sales target planning ,sales forecast and sales planning in C4C

[former_member189296]

Hi Friends,

I'm very new to C4C and as we know help center is not working due to update in the system. I want to understand the concepts of sales target planning, forecast and sales planning and how these concepts work in the C4C system. Is there any process document available so that I can understand all these concepts in deep with every theoretical knowledge?

Regards,

Saurabh

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

With forecast is possible to have a complete view of opportunity revenues in a certain timeframe that refers to opportunities’ close date.

In Forecast workset, under Sales tab, sales representative and manager can create forecast (opportunity or product level) in multiple dimensions on the basis of accounts, opportunities, employees, sales organization and territory (if active).

Opportunity forecast can be:

• Opp. Expected revenue
• Opp. Weighted revenue

By selecting/changing the owner of the forecast, the Sales Unit will change accordingly to the one of the owner.

To create a new forecast is mandatory that exist at least one relevant opportunity (Publish to forecast checkbox checked).

Sales rep can create forecasts that can be submitted to sales manager’s forecast in order to allow sales man to aggregate forecast. Sales rep can also adjust and submit again forecast that the sales man have identified to require revision.

Sales manager can create, like sales rep, opportunity/product forecast and also can aggregate these. If a sales rep submitted a forecast to the sales manager, he can return the forecast for revision.

Version management enables sales rep and manager to track revisioning.

The tab forecast administration allows the admin to view, edit and mantain forecasts of all employees.

Forecast category: pipeline, best case, committed

Use the forecast chart to compare forecast revenue with sales target revenue and won revenue.

To view the forecast revenue chart, do the following (in Silverlight):

1. Choose    Analysis   Forecast   .

2. Use the filter to select opportunities to include in the forecast.

You can filter on time period, owner, sales unit, territory, etc.

The chart area shows forecast revenue, target revenue, won revenue, and the difference between estimated revenue from pipeline-relevant opportunities and forecast revenue. The last figure (labeled Relevant Pipeline minus Forecast) indicates the extent of override on pipeline revenue in the forecast. A positive value here indicates a conservative forecast, and a negative value indicates an optimistic forecast compared to pipeline revenue.

Sales Target Plan functionality allows the user to set and measure sales revenue targets for a specific time by sales person, territory, product, product category, and account.

1. Sales manager generates target using required dimensions (e.g. Account) within a specific timeframe

2. Sales Person created opportunities v/s those accounts

3. Sales manager can monitor and measuring sales revenue targets for an employee comparing plan v/s pipeline report (Account wise comparison)

This exercise helps in monitoring of sales revenue generated.

You can only have one plan for a certain sales unit and horizon. The overlapping of horizons for the same sales unit is not allowed.

By default, the currency of the sales unit's company is used. However, as long as the sales plan remains in preparation, you may change this currency, if desired.

[former_member189296 · Accepted solution]

Hi Gabriele,

Thank you so much for replying and explaining these concepts . Are there any documents exist or something that can explain these concepts with some examples and all?

Regards,

Saurabh

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

This is for Sales Target Plan - HowTo. Sorry but now i can't upload screenshots.

Step 1 – Open Sales workset.

Step 2 – Open Sales Target Planning workset.

Step 3 – Set General Properties as Sales unit, period (max 11 months) and currency. Then click “Next” button.

Step 4 – Select planning dimensions: territory, accounts, employees, product categories, products and sales units. To do this, check the related checkbox.

Step 5 – Select details of planning dimensions (which territories, accounts, etc.). To do this, select the checked planning dimension and then click “Edit” button.

Step 6 – Manage versions. At this point you can manage multiple versions of a plan which will only be available for reporting after you have set the status to Released. Note that only one version can be active at a time and only this will be available for reporting once the plan is released.

Step 7 –Select copy source (optional  step). You can copy data from the preceding sales plan into your plan version in order to get a basis for your planning. Select the source data and the plan version into which the selected data will be copied. Choose Refresh to display the result in the Preview area.  Then click “Next”.

Step 8 – Review properties and detailed dimensions. Then click “Finish” button.

Step 9 – Download and open the sales plan. To do this, click on excel  icon under “Plan data” fields. An excel file will be downloaded on your pc. Open it with excel and log on in C4C if you are not already logged in. (you need SAP C4C Excel Add-in).

Step 10 – Edit sales targets. After opening the excel file on your pc, you will be able to edit target for each dimension you selected.

Step 11 – Planning data recalc. After you have finished the planning, click on “Refresh all” button on the SAP C4C tab.

Step 12 – Save edited plan’s targets. To finalize the sales planning, save your work clicking “Save All” on the SAP C4C tab.

Step 13 – Activate the plan in C4C.

Reports for Target Plan

Under Analysis, reports enable to show and compare target values with opportunities amounts.

Below the reports used for this aim

(in our example we have prepared a Sales Target Plan (US1100:2015/01-2015/12) for the AB_test account and year 2015 setted with these targets values: January 10000 Usd, February 20000 Usd, March 30000 Usd, April 40000 Usd, May 50000 Usd, June 60000 Usd, July 70000 Usd, August 80000 Usd, September 90000 Usd, October 100000 Usd, November 110000 Usd, December 120000).

• My Progress — Current Year

• Sales Target vs Forecast: allows to show and compare target values with opportunities revenue values for opportunities published to forecast

• Sales Target/Pipeline by Month

• Sales Target/Pipeline by Sales Unit

• Forecast metrics

• Sales Target vs Pipeline – Current year

• Sales Target for Opportunities: allows to show target value setted for opportunities

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

This is Forecast - HowTo

Step 1 – Open Sales workset

Step 2 – Open Forecasts workset

Step 3 – Create a new forecast. Click on “New” button and insert informations about the new forecast.

