Daily sales call reports for distributors and wholesalers

What a distributor’s daily page shows

• order lines by rep from your ERP, against the day before, the same day last week and the same day last year
• quotes given on the phone that haven’t become orders, largest first
• customers who said they’re comparing prices, waiting on stock or having trouble paying
• products that came up on several calls, like an item that’s out or a price a customer found online
• missed calls from existing accounts, and whether anyone called back

Quotes that go quiet

A lot of a distributor’s revenue sits in open quotes. A contractor asks for a price on 30 units, the rep sends it, and nobody follows up because the phones got busy. The daily page keeps every quote given on the phone in view until it turns into an order, with what the customer said and the next step.

In the sample report for a plumbing distributor, two open quotes were worth $31,840 together, and both customers had asked about venting kits that neither quote included yet. The report put both at the top of the follow-up list with a deadline.

What customers say about stock and price

Customers tell your reps things the ERP never records. They found it cheaper online. They’ll wait for a backorder if you confirm the date in writing. They’re stocking up before the first freeze. When the same thing comes up on several calls in a day, the report flags it, which is often the first sign a product is running short or a competitor has moved on price.

Counter, phone and web orders

Most distributors take orders more than one way. During setup we agree which order types, branches or salespeople count as phone sales, and the report follows that. Orders that came in through the counter or the website can be left out or shown on their own line.

Works with the ERP you already run

The report reads order lines, quotes and invoices from your ERP or accounting system and matches them to calls by phone number and account. Acumatica, NetSuite and QuickBooks Online can export what it needs, and so can most distribution ERPs that produce a spreadsheet of order lines.

Common questions

Can it cover outside sales reps too?

It covers any calls that go through your business phone system, including calls made from the phone system’s mobile app. Calls made from a personal cell phone number don’t show up.

Will it see our margins?

Only if you want it to. Some distributors report revenue only, and some add gross margin by rep. You decide during setup.

What does it cost for eight inside reps?

$595 a month covers 6 to 15 people on the phones, month to month. A Monday review for the weekly sales meeting adds $150 a month.