One of the tools used by many companies, including sales tracking and information management, is Excel or Google Sheets. From a database of client information to the work status of members, they can be used to manage everything.
On the other hand, there may be many companies that have not thoroughly implemented for sales tracking in the past who would like to use Excel for case management, but do not know how to go about it.
In this issue, we will introduce 5 best templates for sales tracking the key points of case management with Excel and three recommended templates for below people.
- “I want to start case management right away because sales activities are not visualized.”
- “Sales members do not share information with each other, and the situation is becoming more and more personalized.”
- “I am managing deals in Excel, but the information is not updated, so I cannot see the progress.”
If so, this article will help you understand the best template for sales tracking and key points of progress management with Excel and find the best management method for your company.
Contents
- 1 4 types of sales management that can be done with Excel and Google Sheets
- 2 3 key points for sales management in Excel or Google Sheets
- 3 5 best templates for sales in Excel or Google Sheets
- 4 5 disadvantages of using Excel and Google Sheets for sales tracking
- 5 The best tool that can solve the disadvantages of Excel and Google Sheets
- 6 Summary of how to manage sales deals in Excel and Google Sheets
4 types of sales management that can be done with Excel and Google Sheets
Here are the types of case management that can be handled in Excel.
| Type | Information to be managed | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Goal management | ・Progress of goals ・Current achievement level | ・Visualization of the difference against the sales target ・Maintain member motivation |
| Sales management | ・Sales performance by customer | ・Checking of hot-selling products, deliveries, and timing of orders |
| Action management | ・Progress of sales representatives and order acceptance rate | ・Improvement of proposal quality through advice from supervisors ・Formulation of action plans to achieve goals ・It records the progress and progress of sales activities so that the next action to be taken to close the deal is clear. |
| Deal management | ・Manage information regarding clients | ・The process of compiling and properly storing information. ・Progress related to sales negotiations with customers. |
Thus, Excel and Google Sheets can handle 4 types of management for sales information. However, if data input omissions occur, the operating status and the degree of achievement of targets will also not be managed correctly, so it is necessary to establish a system and rules to consolidate all data in Excel.
3 key points for sales management in Excel or Google Sheets
Below are 3 key points for case management in Excel or Google Sheets. They are necessary for efficient sales management, so make sure you can put them into practice.
(1) Decide what to analyze
The first point is to decide what to analyze.
If you do not have a clear idea of what you are analyzing, you will not know what kind of data you need. As a result, it will also be difficult to improve operations based on the results of data analysis.
For example, if you want to see the achievement rate in sales management, it is recommended to clarify the progress of appointments, interviews, orders, etc. In this way, if you define what you are analyzing, the data to be extracted will be more specific.
(2) Decide on input rules
The second point is to determine the input rules.
When using Excel for managing sales information, Excel and Google Sheets itself becomes a database, and if information is not entered in the correct format, data cannot be processed and analyzed. Therefore, make sure that rules such as “one line of data per case” are observed.
It is also important to “organize information by case” and “arrange by deadline. In addition, linking to related files and sheets will reduce the time spent searching for files.
(3) Edit at a glance
The third point is to edit the file so that it is easy to understand at a glance.
For example, in order to grasp the progress at a glance, you need to leave a one-word description of the current status. If the status is “Not Started,” “Closed,” or “Delivered,” anyone can easily check the status of the task.
If you edit the status in such a way that it can be easily seen at a glance, you may reduce the sense of “hassle” in managing the task.
5 best templates for sales in Excel or Google Sheets
Below are 5 free Excel or Google Sheets templates that can be used for sales. Choose the one that best suits your company’s business and unify the format within your company.
(1) Sales tracking template provided by Smartsheet
This is a sales tracking template provided by Smartsheets.
It has basic items such as cost per items, total sold, profit per item and so on. If you enter the amount of each item, the diagrams and graph will be calculated automatically.
(2) Sales plan template provided by Spreadsheet.com
This template is sales plan template allows you to manage information such as Goals, KPIs, Action Steps.
It has the feature that can display calendar and Kanban board while keeping the appearance of a spreadsheet. (Although you need to register for free to use it.)
(3) Sales score template by GTMnow
This is a template for tracking activity of calling by sales provided by GTMnow.
As this template has the feature which you can record the information of each member’s score, it is useful for operation productivity of your sales calling team.
(4) Sales pipeline and Leads tracking template by Fuzen
This is a template for using customer relationship management to record the information provided by Fuzen.
Various sheets in this template such as tracking, activities, team performance, todo list, funnel, help you to manage information easily regardless internal or external
(5) Monthly sales order template by Template.net
This is a template for tracking activity of calling by sales provided by Template.net.
12 sheets of it regarding the sales amount from each client help you to stock information, also you total amount of sales in each sheet are automatically calculated and displayed in “Total” sheets with graph.
5 disadvantages of using Excel and Google Sheets for sales tracking
Here are 5 disadvantages of using Excel for sales tracking. If you do not check the following, there is a high possibility that “sales tracking itself will become a hassle” due to the time and effort required to operate Excel and Google Sheets, so be careful.
