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Top Challenges in Manufacturing and Distribution Sales Processes
As industrial markets evolve at lightning speed, manufacturers and distributors are under intense pressure to streamline sales processes and meet customer demands faster than ever. To grow, organizations need to often create sales quotations for complex products with ease. However, Gartner’s recent survey reveals that 62% of these companies identify slow quoting cycles as a major roadblock to sales growth. This highlights the urgent need for efficient Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) solutions to stay competitive and drive success.
Industrial manufacturers struggle with intricate product configurations and custom services, while distributors have to navigate vast supplier networks, fluctuating inventory, and complex pricing models based on volumes, product or solution type, customer tier, and contracts.
To tackle these challenges, CPQ software has emerged as a game-changing solution, automating complex pricing structures, accelerating quote generation, and maintaining accuracy and compliance across the supply chain. In short, CPQ software for Manufacturing guides the salesperson and customer through options, ensures compatibility, automatically calculates pricing, and generates a professional quote and proposal, drastically speeding up the sales cycle and reducing errors.
Complexity in Quoting
First of all, product configurations can be very complex – especially in industrial settings. Both manufacturers and distributors face significant challenges when it comes to generating accurate and timely quotes.
Manufacturers must manage a diverse range of products and configurations, often with customizable options that can dramatically affect pricing. For example, a customer might need a pump with specific dimensions, materials, and motor options – and this pump might necessitate specific types of complementary hoses or parts for successful end-user installation and use.
Distributors also handle large catalogs with thousands of SKUs, each potentially having different pricing tiers with availability and constraints across multiple warehouses. For example, a distributor of industrial parts may deal with tens of thousands of SKUs, each with different pricing tiers based on customer relationships, order volume, and current supplier agreements.
If not managed or supported properly, these complexities can lead to errors in pricing and extended quote generation times, potentially costing sales opportunities.
Approval Bottlenecks
Secondly, the approval process for quotes can often become a significant bottleneck in the sales cycle. For manufacturers, multi-tier approval chains – e.g., involving engineering, finance, and management – can delay quotes for hours, days or even weeks, costing sales. Distributors face similar challenges when coordinating with suppliers for special pricing or terms on non-standard orders.
Complex approval processes and multiple stakeholder involvement can extend the sales cycle, especially in larger organizations. These delays not only frustrate customers but can also lead to lost sales as buyers seek quicker alternatives.
Disconnected Data and Information Silos
Thirdly, many manufacturers struggle with silos between sales, finance, and operations departments. This disconnection can lead to quotes that don’t accurately reflect current production capabilities or costs. Distributors often face fragmented systems between inventory management, CRM, and ERP platforms, causing errors in availability and pricing information provided to customers.
These information silos result in inefficiencies, errors, and a lack of visibility across the organization, hindering the ability to provide accurate, timely quotes and deliver excellent customer service.
Lack of Process Standardization
Lastly, inconsistent quoting practices across different sales teams or regions can significantly slow down sales cycles for manufacturers. Similarly, distributors often struggle with different rules for pricing based on supplier, region, or customer tier, creating inefficiencies and potential pricing errors.
This lack of standardization not only impacts internal efficiency but can also lead to customer confusion and dissatisfaction when they receive inconsistent pricing or product information from different representatives within the same organization.
Mobileforce: A Game-Changer for Industrial Manufacturing and Distribution Sales Teams
Mobileforce offers a comprehensive solution to address these challenges, revolutionizing how manufacturers and distributors manage their sales processes.
Unified Platform for End-to-End Sales & Service
Mobileforce provides a unified platform that integrates quoting, inventory management, and post-sale service, ensuring seamless workflows for both manufacturers and distributors. This integration allows for a holistic view of the entire customer lifecycle, from initial quote to ongoing service and support.
For distributors, this means streamlining operations by linking supplier pricing and real-time inventory with quoting tools, providing accurate quotes instantly. Manufacturers benefit from a single source of truth for product configurations, pricing, and customer history, enabling more personalized and efficient service.
Adaptability with No-Code/Low-Code Architecture
One of Mobileforce’s key strengths is its no-code/low-code architecture, which allows businesses to quickly adapt to changing needs without extensive IT involvement. This flexibility is crucial in industries where promotional pricing, supply chain disruptions, or new product launches can rapidly alter the sales landscape.
For example, distributors can instantly update supplier pricing and availability across all quotes without waiting for IT support. Manufacturers can quickly implement new product configurations or pricing strategies, ensuring their sales teams always have the most up-to-date information at their fingertips.
Real-Time Data Integration
Mobileforce’s unique real-time data integration capabilities are critical for both manufacturers and distributors. By integrating live data feeds from ERP systems, CRM platforms, and supplier databases, Mobileforce ensures that every quote reflects the most current pricing, inventory, and customer information.
This integration eliminates quoting errors based on outdated supplier data by incorporating real-time inventory and pricing directly into quotes. For manufacturers, it means sales representatives can confidently quote custom configurations knowing they have accurate information on production capacity and material costs.
