Posts

Case Study: Cutler Industrial Sales, Inc.

/in /by

“dynaMACS is 110% better than our old software.  If a sales agency is using anything other than dynaMACS then they are missing out.”

Margaret Legnosky, Office Manager
Cutler Industrial Sales, Inc.

Cutler_Industrial_LogoClient Challenge

Cutler Sales Office Manager Margaret Legnosky can sum up the impact their old sales and commission tracking software had on the agency in four words: “We were always behind.”

Only one month of data could be entered at a time, so the previous month had to be closed before the next could be started. The reports were difficult to work with and could not be emailed, so extra time was spent creating, printing and sending reports to the field. Sales invoices had to be entered manually, with no ability to import information from manufacturers electronically. And the list goes on. In addition, help desk support was basically non-existent. This busy agency didn’t have time to be held back by antiquated software.

Cutler_Industrial_StatisticsdynaMACS Solution

So Cutler Sales made the switch from CAS to dynaMACS. Legnosky calls dynaMACS “a blessing. Everything is faster and easier: entering commissions, creating reports, sending information out to the reps, looking up customer information…I can do it all in a fraction of the time. Our old software was primitive in comparison.”

Manual entry of sales and commission data is virtually eliminated, because manufacturers send sales and commission data electronically and Legnosky imports it with dynaMACS eSi in seconds. Heavy month-end processing is a thing of the past, because data for any month can be entered at any time. Sales reps equipped with dynaMACS Mobile have 24/7 access to up-to-date territory information. The agency has instant on-screen access to all manufacturers, customers and sales territories. And technical support is just a phone call or mouse click away anytime Cutler Sales needs it.

Initially, Cutler Sales considered having a custom software program built. But it quickly became apparent that dynaMACS could do everything a custom application could do – for a fraction of the cost. “dynaMACS is designed specifically for sales agencies, so it meets all of our needs. Anything I need to do, dynaMACS can do it…and more,” Legnosky says.

Case Study: E.H. & Associates

/in /by

 “dynaMACS is designed specifically for sales agencies’ unique needs with features and functions to help us operate efficiently and grow the business.”

Greg Baumker, President
E.H. & Associates, LLC

EH_Associates_LogoClient Challenge

E.H. & Associates had built a custom sales tracking software using Microsoft Access. But the agency had to continually re-write the program to update or add features. The software wasn’t keeping pace with E.H. & Associates’ business, says Vice President Barry Karlson.

“We needed software designed for sales agencies with features and functionalities that would help us operate more efficiently,” Greg Baumker, President, says. In addition, Karlson says E. H. & Associates also wanted to be unburdened from the time-consuming responsibility of managing the software.

EH_Associates_StatisticsdynaMACS Solution

By switching to dynaMACS, the agency uses software made specifically for manufacturers’ sales agencies. E.H. & Associates now has the tools to see comprehensive data in ways that are useful, meaningful and tailored to agencies’ distinct needs. The agency is able to focus on its core competency: sales.

“We have complete information about our customers, manufacturers and sales reps in a system that is easy to use, allows for growth and provides the information that we need to help us grow the business,” says Office Manager Lori Pelzel.

Unlike before, reporting is not limited to a few standard templates. dynaMACS has thousands of reports to choose from. “Flexibility is key. Reports can be as simple or as detailed as we need,” Pelzel explains. “We can sort data in so many ways. With dynaMACS we are able to identify trends, follow up on leads, monitor the status of customers and work proactively, all of which increases sales.”

E.H. & Associates also finds that sharing information with customers and manufacturers is extremely useful. “When I visit accounts, I pull up reports on my iPad,” Karlson says. “They provide detailed sales and commission data.” It’s a great way to gain insight and lead the conversation regarding sales, business challenges and opportunities to sell other lines.

Case Study: Pacesetter Sales & Associates

/in /by

 “The savings in overhead costs is astronomical. eSi reduced  data entry time from hours to minutes, and saved us from having to hire another administrative resource.”

Craig Lindsay, CPMR, President
Pacesetter Sales & Associates

PacesetterSalesAssociates_LogoClient Challenge

As Pacesetter Sales & Associates watched business continue to grow, it also saw overhead costs rise, as thousands of sales invoices poured in from factories each month and data entry consumed a significant amount of time. It got to the point where the agency was going to have to hire another administrative person just to keep up. “We don’t have room for high overhead costs,” said Craig Lindsay, CPMR and President of Pacesetter Sales & Associates.

Pacesetter_StatisticsdynaMACS Solution

Pacesetter turned to dynaMACS and its eSi module, which provides the ability to import sales and commission data electronically from factories, thus eliminating much of the agency’s data entry – and the need for that second resource. “Simply put, it’s been a huge time- and cost-saver,” says Office Administrator Debbie Lindsay.

“When we bring on a new manufacturer, we make it a requirement that they send data electronically. We feel it’s that important,” adds Craig. The discussion impresses principals and positions Pacesetter as a technically competent and progressive firm. More than half of Pacesetter’s factories now send sales information electronically.

For field sales reps, the sales analysis reports are invaluable, helping them stay on top of activity in their territory and making them more proactive salespeople. In particular, Debbie says they rely heavily on a report sorted by manufacturer sales for each salesman.

