Method and apparatus for network-based sales force management

• US 20020082892A1
• Filed: 02/27/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christine Currie, Dixie Baker, Keith Raffel, Robert E. Currie, Robert Marc Schulman
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Currie, Christine, Currie, Robert E., Schulman, Robert M., Baker, Dixie, Raffel, Keith
• Granted Patent: US 7,379,064 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063118 Staff planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration

Abstract

A method and apparatus for network-based sales force automation are provided that meet objectives of increasing sales and marketing efficiency and efficiency of technical and customer support by providing multi-dimensional displays of transactional information to users. Transactional information of deals, contacts, accounts, and leads is provided over the Internet using a Web browser. The information of related transactions is electronically linked, and the transactional information is electronically searchable using custom profiles. The transactional information is accessed and shared among host organization members according to a hierarchy and predefined territories. A Radar Screen Opportunity Display (RSOD) may be selected on which deal objects are displayed that represent the stages in a sales pipeline of corresponding deals. New business information may be selected, wherein automatic notification is provided of new information and changed information relating to transactions, wherein the new business information comprises information on at least one monitored customer Web site. A communication capability is provided that comprises electronic mail, facsimile, telephones, and paging devices, wherein communication is automatically established using transactional information.

Claims

1. A method for managing at least one transaction comprising the step of providing shared information regarding the at least one transaction, wherein the at least one transaction comprises at least one deal, at least one contact, and at least one account, wherein the information of related transactions is electronically linked, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction is provided over an Internet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction is shared among sales force members according to a hierarchy and predefined territories.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

registering at least one user to access the shared information regarding the at least one transaction, wherein the at least one user is registered using registration information comprising at least one name, a title, at least one electronic mail address, and at least one telephone number, wherein the at least one user is assigned at least one log-in identification and at least one password;

setting up at least one territory comprising groups of related accounts, contacts, and deals; and

assigning the at least one user to the at least one territory.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of setting up comprises:

organizing the at least one territory according to geographical boundaries;

organizing the at least one territory according to account names;

organizing the at least one territory according to ranges of account names;

organizing the at least one territory according to account sizes; and

organizing the at least one territory according to industry focus.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of assigning comprises:

assigning the at least one user access to the at least one territory;

assigning one of a plurality of levels of access rights to each of the at least one user for each of the at least one territory, wherein a territory assignment and the title of the at least one user determines access to the information regarding the at least one transaction.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

exporting the shared information regarding the at least one transaction to at least one other application; and

importing the shared information regarding the at least one transaction from the at least one other application, wherein the at least one other application comprises web sites, spreadsheets, databases, and contact managers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of importing comprises importing the shared information interactively through an end-user import system and importing the shared information as a batch operation, wherein source data comprising at least one field is simultaneously mapped and imported into at least one file, wherein the at least one file comprises information regarding the at least one transaction.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the steps of exporting and importing are performed automatically on a periodic basis.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of electronically searching the shared information regarding the at least one transaction, wherein at least one profile is used to locate records of at least one contact, at least one deal, and at least one account that match a set of criteria.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining at least one deal to be displayed;

generating for display at least one deal object corresponding to the at least one deal;

displaying the at least one deal object a determined distance from a central point on a display, wherein the determined distance of the at least one deal object represents a related stage of a plurality of stages of the at least one deal, the central point representing a final stage of the plurality of stages of the at least one deal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one deal comprises a sales deal, a service to be performed, a product defect, and a call by a representative.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a size and a color and a shape and a fill pattern of the at least one deal object are each indicative of at least one characteristic of the corresponding at least one deal.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one deal object is animated, the animation indicating the progression and regression of the corresponding at least one deal over a specified period of time.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one deal object comprises an object tail, wherein the length of the object tail and the direction of the object tail are each indicative of at least one characteristic of the corresponding at least one deal.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the display is divided into a plurality of sectors, the location of the at least one deal object in a particular sector representative of at least one characteristic of the corresponding at least one deal.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one deal object provides an electronic link to a detail page comprising information relating to the corresponding at least one deal.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing information regarding at least one schedule, wherein the information regarding at least one schedule comprises meetings and appointments, wherein the information regarding at least one schedule is automatically linked with at least one corresponding transaction; and

providing information regarding at least one action item, wherein the information regarding at least one action item is automatically linked with the at least one corresponding transaction.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing new business information, wherein the new business information comprises new information and changed information on at least one monitored network site.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one monitored network site comprises the prespecified web sites and web pages associated with the at least one transaction.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the World Wide Web is automatically polled to search for changes to prespecified Web pages, wherein the automatic polling is conducted once per day at a prespecified time

