Sales CRM Case Study
Brint Electric - Responsiveness is Key to the Relationship
Like a lot of companies, Toledo, Ohio-based Brint Electric has an amalgam of salespeople working to sell the family-owned company’s mix of commercial and industrial electrical services as well as its cutting-edge green energy solutions. The company has a number of salaried employees as well as salespeople around the country who work as contractors and specialize in particular projects or technologies, like LED lighting.
Streamlining and supporting the efforts of all of the company’s salespeople was one reason why Brint began investigating customer relationship management options about four years ago.
Ken Johnson, sales and marketing manager for Brint Electric and general manager of Green Universal Solutions Company (GUSCO), a wholly owned subsidiary of Brint, was also eager to tap CRM system features like an automatic marketing platform and tracking functions that ensure that phone calls are logged as contacts within C2CRM. But perhaps more than anything, Johnson wanted to work with a CRM provider that was responsive to any needs that came up. Which is why Brint chose to go with Clear C2’s CRM over other options.
“[C2CRM] was an easier way for people to run their sales cycles, even though they’re not necessarily on the corporate network. ClearC2’s support staff is second to none in my opinion. If I need something, they’ll get to it and they don’t nickel and dime me to death.”
Ken Johnson, Sales & Marketing Manager
Customer Service as a Differentiator
For Johnson, good service is a mix of foundational and personal elements. According to Johnson, the groundwork for good service is a single annual maintenance agreement that covers everything. The personal portion comes from how quickly Clear C2 staff step up when he has a specific request.
“If I get a new marketing person who is going to take care of the marketing piece or platform, [Clear C2] have no qualms going through and retraining somebody that needs it,” Johnson says.
He also appreciates that Clear C2’s support staff is stable and unchanging enough that he knows many of them by name. “Companies that have a lot of turnover are usually companies that really aren’t good to work for and they have problems.”
Keeping the sales team organized and working
As much as good service is critical, the actual implementation and use of a CRM is what ultimately makes a difference to companies. In that regard, Brint Electric has benefited from email marketing campaigns to generate and close business. This has allowed Brint’s sales team to quickly access information about target markets, like the hundreds of school districts in the state of Michigan.
“It definitely has increased our business,” says Johnson. “It keeps us more organized and helps us quickly look up information on customers.”
Another big benefit Brint has realized from its use of Clear C2’s CRM is the automted discipline it can create for sales reps. For instance, Johnson says the calendar setup function helps reps stay organized and reaching out to prospects on a regular basis.
“If you have a rep that’s really good at making calls or cold calling, he’ll set those up and continue to generate it,” says Johnson. “Having a new sales rep and using this system, I can take him from having zero prospects to $3 million dollars in prospects within a year’s time frame.”
Still, while Johnson has been very happy with the Clear C2’s CRM he has been surprised by one thing, “All the functionality you get for the cost was a surprise to me.”
