How SIX SalesFlow Turns Demand into Revenue
A successful sale does not begin with an order and end with an invoice. It begins when a potential customer shows interest and continues through qualification, pricing, approval, order intake, supply, delivery, payment and follow-up. SIX SalesFlow connects these stages with customer management, inventory, purchasing, manufacturing, logistics and finance, creating one traceable path from demand to revenue and repeat business.
Sales Is a Complete Business Process
Sales is often treated as the responsibility of the sales department. In reality, almost every confirmed sale creates work for several parts of the company.
The sales team must understand what the customer needs. Management may need to approve prices or discounts. The warehouse must confirm whether products are available. Purchasing may need to order missing goods. Manufacturing may need to produce the required quantity. Logistics must prepare the delivery. Finance must create the correct invoice and monitor payment.
When these teams work in separate systems, the customer order becomes a chain of manual handovers. Information is copied into spreadsheets, sent by email and explained again in meetings. Each handover creates another chance for delays, misunderstandings and errors.
SIX SalesFlow creates a connected process:
Lead acquisition → Qualification → Offer or estimate → Customer order → Supply and fulfillment → Delivery → Invoicing → Payment → Follow-up and repeat business
The exact path does not have to be identical for every organization. A wholesale company, a manufacturer and a project-based service provider may all sell differently. SIX ERP processes can be configured around the company’s real operating model, approval rules, departments and responsibilities.
Lead Acquisition: Where the Sales Flow Begins
Before a customer places an order, the company must first identify and understand the opportunity.
A lead may come from a website form, referral, email, telephone call, event, sales campaign or direct contact. At this early stage, the company may know only the person’s name, company and general area of interest. That information must be captured before it disappears into a personal inbox or notebook.
Through its connection with SIX CustomerFlow, the sales process can begin with one organized customer and lead record. Communication, contact details, responsible employees, activities and follow-up tasks remain connected. This gives the sales team a shared understanding of who the potential customer is and what has already happened.
Lead acquisition is not only about collecting names. The business must also determine whether the lead represents a real sales opportunity. Qualification helps the team understand the customer’s need, expected quantity, budget, timing, location and decision process.
A qualified lead may become an opportunity. An unqualified lead may remain open for future follow-up or be closed with a clear reason. This distinction helps salespeople spend time where there is a realistic chance of success.
Assigning Responsibility and Tracking Salespeople
Every lead, opportunity, offer and order should have a clear owner.
SIX SalesFlow can connect sales activity with the responsible salesperson, sales team, branch or business unit. This makes ownership visible throughout the process. Employees can see who must contact the customer, prepare the offer, answer questions or follow up on an open decision.
Salesperson tracking is part of the operating process, not a separate report created at the end of the month. Management can relate activities and results to the responsible person or team. Depending on the company’s configured process, this may include enquiries, opportunities, proposals, accepted orders, discounts, sales values and completed transactions.
This creates a more balanced view of performance. A salesperson should not be measured only by the number of orders entered. Management also needs to understand whether follow-ups happen on time, offers are converted into orders, discounts remain controlled and customers return with new business.
Clear ownership also improves customer service. When a customer calls, the company can identify the responsible salesperson and review the complete history without searching through private emails or asking several departments.
From Customer Need to a Commercial Offer
After the opportunity has been qualified, the company must translate the customer’s need into a clear commercial offer.
This step may look simple, but it requires accurate information. The offer may include products, services, quantities, prices, discounts, taxes, delivery terms, payment conditions, technical specifications and validity dates. For customized work, it may also include project stages, manufacturing requirements, drawings or customer-specific documents.
SIX SalesFlow keeps this commercial information connected with the customer and opportunity. The sales team can work from controlled product data, pricing rules and customer conditions instead of rebuilding each offer manually.
This is especially important when several employees work with the same customer. A centralized record reduces the risk of conflicting prices, outdated product information or promises that other departments cannot fulfill.
Understanding Offers, Proposals, Estimates and Pro Forma Documents
Companies use different documents before a final customer order is confirmed. Although the terms are sometimes used as if they mean the same thing, they serve different purposes.
