Business support system, business support method and program

Abstract

To provide a business support system capable of supporting sales representatives in negotiation-related tasks.SOLUTION: A system for supporting business transaction, includes an event acquisition unit accessing a calendar system to acquire event information corresponding to a business partner, a message acquisition unit for accessing a communication system to acquire messages with the business partner, a material designation unit for receiving designation of a material used for a business negotiation with the business partner, an agenda input unit for receiving input of an agenda related to the business negotiation with the business partner, and a business negotiation material management unit for managing the designated material and the received agenda in association with the business negotiation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sales support system, a sales support method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses identifying a SaaS that can be linked and proposing it to a user. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6440571 specification Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 cannot directly support the salesperson's work related to business negotiations, such as preparation for business negotiations and post-business negotiation processing.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and has an object to provide a technique capable of supporting sales representatives in their negotiation-related work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The main invention of the present invention for solving the above problem is a system for supporting sales, comprising an event acquisition unit that accesses a calendar system to acquire event information corresponding to a business partner, a message acquisition unit that accesses a communication system to acquire messages between the business partner and the business partner, a material designation unit that accepts designation of materials to be used in a business negotiation with the business partner, an agenda input unit that accepts input of an agenda related to the business negotiation with the business partner, and a business negotiation material management unit that manages the designated materials and the received agenda in correspondence with the business negotiation.

[0007] Other problems and solutions disclosed in this application will be made clear in the description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and the drawings. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to support salespeople in their negotiation-related work. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a sales support system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a management server 2. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 illustrates an example of the software configuration of a management server 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the sales support system before a business negotiation. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the sales support system during negotiation. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the sales support system after a business negotiation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] <Summary of the Invention> The present invention will be described below with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof. [Item 1] A system for supporting sales, an event acquisition unit that accesses a calendar system to acquire event information corresponding to a business partner; a message acquisition unit that accesses a communication system to acquire messages between the negotiation party and the negotiation destination; a material designation unit that accepts designation of materials to be used in a business negotiation with the business partner; an agenda input unit that accepts input of an agenda related to the business negotiation with the business partner; a business negotiation material management unit that manages the designated material and the received agenda in association with the business negotiation; A sales support system comprising: [Item 2] The sales support system according to item 1, a sharing unit that accesses an internal communication system and transmits the agenda and the materials to the reviewer; A sales support system that features: [Item 3] The sales support system according to item 1, a knowledge storage unit that stores the materials; a material presentation unit that searches the material from the knowledge storage unit according to the agenda and presents the searched material to a user; A sales support system comprising: [Item 4] The sales support system according to item 1, a memo input unit that accepts input of memos related to the business negotiation; a TODO creation unit for creating TODO items based on the memo; A sales support system comprising: [Item 5] The sales support system according to item 1, A business negotiation information input unit that accepts input of business negotiation management information to be registered in the SFA system; a business negotiation information registration unit that accesses the SFA system and registers the management information; A sales support system comprising: [Item 6] The sales support system according to item 1, a material transmission unit that acquires the material corresponding to the business negotiation from the business negotiation material management unit and transmits the material to the business negotiation partner of the business negotiation; A sales support system that features: [Item 7] The sales support system according to item 1, a material display unit that reads out the material corresponding to the business negotiation, accesses a video conference system, and displays the material during the video conference; A sales support system that features: [Item 8] The sales support system according to item 1, a minutes creation unit that accesses the video conference system, converts voice into text during the video conference, and creates minutes based on the text; A sales support system that features: [Item 9] A method for supporting sales, comprising: accessing a calendar system to obtain event information corresponding to the business contact; accessing a communication system to obtain messages between the business partner; A step of accepting designation of materials to be used in a business negotiation with the business partner; A step of accepting an input of an agenda for a business negotiation with the business partner; managing the designated materials and the received agenda in association with the business negotiation; A sales support method characterized in that the above steps are executed by a computer. [Item 10] accessing a calendar system to obtain event information corresponding to the business contact; accessing a communication system to obtain messages between the business partner; A step of accepting designation of materials to be used in a business negotiation with the business partner; A step of accepting an input of an agenda for a business negotiation with the business partner; managing the designated materials and the received agenda in association with the business negotiation; A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