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the new business information comprises:

an overview of changed information regarding at least one lead and the at least one transaction;

new appointments and action items and corresponding electronic links; and

information regarding at least one new lead and at least one new transaction and corresponding electronic links.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of establishing communications, wherein the communications comprise electronic mail, facsimile, telephones, and paging devices, wherein at least one communication is automatically established using information comprising information regarding at least one lead and the information regarding at least one transaction, wherein a record of the communication is saved in a history file of a corresponding at least one lead and a corresponding at least one transaction.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one profile is used to select at least one addressee from the information regarding the at least one lead and the information regarding at least one transaction, wherein the at least one profile locates contacts, deals, and accounts that match at least one set of criteria, wherein the at least one profile comprises predefined profiles and custom profiles.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing at least one search device to locate records of the at least one contact, the at least one deal, and the at least one account that match at least one criteria;

providing an electronic bulletin board and news group; and

providing at least one report.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one report comprises analytical reports and informative reports about the at least one contact, the at least one deal, the at least one account, and at least one appointment.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction is provided using a web browser and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and a protocol comprising Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction comprises at least one contact, a description, a projected closing date, a stage, a rating, a probability of closing, a territory, a source, and an estimated revenue.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the at least one deal comprises summary deal information, detailed deal information, a complete history of events associated with the at least one deal, and automatic access to an internet web site of at least one customer associated with the at least one deal.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the at least one account comprises summary account information, detailed account information, a complete history of events associated with the at least one account, and automatic access to an internet web site of at least one customer associated with the at least one account.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding at least one deal comprises a history of each contact, appointment, and event associated with the at least one deal, wherein communication with a representative of the at least one deal is automatically established using the information regarding at least one deal.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding at least one contact comprises a history of activities associated with the at least one contact, wherein communication with a representative of the at least one contact is automatically established using the information regarding at least one contact.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one transaction comprises at least one lead, wherein the at least one lead is an emerging business opportunity.

33. A method for managing at least one transaction comprising the steps of:

providing shared information regarding the at least one transaction, wherein the at least one transaction comprises at least one deal, at least one contact, and at least one account, wherein the information of related transactions is electronically linked; and

providing new business information, wherein the new business information comprises changed information regarding the at least one deal, the at least one contact, and the at least one account, wherein the new business information comprises new information and changed information on at least one monitored network site, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction and the new business information is provided over an internet using a protocol comprising Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the processor is further configured to:

register at least one user to access the shared information regarding the at least one transaction, wherein the at least one user is registered using registration information comprising at least one name, a title, at least one electronic mail address, and at least one telephone number, wherein the at least one user is assigned at least one log-in identification and at least one password;

set up at least one territory comprising groups of related accounts, contacts, and deals; and

assign the at least one user to the at least one territory.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the set up comprises organizing the at least one territory according to geographical boundaries, organizing the at least one territory according to account names, organizing the at least one territory according to ranges of account names, organizing the at least one territory according to account sizes, and organizing the at least one territory according to industry focus.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the assigning comprises:

assigning the at least one user access to the at least one territory;

assigning one of a plurality of levels of access rights to each of the at least one user for each of the at least one territory, wherein a territory assignment and the title of the at least one user determines access to the information regarding the at least one transaction.

39. The system of claim 35, wherein the processor is further configured to:

export the shared information regarding the at least one transaction to at least one other application; and

import the shared information regarding the at least one transaction from the at least one other application, wherein the at least one other application comprises web sites, spreadsheets, databases, and contact managers, wherein the processor is configured to export and import automatically on a periodic basis.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the processor imports the shared information interactively through an end-user import system and imports the shared information as a batch operation, wherein source data comprising at least one field is simultaneously mapped and imported into at least one file, wherein the at least one file comprises information regarding the at least one transaction.

