Method and system for automating proposals involving direct and indirect sales

• US 20060041496A1
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Maged Amin
• Original Assignee: Maged Amin
• Inventors: Amin, Maged
• Application Number:
  US10/921,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20060041496A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A sales automation system is described. The system can be customized to generate complex proposals involving direct and indirect sales. The system allows users to manage sales projects comprising complete solutions. Proposals are generated by integrating third party products and services offering and by using a pool of products stored in the system catalog. Requests to third party suppliers and service providers are managed by the system and integrated after evaluation in the final proposal to the customer. Search and allocation of products allows users to quickly identify products from a large data pool. Proposal items are structured in a way that enable flexible calculations of resale values based on market conditions and specific variables related to third party suppliers. The system is structured to enable proposals offering to multiple customers for a single project. This structure is extended beyond the proposal preparation cycle until the order phase.

Claims

1. A method using a data processing system with a backbone tree for use in preparing a quotation to a potential customer, comprising:

(a) establishing quotation line item objects in a data processing system, each quotation line item object identifying a quotation line item for which a quotation is to be prepared and additional information about the quotation line item;

(b) establishing at least one request line item object in the data processing system, each request line item object identifying a request line item for obtaining a quotation from a sub-supplier and additional information about the request line item;

(c) creating in the data processing system a backbone tree, said backbone tree linking each request line item object to a quotation line item object; and

(d) generating a request to a sub-supplier for a sub quotation for a request line item, said request including information obtained from the request line item object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the backbone tree comprises a relational database linking a field of the quotation line item and a field of a request line item.

3. The method of claim 1, further including a step of establishing a set of quotation line item objects in the data processing system, each quotation line item object identifying a quotation line item for which a quotation is to be prepared.

4. The method of claim 3, further including a step of generating a proposal, said proposal incorporating information from a quotation line item object.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the backbone tree further links a quotation line item object to a request line item object.

6. The method of claim 5, further including a step of generating a proposal, said proposal incorporating information from a request line item object.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information from a request line item object includes information entered into a request line item object from a responses from a sub-supplier to a request.

8. The method of claim 1, further including a step of establishing product objects in the data processing system, each product object identifying a product available from a supplier and additional information about the product.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising a step of linking a product object to a quotation line item object.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the proposal includes information from a product object.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the product object designates the product as a product available from a specific supplier.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the product object designates the product as a product available from a plurality of suppliers.

13. The method of claim 12, further including a step of establishing a global supplier group identifier in the data processing system, said global supplier group identifier identifying a plurality of suppliers from which a product is available.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising a step of linking a product object to a global supplier group identifier object.

15. The method of claim 1, further including a step of establishing a set of RFQ line item objects in the data processing system, each RFQ line item object associated with a request for quotation, each RFQ line item object identifying an RFQ line item for which a quotation is to be prepared and additional information about the RFQ line item.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the backbone tree links an RFQ line item object to a proposal line item object.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the backbone tree links an RFQ line item object to a request line-item object.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the backbone tree links an RFQ line item object to a product object.

19. A method using a data processing system with a global supplier group identifier for use in preparing a quotation to a potential customer, compromising,

(a) establishing a product object in the data processing system, said product object identifying a product available from a plurality of sub-suppliers;

(b) establishing a global supplier group identifier in the data processing system, said global supplier group identifier identifying a plurality of suppliers from which the product of the product object is available.

(c) establishing at least one request line item object in the data processing system, each request line item object identifying a request line item for obtaining a quotation from a sub-supplier and additional information about the request line item;

(d) establishing a link in the data processing system between the request line item object and the product object; and

(e) for each supplier identified in the global supplier group identifier, generating a request for sub quotation for the request line item, said request including information obtained from the product object.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the product is a service.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of establishing a link includes a step of creating, in a relational database, a link between a field of the global supplier group identifier and a field of the product object.

22. A method using a data processing system with a global costing domain for use in preparing a quotation to a potential customer, compromising:

(a) establishing a product object in the data processing system, said product object identifying a product available from a sub-supplier;

(b) establishing a global costing domain object in the data processing system, said global costing domain object identifying cost information about the product;

(c) establishing quotation line item objects in a data processing system, each quotation line item object identifying a quotation line item for which a quotation is to be prepared and additional information about the quotation line item;

(d) generating, from the global costing domain object, a local costing domain object, said local costing domain object including cost information from the global costing domain object and costing information related to the product supplier,

(e) linking the local costing domain object to the quotation line-item object; and

(f) generating a proposal, said proposal incorporating information from a quotation line item object.

23. The method of claim 22, further including steps of:

establishing a subsystem object in a data processing system, said subsystem object identifying a subsystem for quotation and additional information about the subsystem; and

establishing a plurality of subsystem line item objects in the data processing system, each subsystem line item object identifying a subsystem line item for quotation and additional information about the subsystem line item, at least one of said subsystem line item objects identifying the product of the product object.