(1) Difficult to keep track of the latest information
One of the disadvantages of Excel and Google Sheets is that it is difficult to keep track of the latest information.
In particular, companies that use them often update versions by file name, and in many cases, they operate by putting the added information in red. However, in operation, when the number of files increases, it becomes difficult to determine the latest version of a file at a glance.
Thus, they are difficult to manage versions and files increase quickly, so it takes time to find the latest information.
(2) It takes time to update information
Excel and Google Sheets sales management requires a lot of time to update information.
In Excel and Google Sheets, you have to open the appropriate file each time to update and save the information. This makes it difficult to keep the information up-to-date because it cannot be easily updated.
Especially forgetting to save a file, which is common with Excel, can lead to data omissions as well as the hassle of re-editing the file. Furthermore, if real-time updates are difficult to make, it is impossible to know exactly how members are progressing, which can lead to an uneven workload.
(3) Difficult to check on the go
One of the disadvantages of Excel and Google Sheets is that it is difficult to check while out of the office.
Since they are software developed for PCs, it is inconvenient to view or edit from a smartphone or tablet. Therefore, if you want to update or check information on a business meeting while you are out of the office, you must start up your computer.
Thus, they have the disadvantage of being inconvenient. Therefore, for a type of job that requires frequent outings, such as sales, an IT tool that can be easily updated and viewed from a smartphone is the best choice.
(4) Information flows via email and chat
One of the disadvantages is that management charts flow even when shared via email or chat.
Even if you create a deal management chart in Excel and Google Sheets, if you do not share it in a way that prevents information from flowing, you will not be able to access it later when you want to look back. Since information on deals is fundamental to sales, it is essential to have a system that allows easy access regardless of the time.
Thus, they have the disadvantage of information flow, so teams that want to manage deals properly should use a tool like Stock that can stock important information without losing it.
(5) Difficulty in managing information by case
Finally, another disadvantage is that it is difficult to manage information by case in Excel and Google Sheets.
When a file is created for each case, the “sheets in Excel and Google Sheets” must be divided according to the information contained in the file, but it is not possible to search across sheets. This means that you have to switch sheets each time to find the information you are looking for, which is troublesome.
In addition, since “communication about projects” and “work management” require separate tools, it is difficult to manage information for each project using Excel.
The best tool that can solve the disadvantages of Excel and Google Sheets
Below is the best tool that can solve the disadvantages of Excel.
To properly manage information per case, IT tools, not Excel, are essential. For example, the information to be managed includes not only customer information and proposal materials, but also the communication with sales members and tasks to be handled.
In addition, Excel is inconvenient to operate in sales operations because it is not designed for smartphones, making it difficult to use from outside the office. Therefore, “an IT tool that is not overloaded with necessary functions and is easy to operate even with a smartphone” is suitable as a replacement for Excel.
In conclusion, Stock is indispensable for the management of your company’s projects, as it is not excess or insufficiency with functions for information management, and anyone can easily stock all kinds of information.
Information left in “Note” of Stock can be categorized in “Folders”, so there is no need to worry about complicated management as with Excel. Furthermore, “Message” and “Task” are tied to “Note”, solving the burden of mixing up the themes of communication with members and task management.
Stock| A tool can be easily used by employees in non-IT companies especially
The simplest tool to stock information "Stock"
https://www.stock-app.info/en/
Stock is the simplest tool to stock information. Stock solves the problem, "there is no easy way to stock information within the company".
With Stock, anyone can easily store all kinds of information, including text information such as requirements, images, and files, using the Note feature.
In addition, by using the "Task" and "Message" functions, you can communicate with each topic described in the Note, so that information is not dispersed here and there and work can always be carried out in an organized manner.
＜Why do we recommend Stock?＞
- A tool for companies that are not familiar with ITYou don't need to have any IT expertise to get started.
- Simple and usable by anyoneStock is so simple that anyone can use it without any unnecessary features.
- Amazingly easy information storing and task managementIt is amazingly easy to store information such as shared information within a company, and intuitive task management is also possible.
＜Stock's pricing＞
- Free plan ：Free
- Business plan ：$5 / User / Month
- Enterprise plan ：$10 / User / Month
Summary of how to manage sales deals in Excel and Google Sheets
We have focused on the key points and 5 templates for managing sales in Excel and Google Sheets.
The key to Excel and Google Sheets management for sales is to standardize the rules within the company to avoid omissions. However, they are difficult to use on a smartphone, making it inconvenient for sales members who are often out of the office to use.
Such “difficulty of use” can become a huge burden when piled up, and must be resolved immediately. On the other hand, if an IT tool is equipped with an excessive amount of necessary functions, it can be operated intuitively even on the small screen of a smartphone.
In conclusion, the tool that should be introduced is “Stock,” an information sharing tool in non-IT companies to easily manage many information, even with their smartphones. Currently, it has been introduced to more than 200,000 companies regardless of industry and sector, and contributes to more efficient case management.
It only takes 1 minute to register for free, so using Stock to centralize your sales deal management and solve the burden of information sharing.
