Further description for the potential. If you require entering more information than fit on the subject line, use the Remarks box (below) to enter more details. Try to keep the subject short and concise. Remember that in the list of potential bookings, you only see the first part in the subject column (about 40 characters).
Status	Select the down arrow and select the status for the potential from the pickbox. You have the following options: Contracted: The business has been negotiated successfully and will be contracted with one of the hotels. Lead: You have sent leads to at least one hotel. B2B Sales will automatically update this status once you have sent the lead. Lost: The customer has turned down your offer. Open: Default status Cancelled: The customer has cancelled the booking.
Reason	When you set the status of a potential to Cancelled, the Reason dropdown list becomes visible. Select the down arrow to select a cancellation reason.
From/Until	Enter the probable from/to dates for the potential booking. Type in the dates or select the required dates from the calendar available by selecting the down arrow. Please note that the system automatically updates the room nights default for all potential Types with the exception of the potential Type Generic. In other words, by defining the date range of the potential, you automatically define the number of nights.
	Exception: if you assign the Potential Type Generic to the potential you are about to create, you can plan potential bookings spaced over a certain amount of time without adhering exactly to the indicated time range (for instance yearly allotments or other room contingents.) Here is an example:
Plan Date	Enter the expected date by which this potential will crystallize, i.e. when will the customer start the hotel selection for this event. You can also see this as a follow-up date as this is the latest time by which you should contact the customer again. Tip: Once you have selected a plan date and a contact person for the potential booking, B2B Sales will automatically create an activity for the potential, set the due date according to your plan date and attach the details of the potential to the activity.
Resident Guests:	This section is used to record stay-related revenue.
Rooms	Enter the total expected number of rooms for the potential booking.
Nights	B2B Sales automatically defaults the number of nights from the From/Until date fields.
Persons	Enter the total number of expected persons for the potential.
Non- Resident Guests:	This section is used to record revenue which accrues independent of stays in the hotel, for instance the cost of non-sleeping rooms for events and other day business.
Persons/FB Rev per Person	Enter the number or persons expected for the even or other non stay-related potential and the expected FB Revenue per person.
Other Items/Other Rev per Other Items	Enter the expected number of other items and the revenue expected per other item. B2B Sales will automatically calculate the totals from these values. Note: If the customer provides budget totals, you can also leave the daily fields empty and fill in the total expected room revenue, total expected FB revenue and total expected other revenue. B2B Sales will in turn calculate the grand total for you.
Grand Total	This read-only field is automatically calculated by B2B Sales. It displays the total expected revenue from this potential booking.
Remarks box	Use the Remarks box to record any additional information pertaining to the potential booking. If you lose the business and change the status to Lost, it is useful to record the reason in the Remarks box. Don’t forget to date-stamp your entry and include your user ID. For adding the date, the time, and/or your user ID, access the popup menu by selecting the right mouse-button and selecting the required stamp. You have the following options. Short Date                         17.10.21 Medium Date                      17. Okt. 21 Long Date                          Dienstag, 17. Oktober 2021 Short Time                         10:29 Medium Time                      10:29 Long Time                          10:29:48 AM Date + Time                       17.10.21 10:29:48 AM SalesRep Code                    JS SalesRep Name                   John Sales User Login                          JSales User Name + Date/Time      JSales (990_HQ) – 17.10.2021/10:29 B2B Sales bases the date and time format on the Regional Options settings in the Control Panel.
Info Fields: Last/Created	These read-only fields are for information only and cannot be edited. They display the user ID of the person who last edited the potential and the last edit date, the creation date of the potential and the respective user ID.

Deleting a potential

When you find out that a potential is not required, for example, it has not been properly recorded or is redundant because there is another record for the same booking, you can delete it from B2B Sales.

Note: Do not delete a potential when you have lost the business. In this case, you should edit the Potential dialog box and mark the Status field as lost. This is extremely important for reporting and productivity analysis of accounts.

1. From the list of potentials select the required potential and select the Delete icon.
   B2B Sales asks whether you really want to delete the potential.
   