[0011] <System Overview> 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a sales support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sales support system of this embodiment is configured to include a management server 2. The management server 2 is communicatively connected to a user terminal 1 via a communication network. The communication network 3 is, for example, the Internet, and is constructed by a public telephone line network, a mobile phone line network, a wireless communication path, Ethernet (registered trademark), and the like. The management server 2 is also communicatively connected to a calendar server 31, a mail server 32, a chat server 33, an SFA server 34, and a video conference server 35.

[0012] The user terminal 1 is a computer operated by a sales representative. The user terminal 1 can be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, etc. The user terminal 1 may also include a computer operated by the sales representative's boss, a manager, etc.

[0013] The management server 2 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing.

[0014] The calendar server 31 is a computer that constitutes a calendar system that manages the schedules of sales representatives. The calendar server 31 provides an API for acquiring and setting items related to the schedules (events) of the sales representatives.

[0015] The mail server 32 is a computer that transmits and receives e-mail. For example, e-mail messages can be transmitted and received by the mail server 32 using protocols such as SMTP and IMAP. In this embodiment, it is assumed that e-mail is used as a communication tool with the outside of the company, but it is also possible to use chat, which will be described later, for communication with the outside of the company, and it is also possible to use e-mail as a tool for internal communication.

[0016] The chat server 33 is a computer that constitutes a chat system for transmitting and receiving messages in a chat format. The chat server 33 provides an API for transmitting and receiving messages.

[0017] The SFA server 34 is a computer that constitutes an SFA system that manages information showing the progress of negotiations (hereinafter referred to as negotiation management information). The SFA server 34 provides an API for acquiring and registering negotiation management information.

[0018] The video conference server 35 is a computer that constitutes the video conference system. The video conference server 35 provides an API for acquiring audio and video during a video conference, and for displaying materials on a screen during a video conference.

[0019] <Administration Server> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the management server 2. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may be used. The management server 2 includes a CPU 201, a memory 202, a storage device 203, a communication interface 204, an input device 205, and an output device 206. The storage device 203 is, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, or a flash memory that stores various data and programs. The communication interface 204 is an interface for connecting to the communication network 3, and is, for example, an adapter for connecting to Ethernet (registered trademark), a modem for connecting to a public telephone line network, a wireless communication device for wireless communication, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector or an RS232C connector for serial communication, etc. The input device 205 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a button, a microphone, etc. that input data. The output device 206 is, for example, a display, a printer, a speaker, etc. that output data. Each functional unit of the management server 2 described below is realized by the CPU 201 reading a program stored in the storage device 203 into the memory 202 and executing it, and each storage unit of the management server 2 is realized as part of the storage area provided by the memory 202 and the storage device 203.

[0020] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the management server 2. The management server 2 includes a negotiation preparation unit 21, a negotiation execution unit 22, a post-negotiation management unit 23, and an information storage unit 24. The negotiation preparation unit 21 includes a schedule adjustment unit 211, a negotiation progress preparation unit 212, and a negotiation material preparation unit 213. The negotiation progress preparation unit 212 includes a past negotiation confirmation unit 2121, an industry company analysis unit 2122, and an agenda preparation unit 2123. The negotiation material preparation unit 213 includes a past material confirmation unit 2131, a reference material confirmation unit 2132, and a material preparation unit 2133. The negotiation execution unit 22 includes a material explanation unit 221 and a minutes creation unit 222. The post-negotiation management unit 23 includes a TODO creation unit 231, a negotiation data registration unit 232, and a material sharing unit 233. The information storage unit 24 includes a knowledge storage unit 241 , a negotiation content storage unit 242 , a user information storage unit 243 , and a TODO storage unit 244 .

[0021] <Information storage section 24> The knowledge storage unit 241 stores materials used in sales. The materials can be, for example, PDF files, presentation files, word processing files, text files, video files, image files, and the like.

