Security Sales & Integration October 2021 - 46

Systems Integration
Sales & Operations
Management
Robust sales management software can improve
communication at every level. Mobile
CRM tools, like text-to-talk speech recognition,
make it easy for salespeople to record comprehensive
notes directly within a customer's file during
or immediately following a meeting. These are
visible to inside support teams and management,
allowing them to pitch in as needed. Site survey
tools facilitate collaborative selling, allowing sales
personnel and their customers to graphically design
an installation together on a digital map or
floorplan that automatically builds the quote.
Notes incorporated within surveys inform operations
and installation team members of technical
details and customer preferences.
and drawing insights to guide corporate strategies.
Integrated CRM, sales and operations software
allows management to see the big picture.
Chad Asselstine, Fire Monitoring of CanaThe
more you
ask salespeople to
do something
repetitively, the
less likely they are
to do it.
- Chad Asselstine,
Fire Monitoring of Canada
Proposal generation tools make it simple for
salespeople to incorporate customized scope of
work documents, presentation of pricing and
systems at varying levels of detail, site survey
drawings, delivery schedules, terms and conditions,
and any other documentation necessary
to ensure everyone has shared expectations.
Integrated electronic signing services save salespeople
and customers time, take advantage of
technology, and make it easy for all parties to
have copies of contract documents.
Then, once contracts are signed, the operations
team can take over with full information.
At Allied Universal, White says, " After projects
are booked and exported to our ERP, there are a
host of people who become involved. We have
our accounting team helping with the booking
process and others working on the execution.
The integration between systems provides everyone
with what they need to proceed. "
Reporting Transparency
Reporting isn't just about looking at numbers.
It's connecting the dots, identifying trends,
4.
46
Security Sales & Integration OCTOBER 2021
da's (FMC) vice president of business development,
says FMC's reporting was " out of whack "
before implementing an integrated solution.
Now, he's able to provide the company's vice
president of finance a clear look at the pipeline
with visibility into what's been sold, what's in
negotiation, projects that are actively being
quoted and lead opportunities. The data is also
used for internal finance auditing.
Reporting is only as accurate as the information
input by salespeople. Well-designed
sales management software makes data entry
as painless as possible. Asselstine says that because
all his systems are connected, he's only
asking his sales reps to enter in lead information
one time. After that, the pipeline is automated.
" The more you ask salespeople to do
something repetitively, the less likely they are
to do it, " he explains.
SAGE Integration relies heavily on reporting
data when making decisions about how to run
the business. Nemerofsky says, " When you're
evaluating the state of the company, reporting
tells the story. We can separate existing sales
from new sales. We can see the margin-per-salesperson
and calculate their individual ROI. We
can track lost jobs. " The collective data also
drives growth strategies. " Average size quotes,
average margin on existing clients, average
margin on new clients, quote-to-close timing
... this information allows us to build logical
ratios, which can then build sales trends. "
Heed One's Own Advice
Security companies counsel their customers on
the benefits of integrated solutions. Choosing
the best products for each security challenge
and then connecting them through APIs or
web hooks delivers value and capabilities that
any single system can't provide on its own.
These same companies are best served by taking
a similar approach to running their businesses.
Opting for separate, best-of-breed systems
for sales management and operations, and then
allowing each to complement the other through
an integrated solution, will pay dividends in the
form of smoother operations, better customer
service, and greater profitability. SSI
TRACY LARSON is President of WeSuite.
securitysales.com
MINDSCANNER/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
http://www.securitysales.com
Security Sales & Integration October 2021

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