A practical, end-to-end field guide for Sales and Operations.
Follow one realistic order from the first customer record to the moment the client approves the Sales Order — with the important decisions, settings, system actions, notifications, and downstream consequences explained along the way.
The example order: Throughout Part 1, we will follow Northstar Construction as it orders 150 embroidered hoodies and 50 embroidered jackets for employees. The same project continues into Part 2 for purchasing, proofing, receiving and production, and Part 3 for billing, invoicing and accounting.
How to Use This Guide
This is not a feature dictionary. It is a walkthrough of what a real order looks like when it moves correctly through Elite Core. Each chapter explains the user action, what Elite Core records or changes, who may be notified, and what the next department will eventually depend on.
Part 1 Outcome
By the end of this guide, the reader should be able to take a new opportunity from customer setup through an approved Sales Order without leaving downstream teams to guess what was sold.
- Create or confirm the correct customer record.
- Create a project with clear ownership, dates and notes.
- Add products, variants, quantities, costs, pricing, decorations, artwork and charges.
- Build and send a client-facing Presentation.
- Turn the selected products into the operational Sales Order.
- Review and send the Sales Order for approval.
- Understand exactly what approval changes inside Elite Core.
1. Start With the Customer
Good order data starts before there is an order.
Why the customer record matters
Every project in Elite Core begins with a customer. The customer record connects contacts, addresses, terms, assignments, projects, Sales Orders, invoices, files and communication history. If the customer record is wrong or duplicated, the rest of the order inherits that confusion.
Step 1 — Search before you create
Search by full company name, partial company name, contact name, email, telephone number and common abbreviations. A new contact or branch location usually belongs on the existing customer; it does not automatically require a second customer record.
Example: Northstar Construction already exists because Elite completed a safety-awards order last year. We use the existing account and add the new Marketing Manager as a contact instead of creating “Northstar Construction Apparel” as a second customer.
Step 2 — Confirm the account basics
- Official/common business name
- Primary contact and email
- Billing address
- Primary shipping address and any branch/warehouse destinations
- Payment terms
- Tax treatment
- Industry/customer type
- Assigned internal users
- Important standing account notes
Step 3 — Treat defaults as operational data
Customer defaults are not cosmetic. Payment terms can influence deposits and approvals; tax settings affect estimates, Sales Orders and invoices; assigned users influence ownership and some notifications; addresses later affect shipping and billing.
What you do
Open Customers, search for the account, then create or update the customer record only when needed.
What Elite Core does
Stores the account-level information that later documents and workflows can reference.
Who gets notified
Creating the customer itself is primarily a data action. Assignments matter later because they help determine ownership and notification routing.
What happens next
The customer becomes available for Project creation.
Setting / watch for
Do not guess payment terms or tax status. Some changes may require Finance or Operations review.
Customer setup checklist
- ☐ No duplicate record exists
- ☐ Correct company name
- ☐ Correct primary contact
- ☐ Billing address confirmed
- ☐ Shipping address confirmed
- ☐ Terms reviewed
- ☐ Tax treatment reviewed
- ☐ Assigned users correct
- ☐ Standing notes captured
2. Create the Project
Turn the customer opportunity into a shared workspace.
What the project is
The Project is the central workspace for the job. Products, files, notes, estimates, Presentations and later Sales Orders all depend on the project being connected to the correct customer and carrying enough context for other employees to understand the work.
Create the project
- Open Projects or the Sales area and start a new project.
- Select the correct existing customer.
- Use a clear project name that another employee will recognize later.
- Enter the requested in-hands date when known.
- Assign the appropriate Sales/Order ownership.
- Add project-specific notes that should not live permanently on the customer record.
- Review the customer, project name, dates, assignments and notes before saving.
Example project: Northstar Construction — 2026 Employee Apparel. In-hands date: October 30. Notes: 150 hoodies + 50 jackets, left-chest embroidery, Edmonton office delivery, Marketing Manager must approve logo placement.
Customer notes vs. project notes
Use customer notes for standing account rules. Use project notes for information that applies only to this job. A useful test: “Would this still matter on the customer’s next order?” If yes, it may belong on the customer. If not, keep it on the project.
