Lynn Hartl

Atlantic City, NJ-Technology, in addition to products and services, is becoming a decisive factor when dealers and distributors select a manufacturer, said Lyn Hartl, president of WTS Paradigm, speaking at the Northeast Window & Door Association winter meeting yesterday.The event, which drew about 120 industry executives, also featured presentations on new decorative finish processes and moisture management.

Lyn HartlQuoting and ordering software is being used by more manufacturers, Hartl noted, but companies using these systems are only beginning to understand how much more flexibility computer-based systems offer in going to market.Without one big price book for every customer and a one-size-fits-all approach, a manufacturer can "slice and dice" its product line to match the strengths of a dealer.This gives the manufacturer the ability, for example, to find another dealer with different strengths or a different niche in the same territory.

Hartl outlined a number of ways moving from traditional price books to electronic quoting systems allows manufacturers to fine tune their sales process, emphasizing that beyond quoting and ordering systems, new technologies for selling are still underutilized by many manufacturers."You can talk to manufacturers and they know exactly what a welder can do, down to the minute," he said."But they may not know what their sales staff is doing next week."

He urged attendees not just to look at window and door quoting systems, but also such tools as contact management software.Additionally, he noted, companies need to dig deeper into their existing sales data and learn from it."Why is the quote/order ratio different at dealer one versus dealer two?"he asked."What products or options are driving sales?

Atlantic City, NJ- Technology, in addition to products and services, is becoming a decisive factor when dealers and distributors select a manufacturer, said Lynn Hartl, president of WTS Paradigm, speaking at the Northeast Window & Door Association winter meeting yesterday.The event, which drew about 120 industry executives, also featured presentations on new decorative finish processes and moisture management.

WTS' Hartl urged manufacturers to look more closely at technology that can aid the selling process.Quoting and ordering software is being used by more manufacturers, Hartl noted, but companies using these systems are only beginning to understand how much more flexibility computer-based systems offer in going to market.Without one big price book for every customer and a one-size-fits-all approach, a manufacturer can "slice and dice" its product line to match the strengths of a dealer.This gives the manufacturer the ability, for example, to find another dealer with different strengths or a different niche in the same territory.

Hartl outlined a number of ways moving from traditional price books to electronic quoting systems allows manufacturers to fine tune their sales process, emphasizing that beyond quoting and ordering systems, new technologies for selling are still underutilized by many manufacturers."You can talk to manufacturers and they know exactly what a welder can do, down to the minute," he said."But they may not know what their sales staff is doing next week."

He urged attendees not just to look at window and door quoting systems, but also such tools as contact management software.Additionally, he noted, companies need to dig deeper into their existing sales data and learn from it."Why is the quote/order ratio different at dealer one versus dealer two?"he asked."What products or options are driving sales?

Lyn Hartl (lhartl@windowengineering.com)632 South Eighth StreetMedford, WI 54451 USAPh 715.748.5768Fax 715.748.9551