Then click “Save and open”.

Level: Opportunity forecast or Product forecast.

Source: Opportunity expected revenue or Opportunity weighted revenue.

Step 4 – Once you have opened the forecast, in the overview you can see the version of the forecast and the total revenue of the opportunities existing for the period you selected. To Activate the forecast’s version, you have to click on “Actions” button and then click on “Submit”.

Step 5 – To update the forecast, you have to add a new version of the forecast. Click on “Add” button, a popup will open with the new version number. Click “Add” and then you will see, in overview, update revenue.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thank you Gabriele.

In addition to wanting to know if there are any further details available, can you advise on the following please...

1) In the SAP User Guide - it states that the user can select to forecast on opportunity or product level.  In Fine Tuning - I can only select one level, opportunity or product?

2) You say forecast can utilise Expected Value or Weighted value - where is this option?

Regards Wendy

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Expected or Weighted value are inside opportunity

[former_member189296 · Accepted solution]

Hi Gabriele,

Thanks for explaining step by step. Whenever I try to create a new sales target everything works fine but I cannot input anything in 'Total Target for Sales Unit' field. I am logged in with Sales manager ID then even I can't input anything. What should I do?

Regards,

Saurabh

[former_member189296 · Accepted solution]

Hi Gabriele,

Thanks for step by step solution. I am trying to create a report which can show the total of 'negotiated value' field of every opportunity created in a month and the sales target set for that month for an employee for a 'product'. Is it possible to do this? How can I do this?

Thanks & Regards,

Saurabh

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Gabriele,

Thanks for your helpful how to.

With regards to Step 4 (Select Planning Dimensions), is it possible to add additional dimensions to this list either through fine-tuning or Extension field or some other way?

I am interested in being able to include and exclude certain sales document types but have not found documentation on this, or anything in the fine-tuning.

Many thanks,

Chloe

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Gabriele,

I am trying to setup Sales forecasting and Budgeting feature in C4C system. I have already made business configuration settings for Sales Planning (SAP Cloud for Customer) and enabled that feature. Also I have created the Sales Target Plan.

1) I am currently facing issue with viewing Reports under Analysis -> Sales and Marketing - Sales. There are no standard reports on the list.

2) While creating new forecast plan the sales unit is appearing display only because of which I am not able to create new as it is mandatory field. Not sure if I have missed some configuration on that.

Regards

Chetan

[DAcker · Accepted solution]

Hi Gabriele,

in reference to your post about Sales Target Plan - HowTo I have 2 questions:

     1.) Regarding Step 6: Managing Versions: You wrote that there are versions for changes and to           report these changes, a new version can be created.

          I tried to change the details of the planning dimensions (e.g. add a new employee) but then           this change appears in both versions, so I had now in both versions the new employee.

          Is it not possible to change planning dimensions in different versions of a sales target plan?

          And I recognized that the C4C is summing up the targets of both versions (e.g. VERSION1           24000€ and VERSION2 12000€) in total target for sales unit (36000€) although just           VERSION2 is active. Why? (see picture )

     2.) Regarding Step 7: Select copy source

          How does the function "Select copy source" work? I tested it many times and I created a           preceding sales plan for the same sales unit (e.g. 2016/01-2016/03) and tried to transfer the           data to the sales plan for 2016/04-2016/06, but it never worked (error: Horzion cannot span           more than the Plan Horizon). Why? If I want to use this function, does it need to be the           same sales unit from which i copy the target data.

Thank you so much in advance for help!

Best regards,

Deborah Albrecht

[former_member220058 · Accepted solution]

Hi Gabriele,

Your note is really useful, thanks. Regarding step 5, manaing dimentions, have you every tried at least two dimentions at the same time. for example Employee plus Account?

I ran into an annoying issue while setting two dimentions employee and account at the same time.

Say you choose 5 employees, and each employee has 5 responsible accounts, then in the final sales target planning template, system will display all 25 accounts for each of those 5 employees. that means you will have 125 rows in the template, for each employee 20 other accounts have nothing to do with him or her. As a sales manager, when you update the target for each employee, it really takes a lot of patience and work to fill just those relevant employee/account combination.

What's your suggestion?

Thanks!

Regards,

Wendy 

[Former Member]

Hi Saurabh,

I will be working on Forecasting, in detail during the next few weeks, I can share my findings once the work is complete. 

I am learning from User Guide Page 133(has the Theory for the Feature), I singed up to SAP 30 days Free Trial Tenant  to see the feature working in 'normal' environment, I am now in the process of setting it up in our test environment.

I would be interested to know if there is any other source of detailed knowledge on these features.

Regards Wendy

[former_member189296]

Hi wendy,

Thanks for replying. Like Gabriele explained these concepts very clearly , I would appreciate if we can get some more information or some documentation regarding this.

And you mentioned that you will be working on forecasting in detail so I request you to plz. share whatever information you will be able to gather. It will be very helpful for everyone else.

Thank you so much!

Saurabh

[former_member189296]

Hi and  Gabriele Al Jarrah Al Kahal,

Hope you are doing well. Actually I'm working on Sales forecast and target planning. I tried to assign a sales target amount to an employee everything works fine like setting the target in excel and all. But I am not able to understand how will an employee be able to know that what target amount has been set for him by his manager and how will an employee be able to check the details of the target set for him ? Plz. help. me guys.

Thanks & Regards,

Saurabh

[Former Member]

Sorry, I'm off on another project, I will update if I come back to it.  Regards Wendy