Multi Departmental Consideration To Build Quote Synergy.

The quotation represents the convergance of strategies from various departments.

Review issues of concern for the following departmental teams assuming they do not have iQuote.

A streamlined quotation management process ensures that investments in departmental strategies, technology, and procedures are leveraged at the point of quotation.

See how iQuote simplifies quote synergy for your team.

Back Office – Accounting, ERP and/or Distributions Systems

• We have so much data in our ERP, accounting, and distribution systems regarding product pricing, part numbers, lead times, etcetera.How can we get that information to the sales team so they can close more business?
• It would be ideal if we could get our sales team to quote and order products that provide the best value to the customer, the highest margin and the least strain to our organization’s resources. Unfortunately, it is difficult to convey product information to the sales team on a part by part basis.
• Often the orders we receive arrive in waves and with little warning. We have little visibility on what is being quoted on in the sales funnel. As a result, it is difficult to anticipate demands on our ERP, distribution or service processes.

Back Office – Accounting, ERP and/or Distributions Systems

iQuote empowers the back office to provide the sales team with product information traditionally found only in accounting, ERP and distribution systems.

This is a huge leap forward for corporations because sales executives are able to decide what to quote on from a sales, customer and back office perspective.

The back office also gains accurate quote information in order to anticipate demands on your organizations’ resources.

End results include accurate internal and external communication on what is quoted vs. what should be quoted and the impact on your back office.

Purchasing Management Team

I check supplier pricing on a routine basis. Supplier pricing is usually entered into our ERP, accounting or distribution system.

If my updates to price changes on products and services could be accessed by the sales team in a structured manner they could leverage my supplier management efforts and close more profitable quotes.

Purchasing Management Team

iQuote provides the sales team with price book updates to product pricing information obtained by the suppliers and the purchasing team.

As a result the purchasing department’s vendor management efforts empower the sales team to generate quotes with accurate margins.

IT Team

O.K we’ve automated the ERP & distribution process, the accounting process, and we are looking at or are about to complete the automation of the CRM process.

The business units with profit and loss accountability are asking for corporate quotation management.

However the technology I’ve seen to date is rather disconnected. To make my job easier the ideal system will be easy to use, have flexible integration options, and adhere to open architecture standards.

IT Team

iQuote provides the best blend of user functionality, fast user adoption and integration scalability. Highly customizable, iQuote has the architecture necessary to communicate with other leading CRM applications as well as back office systems.

The integration of quote creation, tracking, acceptance and project tracking allows IT to offer a scaleable solution to end users that has a clear migration path to support emerging technologies as well as today’s technological landscape.

The end result is a quotation management solution with the depth necessary to support IT compliance issues as well as effective end user functionality.

Product Management Team

• We’ve spent countless thousands, if not millions to develop our product and service offerings over the years. I can review statistics on the products that are ordered, but I have little structured information on what is quoted on.
• Are we selling products that customers really value?
• What are customers asking us to quote on vs. what they actually order? We can spend countless dollars initiating market research, however the accuracy of all this research stems on what items customers ask us to quote on.
• I have statistics to show that most orders are accepted by customers at 5% off list. The sales team say they quote at about 1% off list. I do not have any strong reports to back those numbers up, and if it is true … why the 4% difference?
• One of my pet peeves is that we often quote customers on the products the sales team is most familiar with versus the products that are more profitable or that we are trying to push. I wish there was a way to systematically inform the sales team about the most profitable product options.

Product Management Team

iQuote provides a mechanism to convey product management information to the sales team at the point of quotation.

Flexible quote reports by product, price point, sales rep and other criteria are now within reach of product managers.

The end result is a capability to communicate product management information to the sales team when they need it most.

Quote Preparation Team

• We’re currently using an in-house, spreadsheet, or word processing system to prepare quotations. Things are not as integrated as I think they should be and we spend a lot of time checking pricing from various databases, paper based vendor price lists, our accounting system, etc.
• There must be an easier way to create and manage quotations. Some customers have no idea how much work goes into the preparation of a quote, and they always ask for pricing so casually and want answers “as soon as possible”.

Quote Preparation Team

iQuote integrates the creation, tracking, and acceptance of quotations into one system.

Accurate, and professional looking quotations can be created in a fraction of the time compared to traditional methods. Respond to customer inquiries regarding previous quotations within several mouse clicks.

The end result is increased quotation efficiencies with significantly less effort.

Management Team

• We’ve set targets regarding the pricing of our products and we have a good handle on pricing from accepted customer orders. It is difficult for us to determine the pricing at quotation vs. the pricing at order.
• How heavily does the sales rep have to discount to get the business? Why?
• How many revisions are there between the initial quote and the order?
• Why so many or so few revisions?
• Which sales reps need training to avoid too many quote revisions and rogue discounting?
• Having an effective quotation management system would allow us to measure the impact of our marketing, pricing and sales strategies with our customers as well as prospects.
• We don’t know how many quotes we have in the field at any one time… except for the big ones. It makes it difficult to plan product and sales strategies and to coach our sales team.
• Quote to order ratios are a good bench mark to measure our effectiveness. Now if we could only find a way to measure those statistics easily and accurately.
• The 80/20 rule applies to many quotes out in the field. How can we ensure that all quotes get followed up on while making the quote process easier for the staff?
• Our people spend a lot of time preparing quotes and sometimes the quote has incorrect pricing. We often do not know our exact profitability until the product is out the door to the client site.