2. Select Yes to delete the potential, select No to abort the operation.

If you confirm the deletion, the program will no longer display the potential in the list of potentials and delete the record from B2B Sales.

Copying a potential

In B2B Sales, you can copy potential bookings. This way, you can eliminate manual reentry of the same or very similar data; for example, if you want to schedule potential bookings for recurring events.

1. In the list of potentials, right-click the required potential, and then select Copy.
   B2B Sales displays the following message box:
   

2. Select Yes. B2B Sales opens a new potential booking containing the data of the potential you have just copied.
3. Edit the information as necessary.
   For a field description of the Potential dialog see the above Table.

4. When you are done, select Ok.

Editing the options tab for a potential

Using the Options tab in the Potential dialog box, you can record and modify custom-specific fields pertaining to the details of the potential booking. This tab is completely user-definable and determined during the configuration of B2B Sales. Here is an example.

Editing the Options tab for a potential:

1. From the Potential dialog box, select the Options tab.
2. In the Options tab of the potential, fill in the required fields or make your selection from the respective pickboxes.
3. Select Ok when you are done, select Cancel to return to the previous settings.

Selecting a lead recipient at a hotel

A lead is an inquiry to a selected hotel about a potential booking with the request for a corresponding offer from the hotel.

When you have created a potential booking, you can select the Leads tab and create leads to the hotels that might be suitable for the customer’s booking. B2B Sales automatically fills the lead with the booking data, such as arrival and departure dates, number of rooms, etc. You can send the lead to the selected contact at the hotel by email or fax directly from B2B Sales.

When you have received an answer from the hotel, you can change the status of the lead accordingly (for example Contracted or Denied.) To edit such a lead, simply double-click the potential to open it, select the Leads tab, and then double-click the required lead.

To add a new lead to a potential, you must select a lead recipient first:

Selecting a lead recipient for a hotel:

1. In the Potential dialog box, select the Leads tab.
   B2B Sales displays the leads selection list on the Leads tab.
   
   The columns display the status of the lead (OPN = Open; SEN = Sent; CTR = Contracted; DEN = Denied), the hotel name, and the name of the contact person at the hotel to whom the lead is sent. Use the vertical scrollbar to page to the right half of the window to display the potential type and the send date of the lead.

2. Right-click in the list, and then select Add Lead.
   B2B Sales will display the Lead Recipients dialog box. The display will show a list of hotels within your hotel chain or organization.
   
   In the list in the upper half of the window, you see the hotels available for selection. As you scroll through the list you see the list with recorded contact persons for the respective hotel.

Note: The hotel information, available contact persons, and any further details regarding the individual hotels can be viewed from the Hotels menu. If you are not sure which hotels are best suited for the respective potential, check the Hotels menu first.

3. Select the required hotel with a mouse-click.
   On the lower half of the screen, B2B Sales will display the contact persons at the hotel.
4. Select the required contact person with a mouse-click.
5. Select Ok.
   B2B Sales will display the Lead dialog box, from which you can edit the details about the lead and record chain-specific information about the lead (select the Options tab).
   

Sending a lead (with or without an attachment)

Once you have selected a lead recipient, B2B Sales will display the Lead dialog box. Here, you can view and edit the details about the lead and record chain-specific information about the lead (select the Options tab). In addition, you can attach a document to provide the lead recipient with more detailed information, if required.

To send a lead, you need a basic email or fax template. In this template, you can simply paste the lead text, which B2B Sales has compiled for you. If you want, you can attach a document with further details regarding the potential booking or supply any other information interesting to the recipient of the lead.

Sending a lead:

1. Do one of the following:

• To edit the lead before sending: In the Potential dialog box, on the Leads tab, right-click the required lead, and then select Edit Lead from the popup menu.
• To send the lead to the selected hotel: make sure that you have selected the required send method by selecting the corresponding radio option (Email or Fax).

B2B Sales will display the Lead dialog box from which you can edit the details about the lead and send the lead.