An estimate gives the customer an expected price based on the information currently available. It may be useful when the scope, quantity or final effort is not yet fully known. A service company might estimate the expected working time and materials. A manufacturer might estimate a price before the final configuration is approved.
A proposal usually explains the recommended solution in more detail. It may include the business need, proposed products or services, delivery approach, implementation stages, responsibilities and commercial conditions.
An offer or quotation presents the defined commercial terms under which the company is prepared to supply the requested products or services. It normally has a validity period and may require internal approval before it is sent.
A pro forma invoice presents the expected invoice values before the final accounting invoice is issued. It may be used to communicate the amount due or request an advance payment. However, it should not automatically be treated as the final accounting invoice. The exact legal and tax treatment depends on the applicable country and transaction.
SIX SalesFlow can keep these documents connected with the same customer and opportunity. This preserves the commercial history as the sale moves from an early estimate to a formal proposal, accepted offer, confirmed order and final invoice.
Pricing and Discount Control
A sale is not successful simply because the customer accepted the price. It must also create an acceptable business result.
Salespeople need access to the correct prices, but pricing may depend on several conditions. The customer may have a contract price. A product may have a quantity discount. A special project may require a separately calculated price. Different currencies, taxes, delivery costs or payment conditions may also affect the final amount.
SIX SalesFlow can connect the order with the applicable customer, item and pricing information. When a salesperson requests an exceptional discount or changes an important commercial condition, the process can require approval from an authorized manager.
This protects profitability while keeping the sales process practical. The goal is not to slow salespeople down. It is to make sure that important exceptions are visible and approved before the company becomes committed.
Checking Feasibility Before Making a Promise
A sales promise affects the entire organization.
Before confirming an order, the company should know whether the requested product is available, whether missing materials can arrive on time and whether production has enough capacity. A delivery date based only on the customer’s request may be unrealistic.
Through SIX StockFlow, the sales team can work with current inventory information. This includes not only the physical quantity in the warehouse, but also what is available after reservations and other commitments are considered.
For example, a warehouse may physically contain 100 units. If 80 units are already reserved for confirmed orders, only 20 are truly available for a new customer. Without this distinction, several salespeople might promise the same stock.
If goods are unavailable, the sales process may continue through SIX PurchaseFlow or SIX ManufacturingFlow. The required items may need to be purchased from a supplier, manufactured internally or transferred from another warehouse. These connected processes help the business create a realistic supply plan before confirming the delivery commitment.
Order Intake: Turning Agreement into Execution
A customer order is the point where commercial intent becomes operational responsibility.
Order intake should capture more than the product and quantity. A complete order may also require the customer’s billing and delivery addresses, requested date, agreed price, taxes, currency, payment terms, salesperson, delivery method, packaging requirements and supporting documents.
For customized products, the order may include dimensions, colors, technical specifications or approved drawings. For international sales, it may require additional transport, language, documentation or tax information.
SIX SalesFlow creates one structured order record that authorized teams can use throughout execution. The warehouse should not have to interpret an email from the salesperson. Purchasing should not have to guess which date is important. Finance should not need to re-enter the customer and pricing data after delivery.
A controlled order intake process also identifies missing information before execution begins. An incomplete delivery address, unapproved discount or missing specification can stop an order at the correct stage instead of creating a larger problem later.
Not Every Order Follows the Same Route
Sales processes are not always linear.
A standard stocked product may move directly from order confirmation to reservation, picking and delivery. A missing product may create a purchasing requirement. A made-to-order product may create a manufacturing order. A service sale may require an appointment and employee assignment. A project sale may create milestones, tasks, budgets and time records.
This is why a sales system should not force every company into one generic workflow.
SIX ERP processes can be explicitly configured for the company’s use case. Statuses, required information, approvals, documents and departmental handovers can reflect the actual operating model.
A wholesale company may require credit approval, stock reservation and warehouse release. A furniture manufacturer may require product configuration, material planning and production scheduling. A technical service company may require technician availability and spare parts. A project organization may connect the order with SIX ProjectFlow and invoice according to completed milestones.
The sales order remains the commercial starting point, while the connected SIX modules manage the work required to fulfill it.
Connecting Sales with SIX StockFlow
When products are available, the warehouse becomes responsible for physical fulfillment.
