Remodelers and cabinet dealers alike know that they need to change their quoting methods and enhance their consumer’s buying experience. But, as with most things in life, taking the first step is the most painful.
After all, the sales team will revolt, right? And, we wouldn’t want to upset a team that still thinks that:
- Design, and design abilities are king
- Selling skills are not nearly as important as design ability
- Software is for design only (and maybe an email if I could figure out my AOL account)
- Reporting up happens when I sell a job; not before
- Their method of doing things, no matter how different they are from your other designers, is better than everyone else’s – even yours
We’ve seen this type of thinking before in history. In the 1700’s, the textile worker never saw the threat against their job that the industrial revolution was about to bring. It was mechanized cotton spinning, powered by steam, that woke those workers up. In the modern age, Kodak, even though it had one of the earliest digital camera processes, missed the boat not only on the digital demand, but the obsolescence of film.
In that middle space, you’ll find a whole lot of tales of devastation. So the question is, how long before your business becomes a relic of the past? Will you still be relying on design software, spreadsheets, word documents, and dare we say it – fax machines – in the 21st century?
You Need Equilibrium
To get ahead of the pack and not become a relic, you need to automate your processes. You can win by systematizing:
- CRM-Our Basic product allows you to track your leads, marketing sources and expected budgets against a dashboard.
- Quoting-Our Advanced solution adds the ability to quote all products and services from one source. Simple purchasing and scheduling modules automate 80% of the space in the middle; where the little nibbles against margin occur.
- True Quoting Automation-With our Professional Edition you can add specific manufacturers pricing catalogs, giving your business unprecedented control of margin, one click labor, service order tracking and more.
- A New Paradigm-With Equilibrium Enterprise, you’ll see design and quoting in a whole new light. (Coming soon.)
If you want to run your business, instead of it running you, check out our low cost solutions that will balance your business. That is, unless it will upset Mary, who’s busy on AOL.