41. The system of claim 35, wherein the processor is further configured to electronically search the shared information regarding the at least one transaction, wherein at least one profile is used to locate records of at least one contact, at least one deal, and at least one account that match a set of criteria.

42. The system of claim 35, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine at least one deal to be displayed;

generate for display at least one deal object corresponding to the at least one deal;

display the at least one deal object a determined distance from a central point on a display, wherein the determined distance of the at least one deal object represents a related stage of a plurality of stages of the at least one deal, the central point representing a final stage of the plurality of stages of the at least one deal.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein a size and a color and a shape and a fill pattern of the at least one deal object are each indicative of at least one characteristic of the corresponding at least one deal.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein the at least one deal object is animated, the animation indicating the progression and regression of the corresponding at least one deal over a specified period of time.

45. The system of claim 42, wherein the at least one deal object comprises an object tail, wherein the length of the object tail and the direction of the object tail are each indicative of at least one characteristic of the corresponding at least one deal.

46. The system of claim 42, wherein the display is divided into a plurality of sectors, the location of the at least one deal object in a particular sector representative of at least one characteristic of the corresponding at least one deal.

47. The system of claim 42, wherein the at least one deal object provides an electronic link to a detail page comprising information relating to the corresponding at least one deal.

48. The system of claim 35, wherein the processor is further configured to:

provide information regarding at least one schedule, wherein the information regarding at least one schedule comprises meetings and appointments, wherein the information regarding at least one schedule is automatically linked with at least one corresponding transaction; and

provide information regarding at least one action item, wherein the information regarding at least one action item is automatically linked with the at least one corresponding transaction.

49. The system of claim 35, wherein the processor is further configured to provide new business information comprising new information and changed information on at least one monitored network site, wherein the at least one monitored network site comprises the prespecified web sites and web pages associated with the at least one transaction.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the World Wide Web is automatically polled to search for changes to prespecified Web pages, wherein the automatic polling is conducted once per day at a prespecified time

51. The system of claim 49, wherein the new business information comprises:

an overview of changed information regarding at least one lead and the at least one transaction;

new appointments and action items and corresponding electronic links; and

information regarding at least one new lead and at least one new transaction and corresponding electronic links.

52. The system of claim 35, wherein the processor is further configured to establish communications using electronic mail, facsimile, telephones, and paging devices, wherein at least one communication is automatically established using information comprising information regarding at least one lead and the information regarding at least one transaction, wherein a record of the communication is saved in a history file of a corresponding at least one lead and a corresponding at least one transaction.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein at least one profile is used to select at least one addressee from the information regarding the at least one lead and the information regarding at least one transaction, wherein the at least one profile locates contacts, deals, and accounts that match at least one set of criteria, wherein the at least one profile comprises predefined profiles and custom profiles.

54. The system of claim 35, wherein the processor is further configured to:

provide at least one search device to locate records of the at least one contact, the at least one deal, and the at least one account that match at least one criteria;

provide an electronic bulletin board and news group; and

provide at least one report comprising analytical reports and informative reports about the at least one contact, the at least one deal, the at least one account, and at least one appointment.

55. The system of claim 35, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction is shared among sales force members according to a hierarchy and predefined territories.

56. The system of claim 35, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction is provided using a web browser and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and a protocol comprising Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

57. The system of claim 35, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction comprises at least one contact, a description, a projected closing date, a stage, a rating, a probability of closing, a territory, a source, and an estimated revenue.

58. The system of claim 35, wherein the information regarding the at least one deal comprises summary deal information, detailed deal information, a history of events associated with the at least one deal, and automatic access to an internet web site of at least one client associated with the at least one deal.

59. The system of claim 35, wherein the information regarding the at least one account comprises summary account information, detailed account information, a complete history of events associated with the at least one account, and automatic access to an internet web site of at least one customer associated with the at least one account.

