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Case Study: Mizzen Marketing

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 “dynaMACS is an empowering tool for understanding sales and analyzing trends.”

Lisa Ortega, Operations Manager
Mizzen Marketing

Client Challenge

When it came to tracking sales and commissions, Mizzen Marketing had two primary issues: accuracy and visibility. The agency had used two different tools. With Excel, the agency noticed inaccurate sales numbers, likely due to accidental deletions. Over time, the file grew to a monster of a spreadsheet that was difficult to use and extract data from. Quickbooks provided a more accurate representation of the numbers, but data was only visible in basic reports and was stored on an accounting firm’s system, so Mizzen had to wait for information. Lisa Ortega, Mizzen Marketing’s Operations Manager, knew there must be a better way. “I mentioned to a colleague that I wanted software designed specially for sales agencies. He told me about dynaMACS.”

dynaMACS Solution

From the beginning, it was a smooth transition. “dynaMACS offered the best features minus the headaches. dynaMACS aligned perfectly with how we wanted to track sales and commissions,” Ortega says.

In the audiovisual space, many manufacturers sell products through distribution channels, so Mizzen Marketing must be able to track the distributors’ performance as well as the sales of the customers buying from them. With dynaMACS, the agency creates unique “Manufacturer/ Distributor” codes so they can easily evaluate the manufacturer as a whole or by individual distributor. We can also see the buying trends of the customers – who they buy from and at what volume.”

Because Mizzen Marketing can see trends, the agency is able to be proactive. “It’s insightful on so many levels,” Ortega says. “Everything we need is right at our fingertips.” Even the sales reps in the field have easy access and can pull up data on their laptops before going into a sales meeting.

Ortega calls dynaMACS an “empowering tool for understanding sales and tracking.”

Tip #1701 – Using the dynaMACS System Information Setup Screen to Pre-Select Reporting Options

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In dynaMACS you can set defaults for some of the reporting options which will save you time by eliminating the need to set them each time you run a report.

  • You can choose to build State/Region codes on the fly when running a Sales Analysis report if they are missing from the customer record.  This feature will combine the State Code plus the first 3 digits of the zip code from the customer address.
  • When running Sales Analysis reports you can choose to automatically skip to a new page for select codes if the Customer ABC code contains any one of the pre-selected codes.
  • Print Sales Analysis reports sorted alphabetically by the Look-Up code rather than Customer code.
  • Set Agency Commission printing options to Print Always, Never, or Prompt the user.
  • Set default to turn off automatic page skipping on all general reports.

Access Reporting Options

  1. From the dynaMACS main screen select Other Functions> Administration>System Information Setup. 
  2. Select the Reporting Options tab from the System Information Setup screen.

Select Options for Sales Analysis Reports

  1. To build the State/Region code “on the fly” in Sales Analysis reports, select the checkbox.
  2. To set Page Skipping for customers with the pre-selected ABC codes, enter the ABC code here.
  3. To print Sales Analysis reports sorted in alphabetical order using the Look-Up code rather than the Customer code, select the checkbox.

Select Options for Sales Entry/Commission Reconciliation/Open Invoice reports

  1. Select your preference for Printing Agency Commission from the drop down box.
    • Prompt will prompt the user to print Agency Commission for users that can see commissions.
    • Never Print will set the default so Agency Commission will never print for all users.
    • Always Print will set the default so Agency Commission will always print for users that can see Agency Commissions.
  2. To disable automatic page skipping, check the box next to “Default for Don’t Skip Page on Level Break”.
  3. After all of your Reporting Options have been selected, click on the Save button.

Tip #1612 – Using the dynaMACS System Information Setup Screen to Set the Frequency and Warning Messages for Restore Points

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Restore points in dynaMACS are important when performing some functions such as posting sessions or doing transfers. (Please see Tip #1308 on the importance of creating a restore point.)  In dynaMACS you can control when your Restore Points are required or set a warning when the Restore Point SHOULD be done.  The following tip will walk you through setting this up.

Setting the Restore Point Frequency/Warning Message

  1. From the main dynaMACS screen select Other Functions>Administration>System Information Setup.
  2. Select the Restore Points tab at the top of the System Information Setup screen.
  3. There are three processes for which you can setup warnings or required defaults.
  4. Select the appropriate radio button.
    • Required Everytime will force the user to create a restore point each time this process is run.
    • Required Once Daily will force the user to create a restore point the first time this process is run each day.
    • Warning Everytime will display a warning to create a restore point each time this process is run.
    • Warning Once Daily will display a warning to create a restore point the first time this process is run each day.
    • Never will not show a warning or force a restore point when this process is run.

5.   Once your selections have been made click on the Save button.

Case Study: David Gooding, Inc.

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 “The accessibility to data we have with dynaMACS is tremendous. It’s extremely user friendly for everyone at the agency.”

Patrick Carroll, Information Systems
David Gooding Inc.

