Management + Systems

VECTA sales intelligence and CRM software is used and recommended by the manufacturing, distribution and wholesale sectors. Here Jayne Hill, business development manager at VECTA, looks at the features of sales analytics and CRM technology, and answers questions on how they can help enhance customer relationships.

As a distributor we have used a CRM solution before, what makes integrated sales analytics and CRM so different and what value will it add to our sales operation?
“For businesses in the fast moving and competitive environment of fastener and fixing distribution the collation and management of customer data is crucial, even if merely to provide a central repository for the, now necessary, day-to-day information that helps us to interact with our customers. It all becomes really impressive when you add one click access to historical sales data into the mix.

It’s really powerful offering the opportunity to analyse and drill down into dashboards of historical sales information, view current sales and spot every potential opportunity for future sales – instantly. Using the integrated approach to CRM also provides a simple and speedy approach to prioritisation of sales planning and independent access to, what might ordinarily be, complex sales reporting.

When a team is working with a large customer base time constraints can often impact on sales results. With integrated sales analytics and CRM the impact on the sales team is noticeable; just by providing sales people with access to accurate factual data and instant visibility of every discussion or call to each client makes a huge difference to efficiency. Access details of a customer’s previous purchases, what they stopped buying and what they could be buying, and sales staff will instantly be alerted to the cause of any reduction in sales figures.

Not only does this technology help increase results but your customers soon realise your business really understands their needs. Standard CRM solutions just don’t provide the detail and valuable insight into previous sales information so generally fail to make a significant difference in sales productivity and results.”

We already have access to individual Business Intelligence reports that can tell us anything we want, what else will sales analytics give me?
“Business Intelligence does provide valuable data for businesses, however once the reports have been produced there is still considerable work to do to get to the detail and the necessary sales actions you are likely looking for. This is particularly important within a distribution or wholesale sales environment where speed is vital.

Sales analytics technology eliminates the need to trawl through or compare spreadsheets and reports – the answers are on screen within seconds via tailored sales ‘actions’ and ‘alerts’ for managers and the sales staff – delivering a more efficient, better informed and better prepared team.”

I have a great relationship with my customers, we talk every week, can this type of technology really enhance that?
“Even with the best customer relationships there can sometimes be a reluctance for the customer (or the sales person), to talk about and deal with concerns that might arise. Most of us will have experienced the situation where one of our ‘best’ customers suddenly stops buying a particular line – it could be they have been offered a great deal by one of your competitors and have bought from them and not mentioned it.

If only you had known beforehand! You would very probably have matched the deal, but by the time you find out it’s too late. By instantly pinpointing any changes in a customers’ buying pattern (based on your own factual sales data) sales analytics enables your sales people to combat a situation before it even arises – resulting in significant improvements overall to your sales results. Retrospectively searching through reports or invoices to find out where or why your figures are reducing becomes a thing of the past when you can find the same information with just one mouse click.

Sales analytics and CRM also deliver exceptionally detailed and speedy call or visit preparation, dramatically reducing admin and prep time. The sales team become completely confident in the information they hold and are able to take advantage of every opportunity that arises.”