How to run a more profitable promotional products business

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Frozen. Speechless. Defeated.

That’s exactly how we felt at RIGHTSLEEVE the day our entire collection of open order paperwork scattered across the office. The year was 2006.

File folders filled with sales orders mixed with production orders. Proofs got jumbled with tracking numbers.  Excel was overheating with order dates. Communication was breaking down between sales people and production people. We were triple entering across Excel, Word, PowerPoint, ESP/SAGE, and Quickbooks. It was an intertwined chaos of cardstock and paper. Poof. Insta-mess.

That was the day we decided to build a software system to run our promotional products business. And this was the system that became commonsku.

We know the pain. We understand the challenges of our industry just like you do. After almost 20 years spent running a promotional products distributorship, we should.

We’ve watched turnaround times shrink. We’ve seen how knowledge, and sometimes orders, walk away when a sales rep leaves. We’ve groaned when orders slipped through the cracks because of an email black hole. That’s why we decided to create software that helps you do your job better. And, boy do we  high-five when our clients post comments like this on our newsfeed.

commonsku is the best system for CRM/Order management of promotional products, hands down WITHOUT a doubt. I have calculated, that on a fairly busy week quoting and presenting items, I am saving nearly 10 hours off my weekly work load.

How commonku software improves your profitability

Your work flow is more streamlined than a Volkswagen XL-1

You can see your presentations, estimates, sales orders, purchase orders and invoices all in one flow. And, here’s the kicker, you can convert those forms from one into the next with a single click. Not only does this flow reduce the mistakes that come with having to re-enter information it also saves times. Plus if someone is on vacation (or leaves the company) you can pick-up exactly where they left off.

It’s incredibly easy to copy information across the software

For example, you can create a great a presentation then send it out to multiple clients. Or, if a presentation is converting business well, you can share it with other employees. They can send it to their clients and book some additional business. Copying turns repeat orders into a dream. Make one click and the old order turns into a new order. Send it to the client for approval and you’re 90%-percent done after about 5 minutes worth of work.

You’ll always know what’s going on with the bottom line

Slick reporting tools make it easy to check up on your pipeline. And, there’s another game-changer that distributors love even more: you can manage your PO’s in one place with a production report. Anyone can check on their orders at any time.You can sort the report by the information that’s most relevant to you. For example, you can see what should be shipping today or pull up the orders currently placed with a particular supplier. As a nice bonus, your orders will never get lost, or scatterd across the office, again.

Let’s review

7 ways commonsku makes your promotional products business more profitable

1. Streamlined workflow – Built by someone who understands how you work
2. Fewer mistakes – Not having to re-key data means fewer mistakes
3. Time Savings – One-click conversion all along the sales cycle
4. Scalability – Create something once and share it with multiple people
5. Organization – Never lose orders or information again
6. Transparency – See exactly what’s going on as soon as it happens
7. Flexibility – Look at the information that matter most to you

Want to discuss? Reach out to us in commonsku.

To learn more about how commonsku can make your promotional products business more profitable…

commonsku is software specifically designed for the promotional products industry. It's a CRM, Order Management, and eCommerce platform wrapped up in one sophisticated hub. With software that intuitively connects distributors and suppliers, commonsku is like a breath of fresh air for your team. Learn more at commonsku.com

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