[0022] The business negotiation content storage unit 242 stores information used in business negotiations (hereinafter referred to as business negotiation content information) (material management unit). The business negotiation content information can include information identifying materials used or used in the business negotiation (material ID, there may be multiple material IDs), agendas, memos, and minutes, in association with information identifying the business negotiation. The information identifying the business negotiation can include, for example, information identifying the business negotiation partner and the date of the business negotiation. The information identifying the business negotiation partner can be, for example, not only the company ID and company name but also a department ID, department name, responsible person ID, responsible person, etc. The information identifying the business negotiation can include the time (start time) in addition to the date.

[0023] The user information storage unit 243 stores information identifying a checker who checks information related to the sales of each sales representative. The checker can be, for example, the sales representative's boss or a manager. The user information storage unit 243 can store information identifying the checker in association with information identifying the sales representative. The user information storage unit 243 can store information (such as a user name or email address) for sending a message to the checker.

[0024] The TODO storage unit 244 stores items (TODO items) that the sales representative should do. The TODO storage unit 244 can store the TODO items in association with the sales representative. The TODO storage unit 244 may be implemented as an external TODO management system, and the TODO items may be managed by the TODO management system.

[0025] <Business Negotiation Preparation Department 21> The business negotiation preparation section 21 performs processing related to preparation for business negotiations.

[0026] The schedule adjustment unit 211 accepts an operation from a sales representative and performs processing related to the schedule adjustment of a business negotiation. The schedule adjustment unit 211 can access a calendar system to acquire event information corresponding to a business negotiation destination (event acquisition unit). Access to the calendar system may be linked by an operation of a call button or the like from a sales representative to the calendar system. In addition, as another method, for example, after confirming the schedules of participants in the company by linking with the calendar system using a recent schedule adjustment application service or the like, candidates for the schedule may be sent to the sales representative and the sales representative may select from the candidates, and the confirmed schedule may be registered in the calendar system. Event information may include date and time, title, location, detailed information, and the like. In this embodiment, the calendar server 31 provides an API for acquiring and / or setting information (event information) related to a calendar schedule (event), and the schedule adjustment unit 211 can search and acquire event information in which, for example, the name of the business negotiation destination is set as the title, or the location indicates the business negotiation destination, or the name of the business negotiation destination is included in the note, by calling the API of the calendar server 31. The schedule adjustment unit 211 can access the communication system to acquire messages between the negotiation partner (message acquisition unit). In this embodiment, the communication system is assumed to be email, and the schedule adjustment unit 211 can access the mail server 32 to search for and acquire emails in which the email address of the negotiation partner is set as the destination or sender.

[0027] The past negotiation confirmation unit 2121 can accept an operation from a salesperson, access the SFA system, acquire negotiation management information managed in the SFA system regarding the negotiation, and present the acquired negotiation management information to the salesperson. The SFA server 34 constituting the SFA server system provides, for example, an API for acquiring and / or registering negotiation management information, and the past negotiation confirmation unit 2121 can acquire negotiation management information related to past negotiations by calling the API provided by the SFA server 34. The past negotiation confirmation unit 2121 may include a usage status unit that analyzes the past usage status of the system according to the present invention. This can contribute to sales activities mainly for cross-selling and up-selling to existing customers. For example, by analyzing data such as health scores, Sean Ellis Test, and other survey results for decision makers and users, and DAU (Daily Active Users), customer issues (needs and pains) may be predicted and presented to the salesperson.

[0028] The industry company analysis unit 2122 supports analysis of the industry, the business partner, and / or the competitors of the business negotiation. For example, the industry company analysis unit 2122 can receive an operation from a sales representative, inquire a search engine about information on the industry, the business partner, and / or the competitors of the business negotiation, and display a list of search results. The industry company analysis unit 2122 may also, for example, access a database service of company information to acquire information on the company. It may also have a function of analyzing information on customer representatives. That is, the system may be designed to analyze behavioral information of lead customers (channels used, whether the viewed white paper was viewed, behavior on a website, contents of a submitted form, etc.).