What you do
Create the project under the correct customer and record the scope, ownership and dates.
What Elite Core does
Creates the workspace that all selling and operational records will attach to.
Who gets notified
Project creation itself is not the same as sending a client notification. Internal assignments establish who owns the work.
What happens next
You can now add products, pricing, artwork, services and client-facing sales documents.
Setting / watch for
The customer must already exist. Incorrect customer selection should be corrected before building the cart.
3. Build the Project Cart
Translate the request into products someone can actually sell and later buy.
Start with the product requirement, not the catalogue
The product cart is where the project starts becoming operational. A product name alone is not enough. The combination of supplier, SKU, colour, size, quantity, cost, selling price, decoration, artwork and routing is what downstream teams need.
Add products
Use catalogue search for standard products and the custom-product workflow when the item is not available through normal search. For each item, confirm supplier identity, product number, image, options and whether the item can support the planned decoration.
Enter variants and quantities precisely
Break quantities down by the actual purchasable combination. “150 hoodies” is useful for the client, but Purchasing ultimately needs combinations such as Black / Medium / 30 and Black / Large / 45.
| Product | Colour | Size | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Hoodie | Black | M | 30 |
| Premium Hoodie | Black | L | 45 |
| Premium Hoodie | Black | XL | 45 |
| Premium Hoodie | Black | 2XL | 30 |
Why line identity matters: Copied or duplicate products still need to remain independent cart lines. Editing one copy should not silently change another. Treat every line as its own purchasable/priceable item, especially when colours, sizes, quantities, costs or decorations differ.
What you do
Add the product and complete the real variant/quantity breakdown.
What Elite Core does
Stores the line-level data used by Presentation, Sales Order and later purchasing snapshots.
Who gets notified
No client notification occurs simply because a product is added to the project.
What happens next
Pricing, decoration, artwork, services and shipping can now be attached to the correct line.
Setting / watch for
Do not rely on the product title as the only identity. Supplier/SKU/variant information matters downstream.
4. Pricing, Presets and Margin
Price the job deliberately before you make it look polished.
Cost and selling price are different jobs
Supplier cost describes what Elite expects to pay. Selling price describes what the customer will pay. Margin depends on keeping those two concepts separate and current.
Review cost before price
- Supplier cost and currency
- Quantity break
- Variant-specific cost where applicable
- Decoration cost
- Setup or one-time charges
- Expected freight or other services
Use pricing or sales presets when appropriate
Where your instance uses pricing or sales presets, use them as a controlled starting point rather than as a substitute for review. A preset can speed up consistent pricing, but the final selling price still needs to match the current quantity, supplier cost, decoration plan and customer agreement.
Review margin before client presentation
Margin is a warning system. If a quantity, cost or decoration changed, re-check the economics before the number becomes part of a client-facing Presentation or Sales Order.
Example: The hoodie cost increased after the supplier quantity break changed. We update the cost before finalizing the selling price. That keeps the Presentation from showing an attractive price that would later produce an unintended margin.
What you do
Enter or verify expected cost, apply pricing logic/presets, and set the intended customer price.
What Elite Core does
Calculates the line economics used for sales decisions and later booked financials.
Who gets notified
Pricing changes are internal until the information is included in a client-facing document.
What happens next
Once pricing is ready, build the Presentation and allow the client to make a clear choice.
Setting / watch for
Always re-check price after quantity, supplier, cost, currency, decoration or service changes.
5. Decorations, Artwork, Services & Shipping
Finish the scope before the customer approves it.
Decoration is part of the product, not an afterthought
For decorated products, record the method, location, artwork, source and pricing at the product level. These details later influence proofing, Purchase Order generation and production routing.
Decoration details to capture
- Method — e.g., embroidery, heat transfer, screen print
- Location — e.g., left chest
- Decorator/source — internal, supplier-provided, outside decorator or configured provider
- Selling price and expected cost
- Setup/digitizing/tooling charges
- Artwork/logo file and instructions
- Proof requirement
Artwork can be known now or requested later
Attach existing logo files when available. If design work is required, record enough information now so the artwork request in Part 2 has context. Artwork and supplier proofs are related, but they are not the same thing.