David_Gooding_LogoClient Challenge

David Gooding Inc.’s old software pulled information from a Microsoft database and applied data tables to it, based on computer code the user had to enter. If that sounds complicated, it was. The tedious process was built for programmers. Attempting to run a sales report practically required the user to have a degree in Computer Science. The sales agency was in dire need of a more user friendly software.




David_Gooding_StatisticsdynaMACS Solution

Then David Gooding was introduced to dynaMACS. Patrick Carroll, Gooding’s Information Systems Manager, knew right away that dynaMACS had the ease-of-use the agency was looking for. “The accessibility to data that we have with dynaMACS is tremendous. It is extremely user friendly for everyone.”

“With one mouse click, you can drill down to more information from any screen,” he says. “The ability to get any information you need, instantly and easily, is a big benefit to everyone at the agency.”

Various people at the agency access dynaMACS in different ways. The owner has remote access, and the lead salesperson has dynaMACS Mobile on his laptop. Both have access to up-to-date information on manufacturers, customers and sales reps from anywhere they are – at home, on the road or at the office.

One of Carroll’s favorite features is the ability to email reports directly from dynaMACS Sales IQ. The agency can email reports instantly to manufacturers, customers and salespeople. Selecting the email button creates the email with the report attached in PDF format. dynaMACS pulls up the appropriate customer, manufacturer or sales rep which the report will be sent to – and the user never has to open Outlook – the process is automatic.

“With dynaMACS, we’re well informed about our business,” Carroll says. “During the month, we can quickly see where all manufacturers stand, what groups of product categories are being sold and much more. It’s an invaluable sales tool.”

Case Study: Maschmedt & Associates

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“With dynaMACS cloud, our data is secure, always backed-up and easily accessed from anywhere.”

Jon Edwards, Controller
Maschmedt & Associates

MaschmedtAssociates_LogoClient Challenge

Maschmedt & Associates had been using an Access database for tracking agency sales and commissions. Updating the system required outside resources, using it was time-consuming and it was too old to keep pace with the busy agency’s needs.

Maschmedt needed modern and sophisticated software. Controller Jon Edwards had a list of features that he was looking for: Software designed especially for sales agencies. A way to quickly enter invoices and reconcile manufacturer commission statements. The ability to distribute up-to-date and comprehensive reports to sales reps. A cloud-based system for security and backup. And the software must update automatically.

Maschmedt_Statistics

dynaMACS Solution

When researching solutions, Edwards learned about dynaMACS’ capabilities and scheduled a demo to see the sales agency software in action. dynaMACS checked all the boxes on his list – and had even more functionality and the potential to greatly improve efficiency.

It’s been a smooth journey from the start, when three years’ worth of data was converted and migrated from Access. Since implementation, there’s been a significant impact on operations:

*Sales and commission data is cloud-based, so it’s secure, backed-up and accessible from anywhere

*Software automatically updates

*dynaMACS’ eSi eliminates 98% of manual data entry

*Sales reps have up-to-date sales data for their territory (Previously numbers were two to three months old)

*Information can be sliced and diced in numerous ways

*Maschmedt & Associates can drill down for detailed information on manufacturers, customers and reps 

With powerful ways to analyze sales, pay reps and track commissions, Maschmedt has a 360° view of performance.

Case Study: Kitchin & Sons

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“When traveling, I use dynaMACS daily to look up customer sales, territory sales and more.  It’s extremely convenient.”

Thomas M. Kitchin, President
Kitchin & Sons

Kitchin_LogoClient Challenge

When Kitchin & Sons experienced significant growth due to an acquisition, President Tom Kitchin quickly realized his agency needed better information to manage the growing business, as well as a way to integrate the two agencies’ disparate databases






Kitchin_StatisticsdynaMACS Solution

Kitchin decided it was time to upgrade to dynaMACS, who quickly integrated the two databases.

The agency see sales and commission data in a multitude of ways: sorted by customer, manufacturer or salesperson, and drilling down to more detailed information with one click. With dynaMACS on his laptop, Kitchin has 24/7 access to up-to-date information. “When traveling, I use dynaMACS’ Sales IQ daily to look up customer sales, territory sales and more,” says Kitchin. “It is extremely convenient and keeps me in touch with what’s going on.”

Back at the office, the staff is equally thrilled with dynaMACS. Administrator Joyce Drumm says, “dynaMACS saves time in so many ways. With the SmartView feature, I type in a few letters of a customer name and instantly see all customers who buy from a manufacturer.” Her favorite upgrade: Faster commission reconciliation reports. “It used to take 3 ½ hours to calculate before the report printed. Now, within a minute of hitting print, I have a report – a tremendous time-saver.” From a data entry perspective, Drumm says, “The entry screens are simple, well laid-out, and in a logical sequence.”

As for technical support, Drumm says dynaMACS is helpful, knowledgeable and timely: “It’s nice dealing with a company where you talk to people instead of recordings and touch-tone response systems.”