The Sales Journey

The sales journey is the mirror image of purchasing - instead of bringing items in, you're selling and delivering them to customers. But the principles are similar: Quote → Order → Fulfill → Invoice → Collect. Let's walk through this journey and understand when to use each document.

The Big Picture

Here's the typical sales process flow:

Inquiry → Quotation → Order → Reservation → Picking → Delivery → Invoice → Payment

Not every sale follows every step (cash-and-carry skips most of these!), but understanding the complete path helps you design the right process for each type of sale.

Step 1: Customer Inquiry

Every sale starts with interest. A customer (potential or existing) wants something you offer.

The Quotation Request

The SalesQuotationRequest (طلب عرض أسعار مبيعات) captures customer inquiries:

Customer: "We're interested in 100 office chairs. Can you quote us a price?"

What You Capture:

• Customer information (who's asking?)
• Items of interest (what do they want?)
• Quantities (how much?)
• Delivery requirements (where and when?)
• Special requirements (customization, warranty, support?)

Who Creates These:

• Sales team (after customer call/email)
• Inside sales (from web inquiries)
• Customer service (from support requests that become sales opportunities)
• Sometimes customers directly (through web portal)

Why Formalize Inquiries?

• Track potential sales (pipeline visibility)
• Measure quote-to-order conversion rates
• Ensure timely follow-up (don't let inquiries fall through cracks)
• Assign to sales representatives
• Prioritize hot leads

Preparing the Quotation

Before quoting, sales team needs to know:

• Do we have the items in stock?
• If not in stock, can we get them in time?
• What's our cost? (to ensure profitable pricing)
• Any special considerations for this customer?

The system helps by showing:

• Available inventory
• Lead times for out-of-stock items
• Cost information (so you can price with desired margin)
• Customer history (past purchases, payment behavior, special terms)

Step 2: The Sales Quotation

The SalesQuotation (عرض أسعار مبيعات) is your formal price proposal to the customer.

What Goes Into It

Header Information:

• Quotation number
• Date
• Validity period (quote expires after 30 days, etc.)
• Customer details
• Delivery terms
• Payment terms
• Sales representative

Line Items:

• Item descriptions (clear, compelling)
• Quantities
• Unit prices
• Discounts (if any)
• Line totals
• Taxes

Additional Information:

• Delivery schedule
• Warranty terms
• Service and support
• Terms and conditions
• Special notes or instructions

Totals:

• Subtotal
• Discounts
• Taxes
• Grand total

Pricing Strategy

The system supports sophisticated pricing:

Price Lists: Different prices for different customer segments

• Retail price list
• Wholesale price list
• VIP customer price list
• Promotional pricing

Automatic Pricing: Based on cost plus margin

• System calculates cost
• Applies desired margin (configurable per item or customer)
• Suggests price (can be overridden with approval)

Discount Handling:

• Item-level discounts (10% off this item)
• Header discounts (5% off entire order)
• Multiple discount layers
• Minimum price enforcement (can't go below floor price)

Quotation Lifecycle

Once created:

1. Review: Sales manager reviews and approves (especially if special pricing)
2. Send to Customer: PDF or email
3. Follow Up: Track customer response
4. Outcomes:
   • Convert to Order: Customer accepts!
   • Revise: Customer negotiates, you create revised quote
   • Expire: Validity period passes, quote is closed
   • Lost: Customer goes elsewhere

Step 3: The Sales Order

Customer accepted your quote! Time to create the official order.

The Sales Order Document

The SalesOrder (أمر بيع) is the formal commitment: "We will sell you these items under these terms."

Converting from Quotation: The easiest way is to convert the accepted quotation to an order. The system:

• Copies all information from quotation
• Links order to quotation (audit trail)
• Changes status from "quote" to "order"
• Initiates fulfillment process

Creating Directly: For existing customers with standard items, you might skip quotation and create orders directly.

What Makes It Official:

• Order number (unique identifier)
• Customer signature/acceptance
• Credit approval (if selling on credit)
• Inventory reservation (if configured)
• Fulfillment workflow triggered

Order Information

Everything from the quotation, plus:

Fulfillment Details:

• Requested delivery date
• Delivery address (might be different from billing address)
• Shipping method
• Special delivery instructions

Inventory Allocation:

• Which warehouse will fulfill?
• Are items in stock?
• If not, when will they be available?

Financial Terms:

• Final prices (might differ from quote if negotiated)
• Payment terms (cash, credit, installments)
• Credit limit check (for credit customers)

Proforma Orders

The ProformaSalesInvoice (فاتورة مبيعات مبدئية) is a halfway point:

• Looks like an invoice
• Acts like a quote
• Used for customer's budget approval, customs, or advance payment

Once customer pays or approves, convert to actual order.

Step 4: Reservation and Allocation

Order confirmed. Now ensure you can fulfill it.