SIX StockFlow can reserve the required quantity against the customer order. This prevents the same stock from being assigned to another demand. It also gives salespeople a clearer view of what is already secured and what remains missing.
The confirmed order can provide the basis for a picklist. Warehouse employees can identify the required item, quantity and storage location. Depending on the product, they may also need to record batches, serial numbers or expiry information.
After picking, the goods can move into packing and dispatch. Confirmed quantities remain connected with the customer order, reducing the risk of invoicing products that were never delivered or overlooking quantities that remain open.
If an order is only partly available, the business may decide to make a partial delivery or wait until the complete quantity is ready. That decision should remain visible so salespeople, warehouse employees and customers share the same expectation.
Connecting Sales with SIX PurchaseFlow
Some orders depend on external suppliers.
If the requested item is unavailable, SIX PurchaseFlow can support the purchasing process needed to fulfill the sale. The requirement can move through supplier selection, quotation comparison, approval, purchase ordering and incoming delivery.
Connecting purchasing with the customer order gives the purchasing team important context. The required quantity and deadline are not just general replenishment data. They may be linked to a specific customer commitment.
The sales team also gains better visibility. Instead of repeatedly asking purchasing whether the goods have arrived, employees can follow the connected requirement and expected receipt.
When the supplier delivery is received, inspected and made available in inventory, the sales order can continue toward reservation and fulfillment.
Connecting Sales with SIX ManufacturingFlow
Manufacturers may need to produce the ordered goods before they can be delivered.
In a Make-to-Order process, the confirmed sales order creates production demand. SIX ManufacturingFlow can connect that demand with the product’s Bill of Materials, routing, work centers, materials, capacity and planned operations.
In a Make-to-Stock process, the required finished goods may already be available in the warehouse. The sales order reserves them without creating a new manufacturing order.
Hybrid manufacturers may hold common components or semi-finished products in stock and begin final assembly only after the customer confirms the configuration.
The important point is that the customer order remains connected with the production requirement. Salespeople can understand whether the order is waiting for materials, currently in production, undergoing quality control or ready for delivery. This makes customer communication more reliable.
Order Execution Should Remain Visible
Once execution begins, the order should not disappear from the sales team’s view.
Salespeople need to know whether the goods are reserved, purchased, produced, picked, packed or dispatched. They do not need to manage warehouse or production work themselves, but they do need enough visibility to answer customer questions accurately.
A connected status structure makes this possible. Each department updates the part of the process it controls, while the order provides the shared business context.
This reduces internal status requests and gives management a clearer picture of open sales commitments. A high sales value is not the same as completed revenue if the related orders are delayed, blocked or only partly delivered.
Delivery Completes the Operational Promise
Delivery is more than moving goods from one place to another. It confirms that the company has completed an important part of its commitment.
The delivery process may include packing information, quantities, shipment details, carrier information and supporting documents. Serial numbers or batches may also need to remain connected with the customer and delivered product.
This traceability becomes important when the customer later requests service, reports a quality problem or asks about warranty coverage. The company should be able to identify what was delivered, when it was delivered and which specific product, batch or serial number was involved.
Where partial deliveries are allowed, the sales order should clearly separate completed quantities from those still open. This prevents incomplete orders from being mistaken for fully delivered business.
From Delivery to Accurate Invoicing
The invoice should be created from confirmed business information rather than reconstructed manually.
SIX SalesFlow can keep the invoice connected with the customer order and delivered quantities. Customer details, prices, discounts, taxes, currencies and payment terms continue through the process.
This connection reduces repeated entry and makes differences easier to identify. If the customer ordered 100 units but only 80 were delivered, the invoicing process can use the confirmed business result rather than assuming the entire order was completed.
Advance payments, pro forma documents, partial invoices or milestone invoices may also form part of the configured process. The exact approach depends on the company’s commercial model and applicable accounting requirements.
Through its connection with SIX FinanceFlow, the sale continues into receivables, payment monitoring, accounting and financial reporting.
Revenue Is Not the Same as Cash
Creating an invoice does not mean that the company has received the money.
A complete sales flow must continue into payment monitoring. Finance teams need to see due dates, open balances, partial payments and overdue amounts. Salespeople may also need controlled access to payment status, especially before accepting another large order or agreeing to new payment conditions.