The radio options in the top-left corner of the window display the send options for the lead. If both email address and fax number are available, B2B Sales will default to the email option. The status of the lead will be set to open. In addition, B2B Sales will automatically fill the lead text with crucial information regarding the potential booking, i.e. the booking type, arrival and departure dates, number of rooms, number of room nights, and expected number of persons.

2. Leave the Lead Status at Offer. Once you have sent the lead, B2B Sales automatically changes the status to Sent.
   For a field description see the Leads table.

3. In the Lead Text box, fill in any other information pertinent to the potential booking, such as “Large conference room required.” If you want to insert a line break, simply press Ctrl + Enter.

You can also stamp the entry with date, time, and your user ID, if required (simply select the right mouse-button and select the corresponding option from the popup menu.)

4. If you want to record chain-specific details regarding the lead, select the Options tab and enter the required information.

5. You are now ready to

• Send the lead from the system (select the Document tab).
• Attach a document to the lead before sending the lead (select the Document tab).
• Save the lead and return to the list of existing leads (select OK).
• Cancel the new lead and return to the previous settings (select CANCEL).

6. Select the Document tab to send the lead and/or attach a document.
7. Select the New button.
   In the list of templates, B2B Sales displays all templates available in the respective language.

Note: Next to Select the template language, B2B Sales defaults the language entered in the hotel employee record of the selected recipient. For example, if the employee is English and you have entered English in the Language field of the employee record, B2B Sales by default offers templates in English.

8. Select one of the available email or fax templates and select Use.
   B2B Sales replaces all the merge codes set in the template with the actual contact data and displays the result of the merge. The system automatically defaults the email or fax address from the contact detail in the Email or Fax field.
9. Make any additional changes required to personalize the email/fax for this contact in specific.
10. To attach a document, select the paper clip icon and browse for the document.
11. Do not forget to fill in the subject and to add any required recipients.
12. When you are done, select the Send button to send the email.
    Note: If a message box from your email system appears, allow B2B Sales to access your email system. Otherwise you cannot send the email.
13. In the Lead dialog box, select the Details tab: Note that B2B Sales has automatically changed the Lead Status field to Sent after sending the email.
14. Select Ok to return to the Potential dialog box.

Table: Leads dialog – description of fields

Field Name	Description
Radio options Email/Fax	Send method for the lead: B2B Sales will automatically fill in the email address and the fax number recorded in the hotel info. If an email address is available, B2B Sales will check this radio option as a default. Select Fax, if you would rather send the lead by fax.
Lead Status	Status options for the lead. Contracted: Use this status when the hotel and the customer both have accepted the business. Denied: Use this option when the hotel has declined the business (for example full or low-budget business in the high season) Offer: Default status; the lead has been created but not sent Sent: You have sent the lead to the hotel and are waiting for the reply. B2B Sales automatically changes to this status, once you have selected the Mark as Send button. Unable to confirm: When you set the status of a lead to Unable to confirm, the Reason dropdown box becomes visible.   Note: If the hotel has denied the business, it may be a good idea to record the reason in the Lead Text box and stamp the remark with the user ID and the date.
Reason	The Reason dropdown box only becomes visible when you have set status of a lead to Unable to confirm. Select the down arrow to select a reason.
Lead Text	B2B Sales automatically fills this text box with crucial information about the potential booking, i.e. the booking description, arrival and departure dates, number of rooms, number of room nights, and expected number of persons. Fill in any other information pertinent to the potential booking, such as “Large conference room required” or “High F&B revenue expected.” If you want to insert a line break, press Ctrl + Enter. For adding the date, the time, and/or your user ID, access the popup menu by selecting the right mouse-button and selecting the required stamp. You have the following options. Short Date                         17.10.21 Medium Date                      17. Okt. 21 Long Date                          Dienstag, 17. Oktober 2021 Short Time                         10:29 Medium Time                      10:29 Long Time                          10:29:48 AM Date + Time                       17.10.21 10:29:48 AM SalesRep Code                    JS SalesRep Name                   John Sales User Login                          JSales User Name + Date/Time      JSales (990_HQ) – 17.10.2021/10:29 B2B Sales bases the date and time format on the Regional Options settings in the Control Panel.
Mark As Sent button	If you send your leads by regular mail, select this button to set the lead status to Sent.
Sent	This read-only field is for information only and cannot be edited. It display the date the lead was sent to the lead recipient.

