Utilizing CRM to Manage Multi-Bid Jobs

How your company approaches job management can either help or hinder your sales goals. We’ve been there, and we know it can be hard to get all of your sales/bid reps on the same page, but what happens between bid creation and job completion matters. We’ve been in the Wholesale Distribution industry for over a decade and understand the struggles you face. That’s why we’ve put together a list of ideas on how to utilize a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution to manage bids, jobs, and even multi-bid jobs or projects.

The 3 “Who”oges

1. Who do I win with?
2. Who do I bid on and don’t win with?
3. Who am I never able to get a bid in with?

Now before you baulk at this statement, we are not discrediting networking, we’re simply saying that hanging out with the good ole boys is not a credible strategy. Let us remind you that eventually those good ole boys will retire or move away, and then what? This is why the process from submitting a bid to winning the bid and even job management post-win includes nurturing contractor relationships with a CRM solution.

A good CRM solution will help you stay on track, on time and on budget. You can utilize document storage within the CRM solution to add all pertinent documents to the project/opportunity. Outlook integration is also a must as it ensures that all communication between vendors and contractors is logged back to those accounts and contacts. CRM is not a one size fits all product, so make sure the CRM solution you are looking into, or currently using, is customizable to fit your needs. Do you have a custom sales process or specific terminology? No problem, a good CRM solution will be configurable to your needs.

Say it with us… ”Workflows NOT Work Arounds”

Do you currently use a CRM solution, or something you’re making work as a CRM solution, that has you inventing work arounds? For example, an opportunity is an opportunity, is an opportunity…or is it? Not all opportunities are created equal and they shouldn’t be categorized as such. A good CRM solution has different opportunity categories, that way you can tie multiple bids to the same job. This also protects you from over-inflating the value of your pipeline, which can be a challenge when you have multiple opportunities for the same job. Utilizing built-in workflows will automate your actions as well, saving you precious time. Visibility into different elements of a job gives you a higher chance to win said job. Are you starting to see a pattern here? Less touch points = time saving + a defined path ahead (actionable analytics) = an increased win rate.

 All Together Now (Socially Distanced of Course)

How many hands touch a bid before, during, and after it’s created? Let’s see: inside sales rep, estimator, outside sales rep, bid department, marketing, and a few managers even, but “you’ll have that on these big jobs”. Don’t let those big jobs throw your team through the wringer, a good CRM will show everything for everyone all in ONE place. No need to dig through 5 “solutions” just to put out one bid, no matter how big that bid may be. With ERP Integration it doesn’t matter how much data you have; a good CRM solution will be ready to use with everything populated from day one. Integration to all of your back-office solution should be a must-have too, think job bid boards, Google Maps, Phone System, Lead/Sourcing Management, Field Service Management, Business Intelligence, etc.

If you’d like more information on how WebPresented can meet your needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to us today at sales@webpresented.com (there’s no question too small or too big). We have a team that knows the Wholesale Distribution industry and Integration Specialists who can answer all of your ERP Integration questions! If you’re a current user looking for more ways to utilize WPCRM please contact accounts@webpresented.com.