A Sales Force Automation Software works on an entirely different strategy. Analyzing the sales process of each company, it seeks to digitize and automate many steps that are done manually to improve efficiency and increase sales revenue. Sales force automation solutions address challenges around sales workflows like getting retail intelligence from the field, improving the performance of your sales team, maximizing the width and depth of retail distribution as well as building better relationships with distribution channel partners. The main point to note is that SFA and CRM are platforms with different sets of features.
So what does an SFA offer that a CRM usually doesn’t?
In a retail landscape where traditional or Kirana retail commands 90% of all FMCG business, having a sales force automation tool is imperative specially for CPG companies.
- There is a mountain of data that gets generated from thousands of outlets every day. An SFA can capture and validate all that data, and generate powerful analytics that can help companies offer their customers the right products on the right shelves at the right time.
- For every individual outlet, an SFA can offer intuitive order booking based on that outlet’s historical data such as SKU wise sales, and sales orders for the past 10 visits.
- The salesman can see all applicable schemes and promotions on his smartphone app which he can inform the retailers about and possibly make higher sales. You can run geography-wise or outlet category-wise tor channel type schemes to get better tertiary offtake.
- The mid-managers can view real-time MTD sales in the field, and get an eagle’s eye view of how every geography, team, or product category is performing.
- The salesperson gets to see his targets, how much he has achieved, and the distance and time left to achieve his goals. Using gamification and contests within the SFA can entice the team with monetary rewards and boost productivity while also giving them social recognition and accolades.
Read More: How to Efficiently Manage Sales Territories in Retail Business?
Overall, in SFA Vs CRM, an SFA makes sure that the business is doing everything it can to increase its profits with effective sales force management. The primary benefit of SFA solutions is the substantial increase in sales force productivity.
Sales Force Automation done right!
So if you are looking to improve your sales, you need to be very careful what type of solution you are buying between SFA Vs CRM. Several companies sell CRM and SFA solutions with similar names and features that can confuse the consumer. At that point, it is best to talk to the technology partner and ask for detailed features of each solution.
Carefully analyze the needs of your company and acquire the platform that best suits your reality. You may notice that you need an SFA with some CRM functions or that you may need both platforms but for different purposes. But if it’s a sales improvement you are looking for, we can help you find the best solution for your business. Reach us.
