Growing a product-based wholesale business is hard work that often requires tough negotiating skills. You've probably had customers ask for discounts on all products, custom prices for specific items, and other special incentives.
When hiring outside sales reps for your wholesale business, it's crucial to ensure they dedicate the utmost attention to your product line and customers. They require comprehensive information on products and customers to stay organized and efficient. Collaborating closely with your inside staff is essential for processing orders, managing shipments, and handling customer accounts. Equipping them with the right tools to stay informed and organized can significantly boost productivity. With innovative sales rep software, you empower your reps to excel and deliver exceptional service.
Few things are more exciting than getting the first sale from a new wholesale customer. After all, selling your products is the reason you're in business. Finally, getting that first sale is often the culmination of a lot of hard work.
However, receiving and fulfilling the order starts a whole new process that can be inefficient, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and vulnerable to mistakes and errors. First, your salesperson has to place the order. Maybe they call the back office, send an email, or maybe write it down and bring it back to the office. Then, someone in your office may need to contact your warehouse or fulfillment center to process the order.
How well does your order fulfillment process work? Is everything as smooth as it could be? Do shipments arrive at your customers' locations on time without errors? Can your fulfillment center get orders from you quickly and out the door with little effort? Could there have been better communication between your company and your third-party fulfillment center (3PL)?
Whether you're in retail or wholesale, the primary goal for any business owner is to drive sales and boost profitability. But what exactly is B2B eCommerce, and how does it differ from B2C? While the fundamental distinctions between B2C and B2B are straightforward, the revenue outcomes can be significantly different.
A B2B online ordering system for wholesale, manufacturing, and distribution companies fundamentally differs from a B2C shopping cart. It needs special features that are not found or required in online retailing. Trying to make a B2C system do the job of a B2B system will likely end in frustration. It is better to start with an eCommerce system specifically designed for your needs. Some key components separate B2B online ordering systems from consumer shopping carts.
Is your wholesale ordering process lagging behind the expectations of your customers? In today's fast-paced world, customers are accustomed to the convenience of instant ordering in their personal lives. They know that one-click ordering is possible, and they expect the same efficiency when purchasing in bulk for their businesses. It may be time for your B2B company to innovate and streamline your order process.
Here are some things you can do that customers will immediately appreciate:
Implementing integrated order entry software is one of the most effective ways to streamline your order processing routine. Your sales reps, customer service staff, and wholesale customers can place orders online, and those orders will be automatically created in QuickBooks without any additional data entry. Order entry software can also help streamline your entire fulfillment process. Here are three critical tasks that can be automated with software:
You may have some systems and processes you've outgrown but haven't had the time or resources to address. If you're like a lot of fast-growing wholesale businesses, your order fulfillment process could be very high on that list.
When you first opened your doors, you may have been able to take orders, grab the inventory, and box up the product yourself. Today, you have more incoming orders than you and your team can handle. If you're still using the same process that you did back when you were a one-person operation, you may have a serious problem.
Long ago, retail stores and other B2B customers typically bought many items at once and then stored them in warehouses until they were almost out. Then, they'd restock with enough items to keep them in stock for months or even longer. This practice made it so that their wholesale suppliers didn't have to be too speedy when filling orders, and in some industries, it was typical for delivery to take several weeks.