Stock Reservation

If configured, the system automatically reserves stock:

• 100 office chairs reserved for Order #12345
• These chairs remain in warehouse
• But they're flagged "not available for other sales"
• Prevents overselling

Reservation Benefits:

• Guarantee you can fulfill (no "sorry, we just sold out")
• Warehouse knows what's committed vs. truly available
• Can promise delivery with confidence

When to Reserve:

• At order entry (most common)
• At order approval (after management review)
• Only when customer confirms (for tentative orders)
• Not at all (for make-to-order businesses)

Allocation Strategy

If you have multiple warehouses, which one fulfills this order?

Options:

• Closest to customer: Minimizes shipping time and cost
• Where inventory is: Fulfill from warehouse with stock
• Dedicated fulfillment center: All orders ship from central location
• Load balancing: Distribute orders to balance warehouse workload

The system can automatically suggest or require manual selection.

Step 5: Picking and Preparation

Order confirmed, stock reserved. Time to physically prepare the shipment.

The Pick List

The pickLines collection (or separate picking list document) tells warehouse:

• What items to pick
• From which locations
• In what sequence (optimized path through warehouse)
• Special handling notes

Pick List Information:

• Order number
• Customer name (so packer knows who it's for)
• Each item to pick:
  • Item code and description
  • Quantity to pick
  • Location (Aisle C, Shelf 4, Bin 12)
  • Serial numbers (if applicable)
• Packing notes
• Shipping method

The Picking Process:

1. Warehouse receives pick list
2. Picker collects items from locations
3. Marks each item picked
4. Brings to packing station
5. Confirms all items picked

Partial Picks: Sometimes not everything is available:

• Pick what you have
• Note what's short
• Create backorder for remaining items
• Contact customer about partial shipment

Packing and Loading

After picking:

1. Verify items are correct
2. Pack appropriately
3. Create shipping label
4. Record package weight/dimensions
5. Create LoadingDocument (staging for shipment)
6. Load onto delivery vehicle
7. Create DeliveryDocument (handoff to customer)

Step 6: The Sales Invoice

Time to bill the customer!

The Sales Invoice Document

The SalesInvoice (فاتورة مبيعات) is both:

• The bill (customer owes you money)
• The inventory transaction (items leave your stock)

Key Information:

Header:

• Invoice number
• Date
• Customer details
• Billing address
• Shipping address
• Sales representative
• Order reference
• Payment terms

Lines:

• Item descriptions
• Quantities sold
• Unit prices
• Discounts
• Taxes
• Line totals

Financial Summary:

• Subtotal
• Discounts
• Shipping charges
• Taxes (VAT, sales tax, etc.)
• Grand total

Payment Details:

• Due date
• Payment method
• Bank account details
• Early payment discounts

What the System Does

When you save the sales invoice (not as draft):

Inventory Transaction: Automatically creates SalesInvoiceIssue documents that:

• Reduce inventory quantities
• Remove items from warehouse locations
• Track which serial numbers/batches were sold
• Record cost of goods sold

Accounting Entries:

• Debit: Accounts Receivable (or Cash if immediate payment)
• Credit: Sales Revenue
• Credit: Tax Output Account
• Debit: Cost of Goods Sold
• Credit: Inventory

Customer Account:

• Increases customer balance (what they owe you)
• Updates credit limit utilization
• Creates payment due date

Tax Authority Integration

For countries with electronic tax reporting (e-invoicing):

• System generates tax-compliant invoice format
• Submits to tax authority system
• Receives unique tax ID
• Stores in taxAuthoritySysFields
• QR code generated for invoice
• Customer can verify invoice authenticity

Step 7: Delivery and Confirmation

Physically getting items to customer.

Delivery Methods

Self-Pickup:

• Customer collects from your location
• Verify identity
• Hand over goods
• Get signature
• Close delivery

Your Delivery:

• Load items on your vehicle
• Driver delivers to customer location
• Get customer signature
• Photograph delivery (optional)
• Update delivery status

Third-Party Shipping:

• Hand off to shipping company
• Provide tracking number
• Customer tracks shipment
• Confirm delivery when received

Delivery Documentation

The DeliveryDocument (مستند تسليم) records:

• What was delivered
• When it was delivered
• Where it was delivered
• Who received it (signature)
• Condition at delivery (any issues?)
• Driver and vehicle details

This is your proof of delivery - critical if customer later claims non-delivery.

Step 8: Payment Collection

The final step: collecting what you're owed.

Payment Methods

Cash Sales: Payment happens immediately at invoice time:

• Customer pays
• Record payment
• Invoice is closed
• No receivable created (or created and immediately cleared)

Credit Sales: Payment happens later per terms:

• Invoice creates receivable
• Due date based on terms (Net 30, Net 60, etc.)
• System tracks aging
• Alerts as due date approaches
• Records payment when received

Installment Sales: The scheduleLines collection breaks payment into installments:

• First payment: $5,000 due at delivery
• Second payment: $5,000 due after 30 days
• Third payment: $5,000 due after 60 days

System tracks each installment separately.