60. The system of claim 35, wherein the information regarding at least one deal comprises a history of each contact, appointment, and event associated with the at least one deal, wherein communication with a representative of the at least one deal is automatically established using the information regarding at least one deal.

61. The system of claim 35, wherein the information regarding at least one contact comprises a history of activities associated with the at least one contact, wherein communication with a representative of the at least one contact is automatically established using the information regarding at least one contact.

34. A method for managing at least one transaction comprising the steps of:

providing shared information regarding the at least one transaction, wherein the at least one transaction comprises at least one deal, at least one contact, and at least one account, wherein the information of related transactions is electronically linked, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction is provided over an Internet; and

establishing communications, wherein at least one communication is automatically established over at least one communication medium using the information regarding the at least one transaction, wherein a record of the communication is saved in a history file of a corresponding at least one transaction.

35. A computer system comprising:

a display device;

a processor coupled to the display device, the processor configured to provide shared information regarding at least one transaction, wherein the at least one transaction comprises at least one deal, at least one contact, and at least one account, wherein the information of related transactions is electronically linked; and

an Internet coupled to the processor, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction is provided to a Web browser over the Internet.

62. A system for managing sales force information, the system comprising:

shared information regarding at least one transaction, wherein the at least one transaction comprises at least one deal, at least one contact, and at least one account, wherein the shared information is shared according to a hierarchy and predefined territories;

at least one electronic link among related transactions;

an Internet coupled to the system, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction is provided to a web browser using the Internet.

63. The system of claim 62, wherein the system is further configured to:

register at least one user to access the shared information regarding the at least one transaction, wherein the at least one user is registered using registration information comprising at least one name, a title, at least one electronic mail address, and at least one telephone number, wherein the at least one user is assigned at least one log-in identification and at least one password;

set up at least one territory comprising groups of related accounts, contacts, and deals; and

assign the at least one user to the at least one territory, wherein the assigning comprises assigning one of a plurality of levels of access rights to each of the at least one user for each of the at least one territory, wherein a territory assignment and the title of the at least one user determines access to the information regarding the at least one transaction.

64. The system of claim 62, wherein the system is further configured to:

export the shared information regarding the at least one transaction to at least one other application; and

import the shared information regarding the at least one transaction from the at least one other application, wherein the at least one other application comprises web sites, spreadsheets, databases, and contact managers, wherein the processor is configured to export and import automatically on a periodic basis.

65. The system of claim 62, wherein the system is further configured to:

determine at least one deal to be displayed;

generate for display at least one deal object corresponding to the at least one deal;

display the at least one deal object a determined distance from a central point on a display, wherein the determined distance of the at least one deal object represents a related stage of a plurality of stages of the at least one deal, the central point representing a final stage of the plurality of stages of the at least one deal, wherein a size and a color and a shape and a fill pattern of the at least one deal object are each indicative of at least one characteristic of the corresponding at least one deal, wherein the at least one deal object provides an electronic link to a detail page comprising information relating to the corresponding at least one deal.

66. The system of claim 62, wherein the system is further configured to:

provide information regarding at least one schedule, wherein the information regarding at least one schedule comprises meetings and appointments, wherein the information regarding at least one schedule is automatically linked with at least one corresponding transaction; and

provide information regarding at least one action item, wherein the information regarding at least one action item is automatically linked with the at least one corresponding transaction.

67. The system of claim 62, wherein the system is further configured to provide new business information comprising new information and changed information on at least one monitored network site, wherein the at least one monitored network site comprises the prespecified web sites and web pages associated with the at least one transaction.

68. The system of claim 62, wherein the system is further configured to:

establish communications using electronic mail, facsimile, telephones, and paging devices, wherein at least one communication is automatically established using information comprising information regarding at least one lead and the information regarding at least one transaction, wherein a record of the communication is saved in a history file of a corresponding at least one lead and a corresponding at least one transaction;

provide at least one search device to locate records of the at least one contact, the at least one deal, and the at least one account that match at least one criteria;

provide an electronic bulletin board and news group; and

provide at least one report comprising analytical reports and informative reports about the at least one contact, the at least one deal, the at least one account, and at least one appointment.

