Product interests

The Product Steward maintains the product name, SKU, category and list price. A Sales Owner then records the item the buyer is considering on an opportunity line, with quantity, unit price, discount and interest type. The line can point to a product but keeps its own item name and price, so the conversation has a useful commercial snapshot. Several lines can sit under one opportunity.

Products provide a reusable SKU and list price, while an opportunity line preserves the item name, quantity and unit price discussed with a buyer. The Product Steward maintains the product reference; the Sales Owner chooses what to put on the sales case. Interest type distinguishes subscription, hardware, training and the other supported types.

• Ownership. The named owner keeps the next action current and is responsible for resolving stale work.
• Context. Related records keep the customer, opportunity and organization together so the team can inspect the case before acting.
• Evidence. A date, outcome, decision or receipt helps a colleague understand what actually happened.

Agree who owns product names and prices, and when an opportunity line should refer to a product. Choose a convention for discounts and clarify whether freight is a separate interest line. Align the product category and interest type vocabularies for reporting, while retaining their distinct meanings.

Pilot a device plus training conversation with a Product Steward and Sales Owner. Check the product SKU against each linked line, then compare the line price with the current list price. Agree whether a price difference is an intentional offer before the manager reviews expected opportunity value.

A buyer asks about two devices and training. The Sales Owner adds separate lines for the devices and training, checks quantities and records the quoted unit price. The manager reads those lines next to the expected opportunity value before the proposal moves forward. If an item is missing from the product list, the Product Steward reviews the SKU and category before it is reused in another conversation.

Before handoff, read each line with its item name, quantity, unit price and discount. A later Sales Owner should understand what was discussed even if the product list price changes. The opportunity still needs its own next step; interest lines do not themselves record a sale.

• Active product catalog — Check active products, SK us, categories and list prices before adding a line.
• Priced product interests — Review priced subscription, hardware and training interests beside their opportunities.

See opportunity progress, customer follow-up and the data model for the linked records.