While Heritage required a more efficient lead management system, the company also needed to find a better way to preserve the 27 years of data it had accumulated and eliminate redundant records stored in various databases.
"Not having a central database really hurt us. We could have multiple salespeople working on one lead, with no way of coordinating our efforts or knowing who really owned the lead,” said Schmitt.
Customization is Key
The team at Heritage began a search for the right CRM solution, looking at several possibilities.
We chose Sage SalesLogix because it's extraordinarily versatile and we knew we could easily customize it to fit all of our needs,” Schmitt said. “With a lot of other systems, you get their front-end and there’s not much you can do about it. With Sage SalesLogix, you can build almost anything you want to."
Heritage also chose certified Sage SalesLogix Business Partner Josh Ovett, president of Extremely Productive, to implement the solution. Ovett and Schmitt began by asking Heritage’s salespeople and dealers what they wanted from the system. Schmitt explained, “I sat down with salespeople and dealers early on because they’re the ones who are going to be using the system.”
Sage SalesLogix Rollout is a Success
Heritage’s first goal was to consolidate the data from each individual database into one. “Before, all the pieces of the puzzle were kept in multiple databases, and no one was communicating,” Ovett recalled. Now all that information is stored in — and accessible through Sage SalesLogix.
"Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, any member of my team can access the critical customer information they need," said Schmitt.
"Sage SalesLogix has brought a lot of prospects to the top and given us a bull’s eye of who we need to focus on to make us successful."
- Craig Bull, General Manager
Heritage Log Homes
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The company’s next goal was to add dealers to the system. Once accomplished this provided dealers with the tools they needed to manage their pipelines and receive new sales leads. The leads that pour in through the Web site, telephone, open houses and other events are now imported into the Sage SalesLogix database and automatically routed to the correct dealers or sales team.
Sales Up 24 Percent
To say that Heritage’s salespeople have begun using Sage SalesLogix with real enthusiasm would be an understatement.
“Before, we had a scattered situation and it was hard to stay on top of our prospects,” said sales rep Darryl Wilson. "Sage SalesLogix has enabled me to keep up with my prospects as well as helped me better meet my customers' needs.
Satisfied customers are more apt to tell others about our great service and these leads are our best source for new customers."
In fact, since the Sage SalesLogix implementation, Wilson has gone from being one of the company’s “less successful” sellers to one of their top. And, overall, sales by Heritage’s entire sales team have increased by 24 percent. “I’m not sure I can attribute all of that to Sage SalesLogix,” General Manager Bull said, “but I’m sure it plays a big part.”
“I’ve heard the comment from customers, saying why they bought from Heritage, ‘You called me back.’ With the number of leads we receive, it’s next to impossible to do that manually. Sage SalesLogix has brought a lot of prospects to the top and given us a bull’s eye of who we need to focus on to make us successful."
