Source: Digital Future Mag

For many companies, the road to the sales force of the future still seems to be quite long. Company vehicles are still being ordered for the sales force and appointments are still being made on site. The coronavirus pandemic has further increased the challenge for sales employees. Customers now expect quotes in just a few minutes and at least a few days for complex projects. It is therefore extremely important to streamline the quotation process and present complex products transparently. SAE Applications for Digitalization GmbH, based in Weng, has focused precisely on these goals and has been an internationally successful and independent software manufacturer for almost 20 years. Its applications ensure the sales success of companies and are used by innovative SMEs and global players in over 70 countries. In this interview with SAE Sales Director Susanne Henkel, we talk about 3D showrooms, product finders on homepages, quotation software with integrated product configurators, automatic price calculation and parts list generation. Or in short: about the digital sales of the future.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: It was said some time ago that everything that can become digital will also become digital. Will personal sales disappear completely as a result?

Susanne Henkel: No, this component will certainly always remain. But probably to a much lesser extent than is the case today. There was also a recent study by Ernst & Young that showed that customers still want to speak to sales staff before placing an order for a new purchase. At the same time, they also want to be able to place repeat orders or order spare parts directly and digitally. They want to be able to put together products and solutions themselves in the initial phases of the quotation process and request a quotation easily. Companies should not forget that interested parties and customers are very familiar with the products and functions and know their own requirements for the solution precisely. The trends from B2C and the upcoming generations Y & Z are also shaping B2B sales. In the future, companies that focus on digital sales with the latest technology will be disproportionately successful.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: There will always be products that require explanation. Your software is used in almost all sectors: Mechanical, plant and vehicle engineering, medical technology, electrical, glass and plastics industries as well as services for insurance companies or even IT services. Sounds like a solution that covers all needs. But what can it not do and what is its unique advantage?

Susanne Henkel: She can’t iron… (laughs). No, really – there’s actually nothing missing in terms of functionality. We have incorporated the experience of the past two decades into our new generation of software. When designing the architecture, we made sure that the system can be operated independently, but can also communicate bidirectionally with all ERP, PLM, PIM, CAD and CRM systems. The usability is enormous, not only for the direct users (customers or sales staff), but also for the admin team that maintains the configuration, images, texts, prices and 3D models.

With our software, we generate more leads for our customers, guarantee accurate, fast quotations and automatically generate technical parts lists for production. Our customers achieve end-to-end support across all relevant business processes, secure their technical expertise, support dealers and sales teams worldwide and also inspire their target groups.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: In particular, your software also generates leads on your customers’ websites, which are generated directly via the Product/Solution Finder. How can we imagine that?

Susanne Henkel: Today, most providers of complex products have a lot of text, model information as PDF files or tables on their homepage. The problem is that prospective customers can’t imagine anything under the often not self-explanatory product names and therefore “basically” have to search through everything. Only with a lot of luck “and know-how” will they find a product that is suitable for their purposes. However, fewer and fewer potential buyers are prepared to wade through the flood of information and in many cases leave the website frustrated, assuming that the provider does not offer the solution they are looking for.

To avoid this, we recommend using a product finder or solution advisor on the website. You can imagine it like this: Interested parties are asked very simple questions about their requirements and ideas on the website right at the start, which they can answer with just a few clicks. In the background is the SAE configuration engine, which uses the answers entered to find the right product series and gives them a product recommendation at the end. It then says “…we recommend product series XY for your requirements…”. Interested parties can then view further data on the appropriate product series, pre-configure the product, send an inquiry to the sales department or even jump into the 3D showroom to experience it visually. The result is that they have the feeling that they are with the right provider, are quickly provided with the right information and immediately identify with the products and the (corporate) brand. Just as importantly, the creation of the Product Finder requires minimal internal effort. The logic of the Product Finder is based on the configuration from Sales – so no data silos, but One Single Source of Truth.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: For complex products, SAE offers the option of using 3D showrooms – a kind of virtual product exhibition. What effort do your customers have to make to be able to present their products to interested parties in good quality?

