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Use
iQuote to Optimize Departmental Synergies that will
Turbo Charge Quote Results
Sales quotations represent the convergence
of data, and processes from your organizations' various
departments.
iQuote centralizes valuable departmental data that
impact quote success.
Review the list below to see the departmental efficiencies
delivered by iQuote and the positive impact on quote
results.
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| Corporations
with quote synergy gaps |
Corporations
with quote synergy |
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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.
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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.
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| Why
iQuote? |
What
is the Payback? |
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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.
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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.
See Also:
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| Why
iQuote? |
What
is the Payback? |
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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.
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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.
See Also:
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| Why
iQuote? |
What
is the Payback? |
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Price Management Team
We’ve set strategies regarding the pricing of
our products and we have a good handle on pricing reports
from accepted orders.
We do not have a streamlined way to find out what
price products are being quoted on vs. accepted at.
If a customer is quoted at 1% off list and orders at
5% off list .. what caused the 4 percent difference??
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Price Management Team
iQuote‘s compliance with Microsoft open standards
allows the price team to create reports on quote vs.
order pricing by sales rep, product, etc.
The resulting information can be used to identify trends
or market conditions that may warrant revisions in pricing
strategies. As a result the pricing team can monitor
the pulse of what pricing the market will bear.
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| Why
iQuote? |
What
is the Payback? |
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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.
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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.
See also:
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| Why
iQuote? |
What
is the Payback? |
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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.
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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.
See Also:
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| Why
iQuote? |
What
is the Payback? |
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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".
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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.
See Also:
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| Why
iQuote? |
What
is the Payback? |
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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.
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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.
See Also:
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| Why
iQuote? |
What
is the Payback? |
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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.
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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.
See Also:
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| Why
iQuote? |
What
is the Payback? |
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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.
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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 iCatalog. Use
iCatalog 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 iCatalog: 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.
See Also:
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| Why
iQuote? |
What
is the Payback? |
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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.
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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.
See Also:
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| Why
iQuote? |
What
is the Payback? |
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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.
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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.
See Also:
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