If you’re like most SMB sales managers, you could lose a little weight.
We’re not talking about your person, saying that you personally need to shed some pounds — you’re here reading this blog, so we’re sure you’re a person of rare beauty and physical perfection.
We’re talking about your processes: how you generate leads, how you turn leads into quotes, and how you close.
And unlike getting physically fit, where the path to losing those love-handles is different for everyone and doesn’t always deliver, @@your sales process gets lean and mean the moment you start using proposal automation software.@@
Configure, price, quote
It’s sales fitness equipment
At iQuoteXpress (IQX), we serve more than a few customers in the commercial exercise space and have written before about how they use our solution.
One reason we KNOW they choose us is that the wide mix of products they provide requires a dynamic catalog for products and pricing.
There are literally thousands of different makes and models of workout machines. Not only that, but products like dumbbells have dozens of different weight configurations. I.e., for every product a commercial exercise equipment rep sells, they can sell it in practically unlimited weight ranges: they sell 5 lbs dumbbells and 10 lbs ones and 15 lbs and… you know how to count.
Could you imagine using a spreadsheet to list out and attach SKUs to 12,000 different products? If you can, we’d like you to now imagine what a relief proposal automation software delivers.
You build your quote using a professionally designed template that reflects the values of your brand and the needs of your prospect. Then, you just point and click to add products and pricing.
Not only that, but you can centrally administer upsells and upgrades and ensure that each new customer is introduced to what has proven to be a successful bundle with customers who came before.
Using a templated approach to building sales proposals is a fast way to help get your sales processes in peak condition.
Sales manager?
Naw personal trainer!
A successful sales manager does more than check in once a month (or even once a week) to “see how it’s going.” A true leader of salesmen (and women) knows exactly what’s going on with the team every day. They know who’s doing their reps (hitting their quotas) and who’s missing the mark, and they have the training and tools to help the latter be more like the former.
But how does this masterful manager know who’s hitting it, and who’s missing it? IQX can help with sophisticated reporting software that lets you automate the tracking of each proposal in the pipeline.
Tip: it’s important to be a proactive tracker. Rather than use sales analytics after the fact (e.g., running the numbers at the end of the year and finding out Bob bombed), you can use them in real-time, and spot bottlenecks in the funnel.
It’s like a personal trainer: they’ll work with you a little bit, analyze where you’re strong and where you need help, and go after the problem areas first. A sales manager — empowered with real time sales analytics — can do the exact same thing.
So this year, shape up your sales processes. Make them faster, stronger, and more appealing to prospect with a little help and encouragement from IQX.
If you'd like to learn more about this topic or see IQX for yourself with a free demo, contact us.