Payment Recording

The paymentLines collection records payments:

• Date received
• Amount
• Method (cash, check, bank transfer, credit card)
• Reference number
• Bank details

System automatically:

• Reduces customer balance
• Updates aging
• Closes invoice if fully paid
• Creates accounting entries

Handling Returns and Exchanges

Sometimes sales don't stick. Customers return or exchange items.

The Sales Return

Use SalesReturnRequest (طلب مرتجع مبيعات) when customer wants to return:

Common Reasons:

• Defective item
• Wrong item shipped
• Customer changed mind (within return period)
• Damaged in shipping
• Doesn't meet expectations

The Return Process:

1. Request: Customer contacts you
2. Authorization: Sales/customer service reviews and approves
3. RMA Number: Issue return authorization number
4. Return: Customer ships back (or you collect)
5. Inspection: Verify item condition
6. Outcome:
   • Accept: Process refund/credit
   • Reject: Item damaged by customer, no refund
   • Partial Credit: Restocking fee or condition issues

Accounting Impact: Return creates:

• Debit: Sales Returns (contra-revenue account)
• Debit: Inventory (goods back in stock)
• Debit: Tax Payable (reverse tax)
• Credit: Accounts Receivable (customer owes less)

The Sales Replacement

The SalesReplacement (استبدال مبيعات) handles exchanges:

Example: Customer bought size Medium shirt, wants size Large instead.

The system:

• Returns the Medium (credit)
• Issues the Large (new sale)
• Handles price difference (if sizes cost different)
• One smooth transaction

Use For:

• Size/color exchanges
• Warranty replacements
• Upgrades (customer wants better version)
• Downgrades (customer wants cheaper version)

Sales Forecasting and Planning

The Sales Forecast

The SalesForecast (توقعات مبيعات) helps plan future sales:

Based On:

• Historical sales patterns
• Seasonal trends
• Marketing campaigns
• Sales pipeline (open quotations and orders)
• Market intelligence

Used For:

• Inventory planning (buy enough, not too much)
• Production scheduling (make-to-forecast)
• Cash flow projections
• Sales team targets
• Management planning

Forecasting shifts from reactive to proactive selling.

Special Sales Scenarios

Cash and Carry (POS)

For retail, the process is much simpler:

1. Customer comes to store
2. Selects items
3. You ring up sale (invoice created)
4. Customer pays immediately
5. Customer takes items

All happens in minutes with NamaPOSSalesInvoice or similar POS documents. More on this in Specialized Scenarios.

Export Sales

International sales add complexity:

• Customs documentation
• Export licenses
• Shipping documentation
• Currency exchange
• International payment terms (letters of credit, etc.)

Project Sales

Large project sales span months:

• Initial quotation for entire project
• Multiple orders as project progresses
• Delivery in phases
• Payment milestones
• Long-term customer relationship

Tips for Effective Sales Management

Common Questions

Q: Can we invoice before delivery?

A: Yes - it's called advance invoicing. Common for: custom orders (pay before we make it), large orders (deposit required), or high-credit-risk customers. System can handle invoicing before stock issue.

Q: What if customer wants partial delivery?

A: Create multiple invoices against one order. Invoice and deliver what's available now, invoice and deliver the rest later. System tracks what's fulfilled vs. outstanding.

Q: How do we handle customer discounts?

A: Multiple ways:

• Price list with discounted prices for that customer
• Line-item discounts on invoice
• Header discount (5% off entire order)
• Payment discount (2% off if paid within 10 days)

Q: Can we change prices after creating an order?

A: Depends on your controls. Some organizations lock prices at order confirmation. Others allow adjustment until invoice. Configure based on your business practices.

Q: What happens if we can't fulfill an order?

A: Options:

• Create backorder (fulfill when stock arrives)
• Offer substitute item
• Cancel and refund
• Partial fulfill (ship what you have) Best practice: Communicate immediately with customer to decide together.

Integration Points

Sales connects to:

Accounting: Every invoice creates receivables and revenue. Every payment reduces receivables and increases cash.

Inventory: Sales reduce stock. Returns increase stock. Reservations tie up stock.

CRM: Quotations feed sales pipeline. Customer interactions inform future sales. Service issues trigger returns or exchanges.

Manufacturing: Sales orders can trigger production orders (make-to-order). Sales forecasts drive production planning (make-to-stock).

Shipping: Delivery documents integrate with carriers for tracking and proof of delivery.

Next Steps

Now you understand the complete sales journey. Explore related topics:

• The Purchasing Journey - The mirror process
• Quality Control - Ensuring quality before delivery
• Specialized Scenarios - Industry-specific variations

Or revisit foundations:

• Understanding Items - What you're selling
• Issuing Stock - How items leave your warehouse