Susanne Henkel: According to the principle of “what you see is what you get”, our customers have the opportunity to operate a virtual showroom on their website that presents their product portfolio in three dimensions. To do this, existing CAD data for the products is converted in the SAE application to make it web-enabled and “brought to life” with standardized functions. The app makes it possible to experience the products directly in 3D on the website. For example, the doors of a system can be opened or the movements of a robot can be tried out. You can also configure it immediately in 3D. When developing the technology, we always had the competitive advantage for our customers in mind. That the sales department can demonstrate the innovative products more attractively and offer them more effectively than the competition. In the meantime, our customers have told us that there is another major benefit – the sales team, which usually operates worldwide, uses it to train itself. New functions, options and processes can be easily viewed and understood in the 3D model. So three birds with one stone: 1) the product finder online for potential buyers and customers to generate leads, 2) 3D integrated into the quotation management system or CPQ system as an ingenious competitive advantage and 3) for training globally active sales staff and dealers. Creation is also kept super simple here. Our customers are provided with intuitive and efficient features so that they can complete to-dos themselves – without any external help or special know-how. Incidentally, we received the US patent for this application this year.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Congratulations! Calculating prices for complex and customer-specific projects is often difficult and time-consuming. How can customers shorten this process with your system?

Susanne Henkel: In our CPQ system, the calculation is linked to the configurator. This means that pricing is already active and can be displayed during the configuration process. Our customers can choose whether they want to use existing calculation schemes from their ERP or define them themselves in the SAE solution. Everything is possible – from the HK calculation with individual material prices to functional or variant prices. The quotation print document can be generated in any language with a further click and sent to interested parties. The system guarantees fast throughput times and correct quotations without manual intermediate steps. It avoids errors and reduces the workload of the sales, order processing and production teams. Of course, discount limits can also be stored in the system, workflows for special customer inquiries can be defined and quotation versions can be implemented.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: What criteria should be met when managing directors have to make the final decision on new sales software?

Susanne Henkel: The software must be designed in such a way that it can communicate with relevant and existing applications so that existing data can be used sustainably and does not have to be entered again. NO more data silos! It is also very important that the application is easy and intuitive to use for both sales users and administrators. And, of course, the sales software must be web-enabled and flexible in its operating mode. With SAE, customers can decide for themselves whether they are responsible for the solution in their IT or whether SAE should take care of the provision or hosting. Very important: for some sectors, an additional offline client is an absolute guarantee of success. This enables sales staff to configure their products, create a quote and provide their prospective customers or users with high-quality advice – even in 3D – anytime and anywhere, even without an internet connection!

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Let’s talk about the sales of the future. Describe your vision that you would like to have realized in 5-8 years.

Susanne Henkel: Our software is constantly being expanded to include functions that increase usability and benefits. We also attach great importance to feedback from our customers and collect their suggestions and ideas. For example, our latest release now offers a comprehensive analysis and evaluation function. Our clients can use it to evaluate all offers and configurations created. This makes it possible to quickly and efficiently determine, for example, what the tops and flops in the product portfolio are that are selling very well or almost not at all.

I can say without a guilty conscience that we are already well ahead of the times with our application and platform. That’s why we are already looking at the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) in our software. I’m sure many people still think that this is just crazy talk. However, I am sure that in five years’ time we will be able to support administrators even better with this innovative extension. Among other things, the system learns on the basis of generated offers with assigned discounts and country-specific configurations. It can therefore make recommendations to users regarding price adjustments or market conditions, for example. For my taste, the term “artificial intelligence” is often over-hyped and therefore seems unrealistic to some. If we are honest, we are “only” talking about intelligent algorithms which, when added in the right place, will create enormous added value.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: That certainly whets the appetite for more! Thank you very much for this pleasant conversation and the illuminating insights into sales innovations.

The interview was conducted by Michael Mattis, editor of DIGITAL FUTUREmag.