[0029] The agenda preparation unit 2123 accepts input of the agenda (topic, issues to be considered) for the business negotiation (agenda input unit). The agenda preparation unit 2123 can accept input of the agenda by the salesperson before the business negotiation with the business partner. The agenda preparation unit 2123 can register the agenda in the business negotiation content storage unit 242 in association with information that identifies the business negotiation. The agenda preparation unit 2123 can access the internal communication system and transmit the agenda to the person who checks it (sharing unit). In this embodiment, it is assumed that the internal communication is performed by chat, and the agenda preparation unit 2123 can access the chat server 33 and transmit a message to the person who checks the agenda. The agenda preparation unit 2123 can identify the person who checks the agenda, who is a salesperson, by referring to the user information storage unit 243. It is also possible to automatically generate a draft of the agenda based on information on past business negotiations (participants, minutes, etc.), information registered in the SFA, and emails with the business partner. In this case, for example, the agenda may be generated from topics considered important in past business negotiations, issues that were unresolved in previous meetings, the interests and opinions of each participant, etc. The generated agenda can be used as a reference by the person in charge when preparing for the actual business negotiation, and adjustments can be made as necessary.

[0030] The business negotiation material preparation unit 213 assists in preparing materials to be used in business negotiations.

[0031] The past material confirmation unit 2131 accepts an operation from a sales representative, acquires materials used in past negotiations, and presents them to the sales representative. For example, the past material confirmation unit 2131 can search for negotiation content information corresponding to a negotiation partner from the negotiation content storage unit 242, acquire information identifying materials included in the searched negotiation content information corresponding to a past date, and identify materials used in past negotiations. The past material confirmation unit 2131 can acquire materials identified by the negotiation content information from, for example, a file server, and present them to the sales representative.

[0032] The reference material confirmation unit 2132 accepts an operation from a salesperson and proposes reference materials to the salesperson who is conducting a business negotiation. The reference material confirmation unit 2132 can, for example, search for materials from the knowledge storage unit 241 according to an agenda and present the searched materials to the user (material presentation unit). The reference material confirmation unit 2132 can, for example, propose materials proposed to other business negotiation partners similar to the business negotiation partner as reference materials to the salesperson. The reference material confirmation unit 2132 can, for example, present materials used in business negotiations that have been successful or unsuccessful in the past together with the results of the negotiations. The reference material confirmation unit 2132 can, for example, search for materials according to the attributes of the salesperson from the knowledge storage unit 241 and present them to the salesperson. The attributes of the salesperson can, for example, be business negotiation performance with the business negotiation partner, years of sales experience, industries related to business negotiations that have been successful or unsuccessful in the past, and the like. For example, for a salesperson who is negotiating with a business partner for the first time, the reference material confirmation unit 2132 can present the business partner's industry and / or company information.

[0033] The material preparation unit 2133 receives an operation from a sales representative and registers materials to be used in a business negotiation. The material preparation unit 2133 can receive materials to be used in a business negotiation from a sales representative (material designation unit). The material preparation unit 2133 can, for example, receive information identifying materials from a sales representative and register the received information identifying materials in the business negotiation content storage unit 242 in association with information identifying the business negotiation. The material preparation unit 2133 can access an internal communication system and transmit materials to be used in the business negotiation to a reviewer (sharing unit). The material preparation unit 2133 can, for example, access a chat server 33 and transmit a message to the reviewer to review the materials. The material preparation unit 2133 can refer to the user information storage unit 243 to identify the salesperson who is the reviewer.

[0034] <Business Negotiations Department 22> The business negotiation execution unit 22 supports the sales staff during business negotiations.

[0035] The material explanation unit 221 presents materials prepared for a business negotiation. The material explanation unit 221 can, for example, access a video conference system and display the materials during the video conference (material display unit). The material explanation unit 221 can identify materials corresponding to the business negotiation from the business negotiation content storage unit 242, present a list of identified materials to the sales representative, have the sales representative specify a material, and display the specified material during the video conference. The material explanation unit 221 can, for example, access the video conference server 35 and transmit a video showing the material, thereby displaying the material during the video conference.