As it turns out, it’s not only the sales agency who is benefiting from the comprehensive reports – manufacturers and customers are as well. They get better service and the agency shares detailed sales data with them. “Many principals don’t have a good reporting mechanism, so they ask me for information. They love the 5-year sales history. It’s the same with customers, who ask me how they’re doing, because they’re not sure. I can quickly email them some very helpful reports. It proves we are a true business partner,” Craig says.

Case Study: FactoryLink

/in /by

 “dynaMACS helps us grow our business.  It is far superior to other software we’ve used.”

Mark Hauberg
Owner, FactoryLink

Client Challenge

FactoryLink has used its share of sales agency software: Two brand name products and a custom program. But none delivered the reporting, ease of use and detailed data that FactoryLink required.

“Reporting required sorting through reams of paper. We couldn’t dissect data in meaningful ways,” says Owner Mark Hauberg. Our custom software worked when the agency was smaller, but as we grew, it didn’t meet our needs. We were frustrated with the products and knew there had to be better software available.”

FactoryLink_StatisticsdynaMACS Solution

As Hauberg began the search, he saw a demonstration of dynaMACS at a trade show and was impressed. “dynaMACS is far superior to what we’d used in the past. It fit the bill,” Hauberg says. FactoryLink found the sales and commission software that matched how the busy agency operates.

With the ability to “cut and dice” information and look at various aspects of sales and commissions, he says, “Information is power, and dynaMACS delivers. It helps us grow our business.”

With Sales IQ, dynaMACS’ powerful performance analysis tool, Hauberg can instantly view data in hundreds of combinations such as:

Sales by territory

Customer and sales rep performance

    • 5-year sales history for any manufacturer
    • All manufacturers, sequenced by year-to-date sales
    • Monthly data for the entire agency, by any combination of manufacturer, customer or sales rep
    • Commissions paid
    • Low-performing areas with opportunities for growth

 

Hauberg also appreciates that reps get information as soon as it is in the agency’s system. “It helps me manage my sales force. It’s the best choice and has been a wonderful change for the business.”

Case Study: C. R. Kinsman & Associates, Inc.

/in , /by

“All of our data is on the cloud, so we never have to worry about losing invaluable sales and commission information.”

Craig Kinsman, CPMR & President
C.R. Kinsman & Associates, Inc.

Client Challenge

Technology has changed the world since C.R. Kinsman & Associates Inc. (CRK) was founded in 1976. At the time, data was recorded 100% manually on paper. When computers were introduced, the agency was an early adopter. A custom sales and commission software was developed, and at the time it was cutting edge.

But as technology continued to evolve, the software became outdated. “Running reports was labor intensive, data entry was still manual and the reports were archaic.” says Craig Kinsman, CPMR and President. Like so many agencies, CRK continued to use it because “that’s the way it had always been done.”

CRK_StatisticsdynaMACS Solution

As the agency expanded its executive team, it was the perfect time to look into new sales and commission software. “We asked other agencies. dynaMACS was the software of choice,” Kinsman says.

dynaMACS transferred a two-year history of CRK’s data from Microsoft Access system with no loss of information.

The team was apprehensive about the learning curve in using new software, but Kinsman says, “We were shocked at how easy dynaMACS was. We wish we’d gotten it years ago.”

The agency chose to process on the cloud, giving the sales agency access to data anytime, from anywhere. Cloud processing also protects data because all sales and commission data is backed up on the cloud.

The days of archaic reports are ancient history. CRK generates the reports from more than 5,000 choices – or customizes reports for their specific needs. “The possibilities are endless,” Kinsman says. “We can get reports on any aspect of our sales and commission data and overall agency performance.”

With dynaMACS, inefficiency and costly downtime are a thing of the past for CRK.

Case Study: Sullivan & Associates

/in /by

“dynaMACS has made my job so much more efficient. ”

Reyna Vargas, Office Manager
Sullivan & Associates, Inc.

Sullivan_Associates_LogoClient Challenge

Cumbersome and time consuming. That was the problem with Sullivan & Associates Sales, Inc.’s former sales and commission software.

The team knew time was being wasted on outdated software that was difficult to use and required the agency to enter non-essential information. But they didn’t realize the extent of the lost time until they used dynaMACS.




Sullivan_Associates_StatisticsdynaMACS Solution

A referral led Sullivan & Associates to dynaMACS, and they liked what they saw from the start. The first time-saver was the ease of use and intuitive screens that made the implementation simple. “We really didn’t need any assistance. We were up and running in no time,” says office manager Reyna Vargas.

Shortly after the agency began using dynaMACS it became even more apparent how much more efficient dynaMACS is than their prior software. “The amount of time it takes to enter commission statements has dropped from two weeks to four days,” Vargas says. That’s 112 hours of data entry time reduced to 32 – one third of the time it previously took!

One reason for the time savings: the old software required the agency to enter extraneous data. “We had to enter a lot of data that we didn’t need, but it was mandatory.”

Not so with dynaMACS. Agencies can customize data entry fields to collect only relevant information. For example, Vargas can set up her system to enter customer name, date, part number, quantity, sales rep split, PO number and more. Or if she doesn’t need some of that information, the fields are not required. They will be automatically skipped as she enters data.

Vargas’ overall impression of dynaMACS? “It’s made my job so much more efficient.”