Management Team

The sales team’s use of iQuote provides management with a wealth of graphical or traditional reports that monitor quote performance and trends.

Quote to order ratios, quote forecasts, quote status, sales performance, territory results, price acceptance levels, and other reports can be at the fingertips of management.

Management can also streamline the flow of information from various departments that influence the content of sales quotations.

The end result: Management can track the status of quotes in the field and make proactive decisions based on quotation information that was previously difficult to obtain.

Order Management Team

• Our distribution and manufacturing systems run O.K, however it would be ideal if the sales teams’ accepted quotes could be sent to us electronically and we could then covert them into orders.
• If I had an accurate forecast of quotes in the field I could plan resources more effectively.

Order Management Team

iQuote bridges the gap between sales quotations and order management systems. By enabling order managers to have a realistic view of the status of quotes that are about to become orders, staff can better manage their resources.

Once a quote is accepted, the contents of the order can be sent to the order system using a direct connect, export, xml or other platforms.

The end result is stronger communication between the order team and the sales team that will reduce the cost of sales, and minimize quote to order errors.

Marketing Team

• We spend so much time positioning ourselves in this competitive industry. We work closely with our pricing strategists, and product managers in order to send clear buying signals to our customers. Yet our quotes do not properly reflect those strategies.
• We have all this product and marketing information in the office (paper based brochures and catalogs, price lists). If I could make it easier for customers to buy from us by means of an Electronic Catalog that communicates our marketing and price strategies I could cut my printing costs and the cost of sales significantly.

In addition our sales team could focus on more lucrative sales without being distracted by low end, non value added quotes.

Marketing Team

With iQuote, you have a mechanism to deliver strategic product messages to customers by means of your sales quotations.

Use iQuote to remind your sales people to communicate key product or solution marketing messages to customers at the point of quoting, or at the point of customer quote pricing negotiations.

Attach supporting documents with quotes. Extend the impact of your iQuote price books with iQuote Catalog. Use iQuote Catalog to provide your customers with ‘unassisted quoting’ services on products that have very little sales person value add.

End result iQuote: Customers and prospects receive consistent marketing messages from initial contact to quotation and the subsequent close of the transaction.

End result iQuote Catalog: Extend the lifespan and the impact of your product marketing messages and price list information. Allow customers to pick low end products they want to be quoted on and have the documentation automatically sent to you for processing.

Reach more customers more often with less effort.

Sales Team

• I spend more time than I think I should preparing quotations. I wish the whole quote process could be centralized in an orderly fashion so I can focus more time on closing deals. Or, if I am to create the quotations I need a tool that will allow me to manage more quotes in less time with increased accuracy. This can only improve my sales totals.
• We get so busy at times that I don’t have a chance to follow up on all the quotes out there. An ideal system would remind me of the quotes in the field.
• If a customer calls to discuss pricing on a quote I’m often searching through disconnected systems to find the answers.
• I wish I had a way to show product and service information, pictures, descriptions etc. to customers at the point of sale in order to speed up the sales process.
• I often recommend certain products to customers but it would be ideal if I could flag the most profitable products in my price list.

In addition our sales team could focus on more lucrative sales without being distracted by low end, non value added quotes.

Sales Team

iQuote’s database engine ensures that sales executives have an integrated way to issue track and close quotations.

The end result is a streamlined quote process that can be managed by the outside sales team or centralized in house.

The net gain includes less time with quote paperwork, more time to sell and quotations that protect your margins.

Your Customer

• The quotes I receive from vendors all look the same.
• Many of the quotes I read are difficult to follow and appear to be written from the sales reps point of view and not mine.
• I receive quotes and some sales reps never follow up with me so I buy elsewhere, they often don’t know how much of my business they lose by not picking up the phone to initiate a follow up call.
• Some vendor’s quotes are so difficult to read that my eyes just glaze over.
• I can’t believe I’ve spent so much time with the rep and they provided such a simplistic quote!
• I can’t believe the vendor expects me to spend money with them based on this average looking document. Their pricing is O.K, but the content of the quote is not as descriptive as it could be. I think the vendors should remember I often have to present the quote to others in my organization.

Your Customer

iQuote provides your customers with compelling, easy to read quotations that reflect the price, marketing and product strategies of your corporation.

Use iQuote to generate timely and accurate quotes that have an automatic follow up mechanism that further differentiates your quotes from the competition.

End results include reducing the amount of time it takes to provide the customer with a quote that will truly aid his or her buying decisions.