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ToggleToday, we meet Gupta Ji.
Mr. Gupta is an FMCG business owner for the past 15 years, selling a beverage brand called Gulu, which is loved in most parts of north India. Mr. Gupta has a national network of distributors and a sales team that helps him manage and expand his business in the market through BTL (below the line) activities. His SRs try and bring more business from new outlets and also hold occasional surveys to test or get feedback on new products that the company launches.
But Mr. Gupta needs more. He is eager to have a clearer picture of what goes on in the market. He needs to know if he can help improve his firm’s efficiency and bottom line. He is tempted to go on the field himself to get a pulse on the market but also likes to spend time with his family. At the moment, his sales decisions are based on the anecdotal information he gets from his SRs, which accepts at face value. However, Mr. Gupta is missing the bigger picture. He is extremely dependent on others to drive his sales strategy.
One of Mr. Gupta’s colleagues recommended a solution. However, Mr. Gupta had doubts. He insisted, “But my SRs won’t use it” till he was told of its immense benefits and that it was available on every smart mobile device today. Mr. Gupta decided to give it a shot and never looked back. Enter sales force automation software.
Let’s look into things Mr. Gupta loved the most when he installed the SFA App for his FMCG firm.
1. He has real-time Data!
Using a salesforce automation solution, Mr. Gupta does not need to spend hours tallying sales reports each day or week. He now has direct access to each SRs activity, opportunities, deal figures, shopper complaints, and other metrics used for gauging success and sales revenue. As a result, he can take immediate action whenever required, based on real-time retail analytics via the SFA app.
2. He can easily view his Geographical Coverage
The app equips Mr. Gupta with the tools necessary to develop the SR’s territories, without running the risk of uneven distribution in a given area. As market dynamics change, he can easily re-distribute SRs in different territories to fully capitalize on the market potential by using the app’s capabilities in the most meaningful and profitable manner.
3. He can validate all field visits
Real-time location tracking via GPS & the ability to access data 24/7, both are important components of the SFA mix. It can be used anywhere anytime and everything can be updated in real-time. It definitely helps Mr. Gupta supervise his field sales team remotely which in turn improves his team’s sales communication.
4. His team can do Smart Order Booking
Sales tracking software ensure that important information does not get lost when the SRs meet the sellers (shopkeepers). Every interaction with the seller is recorded in the SFA app. His SFA also offers auto-suggestions for order taking, based on historical data of the last 6-7 orders. His team has the complete product catalog available virtually on the app. This helps to punch in quick orders, achieve deeper insights into the seller’s buying behavior as well as provide information to any new SR that is assigned to that beat or territory in the future.
5. He can offer outlet-based retailer schemes and promos
His on-field salesmen receive schemes with attractive discounts and coupons anytime on the field with in-app notifications. Mr. Gupta now runs zone-wise, and state-wise schemes or even on Outlet Attributes like shop type, and channel type (GT, MT, etc), with different types of payouts (cash discount, FOC, article, etc).
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6. He can do more Sales through Analytics
In addition, sales force automation allows his SRs to see the retailers’ order history which creates the opportunity to up-sell or cross-sell. It also helps his sales team in creating a more accurate and reliable sales forecast based on real-time figures, thereby preventing unexpected surprises at the end of a quarter or fiscal year.
7. His SRs can view their own performance vs the target
Mr. Gupta cares about his field force. He feels it’s essential for them to be independent in their work. With the SFA app, every individual can view his own productivity. Visibility on their own performance motivates SRs to be more productive. In Mr Gupta’s case, he incentivizes his sales representatives for achieving their daily and weekly KPIs and brings in more independence and rigour into their work, which is a big win-win for both.
8. He can optimize his team better
The sales automation solution allows Mr. Gupta to select the right SR to follow up on a particular lead, based on geography, expertise or availability. It helps him develop insights on under-performing representatives, and make quick adjustments to increase efficiency.
9. He can do quick, analytics-based Reviews
Mr. Gupta no longer needs to hold long review meetings. He only conducts execution meetings with his team. He has automated all the time-consuming, but necessary tasks such as scheduling sales meetings, sending follow-up reports and emails, tracking contacts and renewing sales opportunities. Doing so has enabled SRs to quickly create estimates – and turn these estimates into proposals, quotes and then orders for the seller.
Conclusion
Mr. Gupta has an app that can track his sales, save him time, and monitor his market. Heck, even his sales representatives are loving it. What changed for Mr. Gupta? He gave his SRs a solution to organize their job by having an app on their own mobile phone (A device that is always with you). His Sales Reps have saved countless hours of unproductive meetings and logging orders in their diaries. Moreover, he now knows where his brand stands in the market. He can do real-time tracking of sales and market trends just by a quick glance in his portal. A win-win for everyone? No doubt about that.
Mr. Gupta loves how the Sales Force Automation app has empowered him with data that can fuel his next-level growth. It saves him enough time to spend a few more hours every day with his family. We see him glued to the SFA app in his office. Legend says he is still expanding his business with it every day.
About Post Author
Rashmi Kapse
Rashmi is a Content Specialist at FieldAssist. After spending 11 years in the Executive Search business she decided to change tracks and follow her passion for writing. For the past 8 years, she has been writing on Sales Tech, HR Tech, FMCG, Consumer Goods, F&B and Health & Wellness.