[0036] The minutes creation unit 222 creates minutes of a business meeting by accepting an operation from a sales representative. The minutes creation unit 222 can, for example, access a video conference system, use the voice during the video conference, convert the acquired voice into text, and create minutes based on the converted text. It is also possible to acquire non-verbal information such as the other party's reaction or gesture from the video during the video conference, and include the other party's emotions, the scene at that time, the atmosphere, etc. that can be read from the non-verbal information in the minutes in an appropriate expression. The minutes creation unit 222 can, for example, access the video conference server 35 to acquire the voice during the video conference. The minutes creation unit 222 can generate minutes by, for example, providing the converted text to a generative AI using a large-scale language model together with a prompt that instructs the creation of minutes. The minutes creation unit 222 can, for example, display an input form for minutes to accept input from a sales representative, or can present minutes generated by, for example, the generative AI as described above, and accept editing from the sales representative. The minutes-taking section 222 can register the created minutes in the negotiation content storage section 242 in association with the negotiation. The minutes-taking section 222 can also accept input of memos related to the negotiation from a sales representative before, during, and / or after the negotiation (memo input section). The minutes-taking section 222 can register the accepted memos in the negotiation content storage section 242 in association with the negotiation.

[0037] <Post-negotiation management department 23> The post-negotiation management section 23 supports information management after the negotiation.

[0038] The TODO creation unit 231 creates TODO items for sales representatives. The TODO creation unit 231 can create TODO items based on, for example, minutes. The TODO creation unit 231 can create TODO items based on, for example, memos. The TODO creation unit 231 can register the TODO items in the TODO storage unit 244 in association with the sales representatives.

[0039] The negotiation data registration unit 232 accepts input of the negotiation management information and registers it in the SFA system. The negotiation data registration unit 232 can display an input form for the negotiation management information, accept input of the negotiation management information from the sales representative, access the SFA server 34, and register the negotiation management information. The negotiation data registration unit 232 may create the negotiation management information based on the event items of the calendar system, the minutes of the negotiation, and / or notes. The negotiation data registration unit 232 can also create the negotiation management information with some items filled in based on the event items of the calendar system, the minutes of the negotiation, and / or notes, and have the sales representative enter the remaining items. The negotiation data registration unit 232 can notify the confirmer of the sales representative that the negotiation management information has been registered in the SFA system. For example, the negotiation data registration unit 232 can identify the confirmer from the user information storage unit 243, access the chat server 33, and send to the confirmer a message indicating that the negotiation management information has been registered, including information identifying the negotiation management information.

[0040] The material sharing unit 233 can share materials related to the negotiation with the negotiation partner. For example, the material sharing unit 233 can identify the negotiation partner and materials used in the negotiation from the negotiation content information storage unit 242, and transmit the identified materials to the negotiation partner. The contact information of the negotiation partner may be included in the negotiation content information, or a contact information storage unit may be provided that stores the contact information of the negotiation partner in association with information identifying the negotiation partner, and the contact information may be identified from the contact information storage unit. For example, the material sharing unit 233 can attach the materials to an e-mail and transmit it to the e-mail address of the negotiation partner.

[0041] <Operation> FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the sales support system before a business negotiation.

[0042] The management server 2 acquires messages with the negotiation partner from the mail server 32 and displays them (S301), and acquires event information with the negotiation partner from the calendar server 31 and displays them (S302). The management server 2 receives the contents of the agenda from the sales representative's user terminal 1 and registers them in the negotiation contents storage unit 242 (S303). The management server 2 proposes materials that are thought to be necessary for the negotiation to the sales representative (S304), receives designation of materials to be used in the negotiation from the sales representative's user terminal 1 and registers them in the negotiation contents storage unit 242 (S305). The management server 2 accesses the chat server 33 and transmits a message to the person to ask them to check the agenda and the materials to be used in the negotiation (S306).

[0043] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the sales support system during negotiation.