This creates a more realistic understanding of the customer relationship. A customer may generate high sales volume while also paying late or requiring frequent follow-up.
Connecting order, invoice and payment information helps management evaluate both revenue and cash collection. It also supports coordinated communication between sales and finance.
Managing Exceptions Without Losing Control
Real sales processes do not always follow the original plan.
A customer may change the quantity, request a different delivery address, postpone delivery or cancel part of the order. A supplier may be late. Production may report a delay. The warehouse may find damaged stock. A delivered quantity may differ from the ordered quantity.
These situations should not be handled only through informal messages. The updated decision, responsible person and effect on the order should remain visible.
A structured process helps the company separate a controlled change from an unnoticed error. It also preserves the reason for the change, which can later support analysis and process improvement.
Sales Performance in the Correct Context
Sales reporting should explain more than total order value.
Management needs to understand how sales developed, which products and customers contributed to the result, how much business remains open and whether the company completed what it promised.
Salesperson tracking adds another level of understanding. SIX SalesFlow can relate customers, opportunities, quotations, orders and completed sales to the responsible salesperson or team. This helps managers review activity, conversion, discount behavior, order value and business results using connected operational data.
Performance should be interpreted carefully. A salesperson handling long-term manufacturing contracts may close fewer orders than someone selling stocked products. One region may have larger customers but longer payment periods. A useful system must provide context rather than reducing performance to one number.
From Completed Sale to Repeat Business
The sales flow should not end when the invoice is issued.
A completed order adds information to the customer relationship. The company now knows what the customer purchased, how the order was fulfilled, which salesperson was responsible and whether payment arrived as expected.
This history supports future selling. The sales team can identify repeat purchasing patterns, follow up before expected reorder periods and prepare new offers using reliable information from earlier transactions.
If the customer needs service, the delivered products and related documents provide useful context. If the customer reports a problem, the company can connect the issue with the original order, delivery and product record.
Repeat business grows when the company remembers the customer, fulfills commitments and makes the next purchase easier.
One Flow, Several Connected SIX Modules
SIX SalesFlow is strongest when sales is treated as part of the wider business rather than an isolated department.
SIX CustomerFlow supports leads, contacts, opportunities, communication and relationship history. SIX StockFlow manages availability, reservations, picking, packing and stock traceability. SIX PurchaseFlow supplies missing goods and materials. SIX ManufacturingFlow turns customer demand into planned and controlled production. SIX ProjectFlow supports project-based delivery, responsibilities, time and costs. SIX FinanceFlow connects invoices, payments, receivables and financial reporting.
The sales order connects these activities. Each module manages its own responsibilities, while the company maintains one traceable business process.
This eliminates the false choice between departmental control and company-wide visibility. The warehouse can manage warehouse work. Production can manage manufacturing. Finance can control invoicing and payments. Salespeople can still follow the customer commitment from confirmation to completion.
Configuring SalesFlow Around the Company
No two organizations use exactly the same sales process.
Some companies approve every discount. Others require approval only above a defined level. Some reserve inventory when the order is entered. Others wait until a deposit is received. Some invoice after shipment. Others invoice by milestone or request advance payment through a pro forma document.
SIX SalesFlow can be configured to reflect these differences. The company can define the required stages, responsibilities, approvals, statuses and handovers that support its operating model.
Configuration should still preserve process discipline. A flexible system should not become an uncontrolled collection of exceptions. The goal is to model the real process clearly, remove unnecessary work and make important controls visible.
The Value of a Connected Sales Flow
A connected sales flow improves more than sales administration.
Customers receive more reliable offers and delivery information. Salespeople gain visibility without chasing other departments. Warehouses receive clearer fulfillment instructions. Purchasing and manufacturing understand which demand supports customer commitments. Finance can trace invoices and payments back to the original transaction. Management gains a more accurate view of orders, revenue, responsibilities and performance.
The result is a sales process built on shared information:
Acquire intelligently. Offer accurately. Commit responsibly. Fulfill visibly. Invoice correctly. Follow up consistently.
With SIX SalesFlow, the journey from first interest to the next order becomes one connected business process that the entire organization can understand and control.
