There's a lot of talk these days about SFA, or sales force automation, a term that's gaining a wider following in many technical industries. The idea behind sales force automation is taking all the elements of a sales transaction, from lead generation to forecast analyses, and integrating them into a single software solution. This trend has several benefits including reduced costs, better organization, and improved sharing capabilities.

Like CRM (customer relationship management), a related field, sales force automation aims to streamline and enhance the system of acquiring leads, managing contacts, scheduling appointments and demonstrations, following up with client surveys, and servicing accounts. The primary advantage for sales managers is a better purview of their teams' success. With a few mouse clicks, a manager can see which reps are underperforming, which are making strides, and which are in danger of missing quotas.

Other Aspects of Sales Force Automation

With sales force automation, reps themselves can communicate through a single standard that's easy to use. If there are issues relating to territories, order tracking, or defective products, reps can log onto a central server or database and resolve their disputes there without having to call across the country. Similarly, if a sales manager must introduce new selling techniques or fresh products, he or she can do so through an SFA system.

Some small business solutions companies offer SFA software as part of their standard package of goods. Others sell them as stand-alone products that must then be installed and incorporated into their clients' systems, a process that can be tedious. If you're looking for small business help yourself, an SFA provider might be able to help you streamline your sales arm and improve communication between reps and managers, all of which can shave precious dollars from your expenditures.