Epicor Insights 2017: Helping Epicor Distribution Users Address Sales Management Challenges

We recently returned from Epicor Insights 2017 in Nashville and we were very pleased to have many deep dive discussions with Epicor Distribution users about how to implement and succeed with CRM and business intelligence. What was particularly interesting was the focus of many of our discussions around current sales management challenges. It became clear fairly quickly that many Epicor users were looking to extend their competitive advantages and improve their top-line growth through the application of distribution technology.

The most common thread in our discussions centered around anticipating opportunities and following up on quote execution. Technologies like analytics and self-serve visualization tools can go a long way to improving a company’s ability to identify trends and opportunities long before a competitor responds. Sales management tools that track and automate follow up on quotes and bids can dramatically improve a sales rep’s closing rates and quota attainment. Yet neither insight nor quote follow up are easy to achieve. It’s no wonder that these two sales management challenges kept cropping up in our discussions.

Interestingly, many of the users we spoke with also indicated that they were concerned about hiring and equipping the next generation of sales reps. This next generation was born into an era of digital tools like smart phones, tablets and easy-to-use software. They expect you to supply them with modern technology and many distributors may struggle in those areas.

SMP Meets Your Sales Management Challenges

One of the great things about a show like Epicor Insights 2017 is that it provides distribution technology companies like SMP to have these kinds of deep discussions, demonstrate how our current functionality meets the needs of distribution sales teams and also get new ideas from users. Epicor users really liked the fact that SMP is more than just a CRM system – it is a true sales management platform. It is a set of tools that helps you grow your business in an all-in-one, easy to use, cloud-based SaaS platform that includes:

• CRM: Management of customers, contacts, prospects, activities, opportunities and pipeline at your desktop, laptop or mobile device.
• DASHBOARDS: Powerful, simple-to-use drag and drop tools that allow you to tell your story through interactive data with responsive design for mobile devices and tablets.
• ANALYTICS: Reporting, filtering and grouping, data sorting, pivot tables, lists, auto assignment of activities allowing you to easily analyze your customers, reps and vendors.
• MARKETING: List management, email blasts, newsletters and other targeted marketing.

SMP gives you access to all of your important data in one place so that your reps can be much more effective when they are preparing for sales calls or meeting customers and prospects.