69. The system of claim 62, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction is provided using a web browser and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and a protocol comprising Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

70. A computer readable medium containing executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, causes the system to perform the steps for managing at least one transaction comprising providing shared information regarding the at least one transaction, wherein the at least one transaction comprises at least one deal, at least one contact, and at least one account, wherein the information of related transactions is electronically linked, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction is provided over an Internet.

71. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the steps of:

registering at least one user to access the shared information regarding the at least one transaction, wherein the at least one user is registered using registration information comprising at least one name, a title, at least one electronic mail address, and at least one telephone number, wherein the at least one user is assigned at least one log-in identification and at least one password;

setting up at least one territory comprising groups of related accounts, contacts, and deals; and

assigning the at least one user to the at least one territory.

72. The computer readable medium of claim 71, wherein the step of assigning comprises:

assigning the at least one user access to the at least one territory;

assigning one of a plurality of levels of access rights to each of the at least one user for each of the at least one territory, wherein a territory assignment and the title of the at least one user determines access to the information regarding the at least one transaction.

73. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the steps of:

exporting the shared information regarding the at least one transaction to at least one other application; and

importing the shared information regarding the at least one transaction from the at least one other application, wherein the at least one other application comprises web sites, spreadsheets, databases, and contact managers, wherein the steps of exporting and importing are performed automatically on a periodic basis.

74. The computer readable medium of claim 73, wherein the step of importing comprises importing the shared information interactively through an end-user import system and importing the shared information as a batch operation, wherein source data comprising at least one field is simultaneously mapped and imported into at least one file, wherein the at least one file comprises information regarding the at least one transaction.

75. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the step of electronically searching the shared information regarding the at least one transaction, wherein at least one profile is used to locate records of at least one contact, at least one deal, and at least one account that match a set of criteria.

76. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the steps of:

determining at least one deal to be displayed;

generating for display at least one deal object corresponding to the at least one deal;

displaying the at least one deal object a determined distance from a central point on a display, wherein the determined distance of the at least one deal object represents a related stage of a plurality of stages of the at least one deal, the central point representing a final stage of the plurality of stages of the at least one deal.

77. The computer readable medium of claim 76, wherein a size and a color and a shape and a fill pattern of the at least one deal object are each indicative of at least one characteristic of the corresponding at least one deal.

78. The computer readable medium of claim 76, wherein the at least one deal object is animated, the animation indicating the progression and regression of the corresponding at least one deal over a specified period of time.

79. The computer readable medium of claim 76, wherein the at least one deal object comprises an object tail, wherein the length of the object tail and the direction of the object tail are each indicative of at least one characteristic of the corresponding at least one deal.

80. The computer readable medium of claim 76, wherein the display is divided into a plurality of sectors, the location of the at least one deal object in a particular sector representative of at least one characteristic of the corresponding at least one deal.

81. The computer readable medium of claim 76, wherein the at least one deal object provides an electronic link to a detail page comprising information relating to the corresponding at least one deal.

82. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the steps of:

providing information regarding at least one schedule, wherein the information regarding at least one schedule comprises meetings and appointments, wherein the information regarding at least one schedule is automatically linked with at least one corresponding transaction; and

providing information regarding at least one action item, wherein the information regarding at least one action item is automatically linked with the at least one corresponding transaction.

83. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the step of providing new business information, wherein the new business information comprises new information and changed information on at least one monitored network site, wherein the at least one monitored network site comprises prespecified web sites and web pages associated with the at least one transaction.

84. The computer readable medium of claim 83, wherein the World Wide Web is automatically polled to search for changes to prespecified Web pages, wherein the automatic polling is conducted once per day at a prespecified time

85. The computer readable medium of claim 83, wherein the new business information comprises:

an overview of changed information regarding at least one lead and the at least one transaction;

new appointments and action items and corresponding electronic links; and

information regarding at least one new lead and at least one new transaction and corresponding electronic links.

86. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the step of establishing communications, wherein the communications comprise electronic mail, facsimile, telephones, and paging devices, wherein at least one communication is automatically established using information comprising information regarding at least one lead and the information regarding at least one transaction, wherein a record of the communication is saved in a history file of a corresponding at least one lead and a corresponding at least one transaction.

