Author Archives: Brian Gardner

This is Part 2 of a two-part series of blogs on the most c­ommon reasons that CRM does not deliver the ROI industrial distributors and manufacturers expect. Read Part 1 here.

This is Part 1 of a two-part series of blogs on the most common reasons CRM does not deliver the ROI industrial distributors, reps and manufacturers are looking for.

Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, is a system for sharing and leveraging your team’s data and knowledge. It’s about process, and technology helps to automate that. But as is frequently reported, many companies find they don’t get what they want out of a CRM system. I’ve seen this in my one-to-one work with industrial distributors, reps and manufacturers, and I have heard this from many of the professionals I’ve spoken with at industry events.

It probably comes as no surprise that one of the top reasons that CRM sometimes does not gain traction for industrial distributors, reps and manufacturers is culture.

Just as economists track leading indicators – such as the Purchasing Managers Index, durable goods orders and consumer sentiment – industrial companies should also have a leading indicator to better understand which direction their businesses are heading.

When I ask businesses what their competitive edge is, most businesses will respond with: Their people, their products, their excellent customer service or their experience.

If I asked your competitors the same question, how would they respond? Most likely, they’d answer the same way. Which means what you think is your competitive edge is not a competitive edge at all.

Read the previous article in this series on developing competitive advantage: 1 + 1 = 4 – Team Selling is the Answer

What is your competitive advantage? No, really! What is your competitive edge? Sounds like a simple question, and when asked, most distributors, reps and manufacturers answer pretty quickly and predictably. If your goal is to excel in a competitive market, continuous attention to systems, methods, and processes that offer a competitive edge is essential. This series of articles focuses on areas proven to give companies a real competitive edge, yielding measurable results. These methods and processes must be things you and your team can focus on – and control – internally. Excuses related to external factors such as the economy and industry softness need not apply.

The topic for this article is KPIs for ROIs: Sales-Focused KPIs.

First off, what are KPIs? Key Performance Indicators. Everyone is trying to get their arms around the KPIs in their businesses. Sales-focused KPIs are those that I find most companies are not focused on.

Read the previous article in this series on developing a competitive advantage: Profiling is OK When It Comes to Target Accounts

What is your competitive advantage? No, really! What is your competitive edge? Sounds like a simple question, and when asked, most distributors, reps and manufacturers answer pretty quickly and predictably. If your goal is to excel in a competitive market, continuous attention to systems, methods, and processes that offer a competitive edge is essential. This series of articles focuses on areas proven to give companies a real competitive edge, yielding measurable results. These methods and processes must be things you and your team can focus on – and control – internally. Excuses related to external factors such as the economy and industry softness need not apply.

The topic in this article is Team Selling.

A quick question to begin the discussion: Do you believe that your company is focused on and has effectively promoted team selling? Most will probably answer with a quick “Yes.” If I asked myself this question 20 years ago, when I was managing an industrial sales team, I would have said yes as well. Now, with years of study, analysis and, selling experience, I know that the answer should have been a resounding “no.” Our company was not truly focused on effective team selling.

Read the first article in this series on developing a competitive advantage: Focus on the 180: Front-End Sales Cycle Management.

What is your competitive advantage? No, really! What is your competitive edge? Sounds like a simple question, and when asked, most distributors, reps and manufacturers answer pretty quickly and predictably. If your goal is to excel in a competitive market, continuous attention to systems, methods, and processes that offer a competitive edge is essential. This series of articles focuses on areas proven to give companies a real competitive edge, yielding measurable results. These methods and processes must be things you and your team can focus on – and control – internally. Excuses related to external factors such as the economy and industry softness need not apply.

The topic in this article is managing your Load Input Goal. Having been in and around industrial sales for the past 30 years, I can count on one hand the companies that did not establish some sort of sales goal at the start of a year. But sales goals are typically backward-looking and expressed as some percentage increase over the previous year. They generally start at the top with a total company sales goal and filter down to territory, product, or service, and then ultimately to the salesperson.

Read the previous article in this series on developing a competitive advantage: Size Matters: What is Your Load Input Number?

What is your competitive advantage? No, really! What is your competitive edge? Sounds like a simple question, and when asked, most distributors, reps and manufacturers answer pretty quickly and predictably. If your goal is to excel in a competitive market, continuous attention to systems, methods, and processes that offer a competitive edge is essential. This series of articles focuses on areas proven to give companies a real competitive edge, yielding measurable results. These methods and processes must be things you and your team can focus on – and control – internally. Excuses related to external factors such as the economy and industry softness need not apply.

The topic in this article is target account management. If I were a betting man, I would bet your company is engaged in some form of target account management or you have at least talked about it. The question is whether your sales team is proactive or reactive with regard to target accounts.

What is your competitive advantage? No, really! What is your competitive edge?

Sounds like a simple question, and when asked, most distributors, reps and manufacturers answer pretty quickly and predictably.

If your goal is to excel in a competitive market, continuous attention to systems, methods, and processes that offer a competitive edge is essential. This series of articles focuses on areas proven to give companies a real competitive edge, yielding measurable results.

These methods and processes must be things you and your team can focus on – and control – internally. Excuses related to external factors such as the economy and industry softness need not apply.