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Dynamics 365 Community / Forums / Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Archived) / Lead Analysis Across M...
Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Archived)

Lead Analysis Across Multiple Entities

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Posted on by JJorgensen 85

Here is the scenario.

We have multiple business units using CRM.  ABC account called into Company X for Product X.  A lead was generated (lead source recorded in the lead), and converted into an account, contact and opportunity.   Then, months later, ABC account calls in to Company Y about Product Y.  They say they found us by search about Product Y.    Most I've talked to say in that case you should simply create opportunity for product Y via the existing account.  This kind of thing happens often for us.

However, this approach seems to significantly complicate the lead analysis process.  If the first lead is a Lead, but the subsequent leads are actually Opportunities, you have to analyze the productivity of our lead sources across two different entities.

Also, how do you avoid double counting "leads?"  You have to count your new Leads by lead source, but which opportunities do you count as leads?  The ones without an originating lead?  Seems complicated.

Almost seems easier to enter all subsequent leads as Leads, and then convert them to opportunities.

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  • Suggested answer
    CRMInnovation.com Profile Picture
    CRMInnovation.com on at

    John

    You have identified a challenging real world situation and it will be like peeling back an onion. There isn't any single best approach that is 'right' and all other options are 'wrong'. You will have to find out what fits with your corporate philosophy for measuring marketing success and ROI.

    I have two suggestions for you.

    1. An Opportunity doesn't have to be only tied to the marketing source of the initial lead. Why don't you add a lookup or a picklist to the Opportunity record so that you can uniquely identify each Opportunity with the appropriate marketing channel that generated that lead.

    2. Don't look stupid to the customer - Don't create a system that isolates existing prospect or customer information to one BU. The classic scenario is that you end up with the equivalent of having two sales people from your firm waiting in the client's waiting room at the same time to see the same person. And you should be creating multiple contact records for the same human being (there are some exceptions). So share your data across business units. Don't set your sales people responding to inquiries from people like they are leads when they are already customers of the company.

  • GL-23071537-0 Profile Picture
    GL-23071537-0 on at

    Hi John,

    One idea for you --use Campaign Responses to record the Lead Source.  Campaign Responses can be created automatically.  So, whenever a new Lead is created with a Source Campaign, then create a Campaign Response for that Lead.   Whenever an Opportunity is created without an Originating Lead and with a Source Campaign (Note: This field is read-only out-of-the-box but can be modified to be editable), then create a Campaign Response.  This way you only have to report on one entity.

    I like Campaign Responses because they allow you to capture multiple marketing touches to the same Account.  You can then do more coorelative analysis on how many efforts/touches of different types are involved compared to the total revenue from one Account.

  • JJorgensen Profile Picture
    JJorgensen 85 on at

    @jerry

    Thanks for the input.  We may end up making secondary leads Opportunities, but even if you include the lead source in the Opportunity, how do you find your total number of leads?  You count the Leads (new instances of Lead entity), and then some of the Opportunities, but which ones?

    There is also the issue that some secondary leads can come in as webform submissions, and others as phone calls.

    @Gretchen

    That is certainly something that would work.  I've considered some kind of Lead Source Entity, but this sounds like the same thing.  For phone leads, do the salespeople create the campaign responses manually and link them, or is that something you do?  Have you had luck getting the salespeople to do this?

  • GL-23071537-0 Profile Picture
    GL-23071537-0 on at

    Hi John,

    It definitely takes a bit of effort to get sales people to use the Campaign Responses.  Some organizations build it into their process, for example all Leads from the website come in as Campaign Responses and are assigned out with workflow to the sales person for follow-up.  Or during a call campaign, sales people are measured on how many calls are converted to Campaign Responses.  

    However, it is arguably an extra step for them in many cases.  That is why I would recommend automatically creating Campaign Responses with workflow whenever possible.

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