87. The computer readable medium of claim 86, wherein at least one profile is used to select at least one addressee from the information regarding the at least one lead and the information regarding at least one transaction, wherein the at least one profile locates contacts, deals, and accounts that match at least one set of criteria, wherein the at least one profile comprises predefined profiles and custom profiles.

88. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the steps of:

providing at least one search device to locate records of the at least one contact, the at least one deal, and the at least one account that match at least one criteria;

providing an electronic bulletin board and news group; and

providing at least one report, wherein the at least one report comprises analytical reports and informative reports about the at least one transaction and at least one appointment.

89. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction is provided using a web browser and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and a protocol comprising Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

90. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the information regarding the at least one deal comprises summary deal information, detailed deal information, a complete history of events associated with the at least one deal, and automatic access to an internet web site of at least one customer associated with the at least one deal.

91. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the information regarding the at least one account comprises summary account information, detailed account information, a complete history of events associated with the at least one account, and automatic access to an internet web site of at least one customer associated with the at least one account.

92. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the information regarding at least one deal comprises a history of each contact, appointment, and event associated with the at least one deal, wherein communication with a representative of the at least one deal is automatically established using the information regarding at least one deal.

93. The computer readable medium of claim 70, wherein the information regarding at least one contact comprises a history of activities associated with the at least one contact, wherein communication with a representative of the at least one contact is automatically established using the information regarding at least one contact.

94. A computer readable medium containing executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, causes the system to perform the steps for a method of managing at least one transaction, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving information regarding at least one transaction over an Internet using a web browser;

providing the information regarding at least one transaction to a user, wherein the at least one transaction comprises at least one deal, at least one contact, and at least one account, wherein the information is shared according to a hierarchy and predefined territories; and

providing at least one electronic link among related transactions.

95. The computer readable medium of claim 94, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the steps of:

determining at least one deal to be displayed;

generating for display at least one deal object corresponding to the at least one deal;

displaying the at least one deal object a determined distance from a central point on a display, wherein the determined distance of the at least one deal object represents a related stage of a plurality of stages of the at least one deal, the central point representing a final stage of the plurality of stages of the at least one deal.

96. The computer readable medium of claim 94, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the steps of:

providing information regarding at least one schedule, wherein the information regarding at least one schedule comprises meetings and appointments, wherein the information regarding at least one schedule is automatically linked with at least one corresponding transaction; and

providing information regarding at least one action item, wherein the information regarding at least one action item is automatically linked with the at least one corresponding transaction.

97. The computer readable medium of claim 94, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the step of providing new business information, wherein the new business information comprises new information and changed information on at least one monitored network site, wherein the at least one monitored network site comprises prespecified web sites and web pages associated with the at least one transaction.

98. The computer readable medium of claim 97, wherein the new business information comprises:

an overview of changed information regarding at least one lead and the at least one transaction;

new appointments and action items and corresponding electronic links; and

information regarding at least one new lead and at least one new transaction and corresponding electronic links.

99. The computer readable medium of claim 94, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the step of establishing communications, wherein the communications comprise electronic mail, facsimile, telephones, and paging devices, wherein at least one communication is automatically established using information comprising information regarding at least one lead and the information regarding at least one transaction, wherein a record of the communication is saved in a history file of a corresponding at least one lead and a corresponding at least one transaction.

100. The computer readable medium of claim 94, wherein the information regarding the at least one transaction is provided using the web browser and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and a protocol comprising Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

101. The computer readable medium of claim 94, wherein the information regarding the at least one deal comprises summary deal information, detailed deal information, a complete history of events associated with the at least one deal, and automatic access to an internet web site of at least one customer associated with the at least one deal.

102. The computer readable medium of claim 94, wherein the information regarding the at least one account comprises summary account information, detailed account information, a complete history of events associated with the at least one account, and automatic access to an internet web site of at least one customer associated with the at least one account.

103. The computer readable medium of claim 94, wherein the information regarding at least one contact comprises a history of activities associated with the at least one contact, wherein communication with a representative of the at least one contact is automatically established using the information regarding at least one contact.