Leadership is often associated with visionary thinking. I may not claim to be a visionary, but in the 3 years as a fractional executive, I’ve experienced the thrill of transforming distributors’ dreams and goals into a reality. It’s been incredibly rewarding to help build something that drives real, measurable change.
In my 20+ years in the promotional products industry, I’ve worked with multiple CRM and order entry platforms as a distributor salesperson. Each platform had its highs and lows, and sometimes, the functionality of one could make or break the decision to switch to another. Often times the CRM (or lack-thereof) can equate to duplicated efforts, cumbersome data, and systems that just don’t integrate. Sound familiar?
One of my proudest achievements in my current chapter as a fractional leader has been building a Salesforce integration on top of CommonSku. CommonSku is a great platform, serving distributor needs well—but the distributor (and I) needed enhanced data intelligence. They had tools like ZoomInfo and HubSpot, but none of them were cohesively integrated for streamlined reporting. So, we took what I’d learned over the years, imagined the ultimate dashboard and user experience, and brought Salesforce into the mix.
Was it a dream? Yes. A vision? Maybe. But timing is everything. Fortunately, with other initiatives lining up, this distributor had the budget to participate in the beta for a CommonSku-Salesforce integration. We aimed for a three-month build-out, but like most ambitious projects, it took nine months. And honestly, in this industry, nine months is an impressive turnaround!
Here’s what we built—the dashboard that every VP of Sales and leadership team would envy:
- Pipeline Dashboard – With a powerful “days since last email” KPI.
- Tasks Dashboard – Integrating ZoomInfo data through HubSpot, it seamlessly assigns tasks.
- Leads Dashboard – Includes metrics like open and click-through conversion rates.
- Closed Dashboard – A handy feature on this dash assigns tasks to reps when accounts receivables are overdue.
- My Team’s Activities by Month – Quickly reveals if any reps are overloaded or falling behind.
- User Adoption Dashboard – Tracks exactly what it says: are we using the new CRM effectively?
We’re only 45 days in, but the ROI is already clear:
- What used to take me 3-5 hours per week in CommonSku now takes less than 15 minutes. The drill-down capabilities allow us to access all relevant data at a glance.
- No more forgotten projects or missed re-order reminders.
- Fewer days outstanding in AR.
- A/B testing for conversion rates through ZoomInfo workflows has become easier and faster.
So, while I may not consider myself a visionary, thanks to a realistic budget and some talented teammates, we turned a dream into reality—and the results are worth celebrating.
Are you a leader at a distributor or a frustrated salesperson interested in learning more? Let’s chat! https://calendly.com/nicolemcnamee