 

Deleting a lead

You can delete leads that have not yet been sent. However, if a given lead has been sent to a hotel, B2B Sales will not let you delete this lead. This is to ensure data integrity.

Deleting a lead:

1. From the account detail, select the Potentials tab.
2. Double-click the potential for which you want to delete a lead.
3. In the Potential dialog box, select the Leads tab.
4. Right-select the required lead, and then select Delete.
   B2B Sales displays the Delete lead message box, asking you to confirm or cancel the operation.

5. Select Yes to delete the lead, select No to abort the operation.

Activities option from the potentials screen

In order to automate follow-up procedures for potentials, B2B Sales automatically creates an activity for a potential, provided you have selected (a) a contact person and (b) a plan date. The due date of the activity corresponds to the plan date. In addition, the details of the potential are attached to the activity for information.

Once you have saved the new potential, B2B Sales informs you of the new activity with the following message:

To edit an activity linked to a potential do one of the following:

• Double-click the potential to open it again, and then click the Activities tab, or
• In the account, select the Activities tab.
  Double-click the activity to open it.

Adding/editing activities linked to potentials

1. From the Potential dialog box, select the Activities tab.
   B2B Sales displays the list of activities for the selected potential.
   
   This list shows all activities with a direct link to the selected potential. You can see the activity type, the status, the subject and if there are any file attachments (clip sign in the Attachment column). In addition, B2B Sales lists the sales rep, the contact person, due and done date, as well as the result. (Use the vertical scrollbar to display columns further to the right.)
2. Select the right mouse-button to display your available options in the popup menu.
   
   You have the following options:

• Edit an existing activity by selecting the Edit.
• Refresh the display by selecting Refresh.
• Add a new activity by selecting New.
• Delete an existing activity by selecting Delete.

Editing an activity from the potential screen

1. From the list of activities in the Potential dialog box, right-click the activity and choose Edit from the popup menu.
   B2B Sales displays the Activity dialog box for the potential.
   

2. You have all options available for regular activities. For more information, see B2B Sales Automation - working with activities.
   In addition, the details of the potential are directly linked to the activity
3. Open the details by selecting the Open Potential button.
   You have all options available from the Potential dialog box.

4. Select Ok when you are done.
   B2B Sales returns to the task screen of the activity.
   Select Ok once again to return to the list of potentials.

Adding an activity from the potential screen

1. In the Potential dialog box, right-click in the list of activities and choose New from the popup menu.
   B2B Sales displays the Activity dialog box where you can select the required activity type.
   

2. Select the required activity type, e.g. a visit.
   Depending on the selected activity type, B2B Sales opens varying dialog boxes.
   For a description of the various activity types, see B2B Sales Automation - working with activities.

Note: All standard options available for creating an activity are available. The contact person for the activity will automatically be the contact person chosen for the potential. In addition, B2B Sales will automatically link the details of the potential to the activity. You can later access these details by selecting the Open Potential button from the Activity dialog box.

3. Once you have added the activity, B2B Sales will display it in the list of activities in the Potential dialog box; a visit in our example.
   

Deleting an activity from the potential screen

If a recorded activity is no longer required, you can delete it from B2B Sales.

Note: Do not confuse deleting an activity with marking it as resolved or done. You will usually not delete activities once you have carried out the respective task. Instead, you will mark them as resolved so that you can later trace your activities with the client.

Deleting an activity:

1. From the list of activities in the Potential dialog box, right-click the activity and choose Delete from the popup menu.
   B2B Sales asks whether you really want to delete the activity.
   

2. Select Yes to delete the activity, select No to abort the operation.
   If you confirm the deletion, B2B Sales will no longer display the activity in the list of activities and delete the record from the system.