Other Services
Use Other Services for project work that is not simply another physical product line—such as design, special packaging or other configured services. Label the service clearly and keep its selling price and expected cost understandable.
Shipping belongs in the cart when it is customer-facing
When the customer is being charged for shipping, add it through the shipping/other-services workflow that controls the Sales Order cart. Do not hide a shipping charge inside an unrelated product line.
Routing comes later, but the intent starts here: The customer-facing shipping charge and the operational Ship To / supplier / decorator routing are different concepts. Part 1 should capture the commercial requirement and known destination. Part 2 will turn that into exact PO and receiving routes.
What you do
Complete decoration, artwork, setup charges, other services and customer-facing shipping information.
What Elite Core does
Adds the scope elements that later need to carry into the Presentation and Sales Order.
Who gets notified
No automatic customer notification occurs from simply entering these details.
What happens next
The project is now ready to become a client-facing recommendation.
Setting / watch for
Missing decoration or shipping information can produce incorrect PO routing later, even when the sales total looks correct.
6. Build the Presentation
Make it easy for the customer to choose.
What the Presentation is for
A Presentation is a selling and decision-making document. It lets Sales organize product research, images, colours, price options, recommendations and notes before the client’s choices become an operational Sales Order.
Curate — do not dump search results
- Lead with the strongest recommendation.
- Use images that match the actual style/colour being proposed.
- Show only useful colour or option choices.
- Make quantity assumptions and pricing clear.
- Include relevant setup/service charges.
- Keep internal supplier notes out of client-facing copy.
Preview before sending
Review the Presentation as if you were the customer seeing it for the first time. Check product order, images, descriptions, colours, quantities, pricing, setup charges, notes, spelling and whether any rejected/duplicate items remain.
Send and revise
A Presentation can be revised as the customer narrows the choice. Add or remove products, change options, update pricing and resend the revised version. The goal is to make the decision easier, not to force the customer to decode internal product data.
What you do
Create the Presentation inside the Project, add the recommended products, preview it, then send/share it with the customer.
What Elite Core does
Creates the client-facing selection layer between research and the operational Sales Order.
Who gets notified
The customer receives the Presentation through the client-sharing workflow. Internal follow-up depends on the project/user workflow rather than product creation alone.
What happens next
The customer selects products/options or requests revisions. Those selections become the basis for the Sales Order.
Setting / watch for
A Presentation is not the final purchasing record. Always review what carries forward into the Sales Order.
7. From Client Selection to Sales Order
The selling document becomes the operational record.
Before creating the Sales Order
Confirm the customer’s actual choice rather than assuming the last Presentation is the order. Identify the selected products, colours/options, final quantities, final selling prices, decoration requirements, setup/service charges, required date and shipping requirement.
What should carry forward
- Selected products
- Descriptions/images where relevant
- Colours/options
- Quantities
- Selling prices
- Client-facing notes
- Additional charges
What may still need operational completion
- Supplier/SKU confirmation
- Exact size/colour breakdowns
- Expected product costs
- Decoration source and routing
- Artwork/proof requirements
- Ship To destination and instructions
- Client PO/reference
- Taxes and payment context
Core rule: A Presentation tells the customer what you recommend. A Sales Order tells Elite Core what the company is committing to fulfill.
Review the Sales Order before sending
- ☐ Correct customer/project
- ☐ Correct products and supplier/SKU details
- ☐ Correct variant quantities
- ☐ Selling prices
- ☐ Expected costs and margin
- ☐ Setup/decoration/service charges
- ☐ Shipping charge
- ☐ Taxes
- ☐ Client notes vs. internal notes
- ☐ Client PO/reference
- ☐ Artwork and proof expectations
- ☐ Required/in-hands date
- ☐ Contact and delivery information
What you do
Create the Sales Order from the approved selection, then review and complete all operational fields.