[0044] The management server 2 identifies materials linked to the business negotiation from the business negotiation content storage unit 242, has the sales representative select one of the identified materials, and accesses the video conference server 35 to display the selected material during the video conference (S321). The management server 2 also accesses the video conference server 35 to acquire voice data during the video conference and convert it into text (S322). The conversion process from voice data to text (transcription process) can be performed by, for example, a method using generative AI. The management server 2 generates minutes based on the text, for example, by providing the generative AI with the converted text and a prompt instructing it to create minutes from the text (S323).

[0045] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the sales support system after the business negotiation.

[0046] The management server 2 creates TODO items from the minutes and notes entered by the sales representative, and registers them in the TODO storage unit 244 (S341). The management server 2 creates negotiation management information based on the event information, minutes, notes, and the like, accesses the SFA server 34 to register the negotiation management information (S342), and accesses the chat server 33 to send a notice to the sales representative's reviewer that the negotiation management information has been registered (S343). The management server 2 also identifies materials used in the negotiation from the negotiation content storage unit 242, and sends the identified materials to the negotiation destination as attachments to an e-mail (S344).

[0047] As described above, the sales support system of this embodiment can provide one-stop support for the tasks that a salesperson should perform before, during, and after a business negotiation. Although each of the above-mentioned units has been described as functioning upon receiving operations from a salesperson, the system may automatically start or link functions required by the salesperson based on a series of explanations (e.g., FIG. 6) or a predetermined workflow.

[0048] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the above embodiment is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and equivalents thereof are also included in the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 User terminal 2 Management Server 31 Calendar Server 32 Mail Server 33 Chat Server 34 SFA Server 35 Videoconferencing Server

Claims

1. A system for supporting sales, an event acquisition unit that accesses a calendar system to acquire event information corresponding to a business partner; a message acquisition unit that accesses a communication system to acquire messages between the negotiation party and the negotiation destination; a material designation unit that accepts designation of materials to be used in a business negotiation with the business partner; an agenda input unit that accepts input of an agenda related to the business negotiation with the business partner; a business negotiation material management unit that manages the designated material and the received agenda in association with the business negotiation; A sales support system comprising:

2. The sales support system according to claim 1, a sharing unit that accesses an internal communication system and transmits the agenda and the materials to the reviewer; A sales support system that features:

3. The sales support system according to claim 1, a knowledge storage unit that stores the materials; a material presentation unit that searches the material from the knowledge storage unit according to the agenda and presents the searched material to a user; A sales support system comprising:

4. The sales support system according to claim 1, a memo input unit that accepts input of memos related to the business negotiation; a to-do creation unit that creates to-do items based on the memo; A sales support system comprising:

5. The sales support system according to claim 1, a business negotiation information input unit that receives input of business negotiation management information to be registered in the SFA system; a business negotiation information registration unit that accesses the SFA system and registers the management information; A sales support system comprising:

6. The sales support system according to claim 1, a material transmission unit that acquires the material corresponding to the business negotiation from the business negotiation material management unit and transmits the material to the business negotiation partner of the business negotiation; A sales support system that features:

7. The sales support system according to claim 1, a material display unit that reads out the material corresponding to the business negotiation, accesses a video conference system, and displays the material during the video conference; A sales support system that features:

8. The sales support system according to claim 1, a minutes creation unit that accesses the video conference system, converts voice into text during the video conference, and creates minutes based on the text; A sales support system that features:

9. A method for supporting sales, comprising: accessing a calendar system to obtain event information corresponding to the business contact; accessing a communication system to obtain messages between the business partner; A step of accepting designation of materials to be used in a business negotiation with the business partner; A step of accepting an input of an agenda for a business negotiation with the business partner; managing the designated materials and the received agenda in association with the business negotiation; A sales support method characterized in that the above steps are executed by a computer.

10. accessing a calendar system to obtain event information corresponding to the business contact; accessing a communication system to obtain messages between the business partner; A step of accepting designation of materials to be used in a business negotiation with the business partner; A step of accepting an input of an agenda for a business negotiation with the business partner; managing the designated materials and the received agenda in association with the business negotiation; A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

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