Elion

The Challenge

Elion supplies components and systems for industrial automation. Its products include control and visualisation components, systems for ID or positioning and all types of fieldbuses, and a complete range of final control elements (sensors, actuators, control components and valves). As a trading company, Elion represents top brands and provides a maximum guarantee to its clients.

The result of increased competition in recent years has led to rapidly evolving client needs and demands, both in terms of the quality and presentation of Elion’s products, and its commercial relationship with suppliers. Elion decided to remain optimistic in the face of these challenges, and transformed new market demands into an opportunity to assess the situation, and make improvements.

The company thus defined a strategy in which competitive differentiation is based not just on the product, but also on a much closer sales relationship with the client. Virginia Tarin, Elion’s sales director, explains: “The challenge we face is the need to make an impact on the client in a unique way. The salesperson needs to demonstrate that they know what they’re talking about and know the client and their needs, even when the client doesn’t know what those needs are. They have to surprise with solutions that interest the client, so preparing the sales visit is essential.”

The Solution

The sales team used to use a centralised software system that gave them certain information about their clients, and which allowed them to make regular reports on their activity. But in looking at opportunities for improving their sales operations, Elion realised the sales reps didn’t use the system, or didn’t record enough information for the system to help them prepare for a successful sales visit. The reason: the programme wasn’t user-friendly, requiring large amounts of data to be input from home or in the office.

“The challenge we face is the need to make an impact on the client in a unique way. The salesperson needs to demonstrate that they know what they’re talking about and know the client and their needs…”

“With not enough data being shared between sales team, we didn’t make use of existing information in the system on clients and prospects. We needed the sales teams to have easy access to information so as to prepare their visits really well,” comments Virginia Tarin.

Another consequence is the lack of information: the sales management didn’t have enough visibility of the interaction between the sales force and the market. This made it difficult to monitor sales activity and evaluate the sales team’s performance.

Problems encountered by users in adopting the system, and the lack of coordination, preparation and visibility had an impact on the quality of the relationship with the client.

The Result

ForceManager offers two key advantages that convinced Elion to work with the solution: its mobility, and its simplicity.
This new management system for sales teams has made the work of Elion’s sales team much easier, lighter and more pleasant thanks to its interface with tablets. Salespeople can now check and enter information on visits at any time, without waiting until they are in the office or at home to enter data. They’ve gained in independence, communication and confidence.

Virginia Tarin explains: “Because of our vast product range, Elion’s sales team is made up of professionals with distinct profiles. We therefore needed a simple tool that everyone could use easily, and that would improve the quality of the sales preparation, the routes as well’as the actual visit.”

The ForceManager application is adapted to all levels. The system is simple to operate and highly user-friendly thanks to the large amount of information that’s recorded automatically.

ForceManager has a 100% adoption level with Elion’s sales team. And thanks to the change, Elion’s opportunity/visit conversion rate has improved substantially.

In short, implementing ForceManager has aligned the sales force with the company’s objectives and professionalised the sales activity. The salespeople can now make full use of the system to improve their interaction with each customer – which for Elion has become a fundamental competitive advantage.