What Elite Core does
Creates the central record used by purchasing, proofing, production, shipping and invoicing.
Who gets notified
No approval notification occurs until the Sales Order is actually sent/approved.
What happens next
Once reviewed, send it to the customer for agreement.
Setting / watch for
Material edits after downstream records exist need extra care. The later the order progresses, the more connected records may require review.
8. Review, Send & Approve the Sales Order
The moment Part 1 becomes an operational commitment.
Send for approval
Preview the final client-facing Sales Order before sending. Confirm that internal-only notes are not exposed and that pricing, tax, contact, address, dates and references are correct.
If the client requests changes
Update the Sales Order and re-review the affected products, pricing, costs, decoration and shipping. A quantity change can alter much more than the total: supplier break pricing, setup allocation, freight, margin and later PO quantities may all change.
What happens when the client approves
Sales Order approval is a workflow boundary. Current Elite Core behaviour performs several automatic actions so the approved version can be preserved and used downstream.
- Marks the Sales Order as customer agreed and moves it to the approved workflow status.
- Clears existing change-request comment/timestamp fields.
- Creates or refreshes the Sales Order cart snapshot and marks the snapshot as approved.
- Creates or refreshes the booked financial stamp for approved revenue, expected cost, margin, tax and related values.
- Adds the agreement audit entry.
- Updates the parent project/order Sales Order status to Client Approved.
- Updates the in-hands date when that approval flow supplies one.
Approval email — who gets it?
The approval finalizer resolves the primary client as the main recipient. It checks the approval email first, then the Sales Order client email, then the parent order email. Assigned client-rep, order-rep and administrator users are copied when valid addresses can be resolved. This approval finalizer does not automatically add a BCC recipient.
What you do
The client approves the Sales Order.
What Elite Core does
Locks in the approved workflow state, approved cart snapshot, booked financial reference, agreement audit and parent-project status.
Who gets notified
Client is the primary email recipient. Assigned client-rep, order-rep and administrator users can be copied when resolvable.
What happens next
The order is ready to enter the operational purchasing/proofing/production lifecycle covered in Part 2.
Setting / watch for
Approval is not “just a status.” Treat post-approval edits as operational changes because downstream records may rely on the approved snapshot.
The handoff: At this point Sales has done more than “win the order.” Sales has created the data contract that Purchasing, Proofing, Production, Shipping and Finance will trust.
9. Part 1 Closeout
Before handing the order to Operations, make sure nobody has to guess.
Final pre-handoff checklist
- ☐ Customer record is correct and not duplicated
- ☐ Primary contact and email are correct
- ☐ Billing and shipping addresses are confirmed
- ☐ Customer terms/tax treatment were reviewed
- ☐ Project name, dates and ownership are clear
- ☐ Products use the correct supplier/SKU where known
- ☐ Variants and quantities are complete
- ☐ Costs and selling prices are current
- ☐ Margin was reviewed
- ☐ Decoration method/location/source are complete
- ☐ Artwork/proof expectations are captured
- ☐ Setup, services and customer-facing shipping are included
- ☐ Presentation matches what was actually offered
- ☐ Sales Order matches what the customer actually selected
- ☐ Internal notes are separated from client notes
- ☐ Client PO/reference is entered when required
- ☐ Sales Order was previewed before sending
- ☐ Client approval was recorded successfully
What Part 2 picks up
Part 2 begins with the approved Sales Order and follows it through Purchase Order generation, supplier/decorator routing, proof requests, artwork, PO sending and confirmation, receiving, partials and variances, Upcoming Production, production work orders, quality control, warehousing and final shipping.
Part 2 teaser: The customer said yes. Great. Now somebody actually has to order it, prove it, receive it, make it and ship it.
Quick Reference — The Part 1 Flow
- Find or create the customer.
- Create the project.
- Add products and exact variants.
- Enter cost, selling price and review margin.
- Add decoration, artwork, services and shipping.
- Build and send the Presentation.
- Confirm the customer’s selection.
- Create and operationally complete the Sales Order.
- Send for approval.
- Client approves → approved snapshot + booked financials + Client Approved status.
