Lantmännen Maskin AB is the leading supplier of agricultural machines in Sweden. The company has a turnover of € 430 million and has approximately 900 employees in about 50 cities.
Since years ago Lantmännen uses the web based sales system Proconsa Application Suite from EDB Proconsa. The goal was to establish a more efficient quotation/order process with dramatically increased accuracy and better sales margins.
The Challenge
The price competition within the business of agricultural machines is tough today, which puts heavy demands on the supplier to offer unique knowledge and customer service in combination with the right accessories. Lantmännen therefore chooses to sell complete user function instead of just selling the product. It is not the product being important but what the product does. The standard products have disappeared more and more, today the machines are customized according to the customer demands. “This demands a system that keeps track of all the information and all the choices and combinations when producing a customer specific offer.” says Ingel Torén, Administrative manager at Lantmännen.
The salespeople of Lantmännen sell hundreds of machine models from a large amount of suppliers. The company handles both sales of new objects and sales of trade-in objects. This puts high demands on availability of product-, price- and stock information as well as on the possibility to configure products from the pre-requisites of the customer. The factors being extra important for Lantmännen when choosing a sales system was:
- Scalable platform
- Storing of data in one location
- Cost effective way of work
- All sales people have access to the same product information in real time
- High degree of decision support. All data stored in one system
- High user friendliness such as quotations, orders, stock status etc.
- Better correspondence between pre- and post calculation
- Control over margins
- Registering of customer history
- Analysis and follow up
Solution
Lantmännen uses the Proconsa Application Suite for handling quotations and product configuration and also for valuation of used objects and stock keeping of new and used objects.
All users have access to the same information in real time and they always know that i.e. prices, products and the stock situation are always updated. Completed quotations may be presented quickly.
The system and the data are stored on one server location and will be maintained there, no maintenance takes place on local machines. This is a very safe and solid way to manage the operation of the system.
Configuration
A salesperson may quickly configure products together with the customer and get all the valid costs on the quotation. It is possible to start the configuration process with a needs analysis, where you go through the customers pre-requi-sites and thereby facilitate the choice of products. The customer history is available and the sales person has the possibility to show good knowledge about the customers’ operations and needs.
With information about trade-in valuations and financing. During the configuration process the sales person may keep track of how discounts and costs effects the margins.
Valuation of trade-in objects and stock handling of new and used objects
The sales person easily makes a valuation of the customers’ trade-in objects according to a pre-defined valuation structure specific to each product type. Stock information is available in the system and the sales person may easily inform himself of new and used objects in stock and the prices of the same. As soon as the quotation becomes an order, the trade-in objects may be published on internal and public web sites automatically and are ready to be sold again.
Result
- All data in one location
- Maintenance in one location – lower cost for maintenance
- All sales people have access to the same product information in real time
- Access to stock information for used and new objects in real time
- Fast valuation of trade-in objects
- Fast generate complete proposal
- Fast and easy configuration of complex products and offers
- Sales people get more time for customer care
- More professional handing of the customer
- Less gap between pre- and after calculation
- Good possibility to analysis and follow-ups –faster adoption to the changes in market
- Orderliness on information and proposals
“We already see an extension of the use of ProSales in the publication of information through internet, so that our customers may configure products on their own.”, Ingel Torén, Administrative Manager Lantmännen Maskin AB