Hybrid Cloud & Offline Capabilities
Mobileforce stands out as the only CPQ solution enabling field teams to provide quotes, generate proposals, and update CRM systems anywhere, anytime – even offline. This unique feature ensures that sales representatives can continue working efficiently in areas with limited or no internet connectivity, such as remote manufacturing sites or during travel.
The hybrid cloud architecture allows for seamless synchronization once an internet connection is reestablished, ensuring that all data remains up-to-date across the organization. This capability is particularly valuable for manufacturers and distributors with field sales and services teams who need to access and update information on-the-go, regardless of their location or connectivity status.
Mobileforce Streamlines Sales Workflows
Reducing Complexity in Product Configurations
Mobileforce significantly simplifies the process of quoting complex product configurations for manufacturers. The software’s guided selling features walk sales representatives through the configuration process, ensuring all necessary options are considered and priced accurately.
For distributors, Mobileforce provides tools to manage vast SKU catalogs, including variants, bulk pricing, and supplier-specific terms. This capability allows sales teams to quickly generate accurate quotes for even the most complex orders, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Seamless Quote-to-Cash-to-Service
Mobileforce’s unified platform bridges the gap between quoting, order fulfillment, and post-sale service for both manufacturers and distributors. This seamless integration ensures continuity throughout the customer lifecycle, reducing errors and delays that can occur when information needs to be transferred between disparate systems.
For example, once a quote is approved and converted to an order, Mobileforce automatically updates inventory levels and triggers the necessary fulfillment processes. This automation not only speeds up the order-to-cash cycle but also improves accuracy and customer satisfaction.
Seller-Centric Design
Mobileforce’s interface is designed with the specific needs of sales representatives in manufacturing and distribution in mind. The intuitive layout and workflow mirror the natural sales process, making it easy for reps to quickly generate quotes, check inventory, and access customer history.
This seller-centric approach reduces training time and increases adoption rates among sales teams, leading to faster ROI on the CPQ investment.
Automating Approvals to Accelerate Sales Cycles
By automating approval processes, Mobileforce addresses one of the most significant bottlenecks in the sales cycle for both manufacturers and distributors. The software allows for the creation of custom approval workflows that can accommodate complex approval hierarchies and rules.
For manufacturers, this might mean automatically routing quotes above a certain value to the appropriate manager or department for approval. Distributors can set up automated checks with suppliers for special pricing or inventory availability, significantly reducing the time needed to generate accurate quotes for non-standard orders.
Accelerating Key Business Outcomes for Sales Teams
Mobileforce isn’t just about streamlining processes; it’s about accelerating tangible business outcomes for industrial sales teams. The platform empowers your sales representatives to focus on what truly matters — building relationships and closing deals faster — by dramatically improving key performance indicators (KPIs). Here’s how:
Faster Quote Turnaround Times
Reducing the time it takes to generate accurate quotes translates directly into faster sales cycles. Sales teams can respond rapidly to customer inquiries, leading to increased deal flow and quicker wins. This acceleration is particularly crucial for companies with complex product configurations or intricate approval processes.
Improved Sales Conversion Rates
Accurate, timely quotes and streamlined workflows contribute to more efficient and effective sales processes. By minimizing errors and delays, sales teams can present competitive offers that resonate with potential clients, leading to higher conversion rates and a more efficient use of sales resources.
Increased Sales Revenue
The combined effect of faster quote turnaround times, improved conversion rates, and more effective usage of sales resources directly impacts bottom-line sales revenue. By removing bottlenecks, Mobileforce maximizes sales opportunities, driving sustainable revenue growth.
Enhanced Customer Satisfaction
Delivering accurate and timely quotes, coupled with streamlined post-sale service leads to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Happy customers become repeat clients and strong brand advocates, contributing to long-term growth.
Reduced Administrative Overhead
Automation of tasks, including quote generation and approvals, significantly reduces the time sales teams spend on administrative work. This frees up valuable resources, allowing representatives to focus on building customer relationships and closing deals.
Improved Collaboration and Communication
Mobileforce fosters seamless collaboration between sales, engineering, finance, and other departments. Improved communication and shared data visibility minimize miscommunication and improve coordination, enhancing the overall efficiency of the entire sales organization.
Transforming Manufacturing and Distribution Sales with Mobileforce
To stay competitive, manufacturers and distributors can’t afford to be slowed down by inefficient, error-prone quoting processes. Mobileforce offers a comprehensive solution that addresses the unique challenges faced by these industries, ranging from complex product configurations to multi-tiered pricing structures and supplier management.
As manufacturing and distribution sectors continue to evolve, the need for efficient, accurate, and flexible CPQ solutions will only grow. Mobileforce is well-positioned to meet these needs, offering a powerful, adaptable platform that can grow and change with your business.
To see how Mobileforce can help enhance your sales processes and drive growth for your manufacturing or distribution business, schedule a demo today.
