HubSpot for distributors that flags slipping accounts before the quarter closes
We put your ERP's order history on every account in HubSpot, so outside reps can see who's buying less and call them first. We also run Google ads and show which ones bring in orders.
Free, 30 minutes, and you'll leave with at least one clear next step.
How good accounts go quiet
Sales leaders at distributors describe the same few problems, whatever they sell.
Order history sits where reps can't see it
Reps ask inside sales for a report. A customer who stopped buying a product line goes unnoticed for months.
Quotes go out without a follow-up
The counter and inside sales send quotes all day. Open ones sit in an inbox until the buyer orders from someone else.
Outside reps keep accounts in their heads
When a rep leaves, the relationships and the notes leave too.
Buyers want to reorder without calling
A site that only says "call for price" sends them to a competitor that shows stock and lets them order.
What changes when order history sits next to the account?
Your ERP knows everything about what each customer bought. The people who need that most, the outside reps, usually can't see it. So they plan their week from memory and from whoever called them last.
Once the ERP's order history shows up on each company in HubSpot, reps can check an account before a visit. They see what it buys, how often, and when it last ordered. If order dates sync, HubSpot can create a task for the rep when an account hasn't ordered in a set number of days. You pick the number. That one reminder can mean catching a slipping account in week three instead of at quarter end.
The ERP stays in charge of pricing, inventory and orders. HubSpot shows reps what they need. It also holds what the ERP doesn't, like visit notes, open quotes, contacts at each branch and the follow-up that's due.
How we connect depends on your ERP. A few have ready-made HubSpot connectors. Many distribution systems need a third-party connector or a custom build, and we scope that before we promise anything. For Photon Brothers, a solar installer, we set up HubSpot to send sales orders to its inventory system. That saves about 10 hours of typing a week.
We follow your reorders before we connect anything
A connection only helps if reps can see what they need. So we start with how quotes and reorders really move through your counter, your branches and your reps. You sign off on each step before we build.
Stage 1: Follow recent quotes and reorders
We sit with the counter, inside sales and outside reps and trace a handful of quotes and reorders to the invoice.
We spend time with inside sales, outside reps, the order desk and accounting. We follow a set of quotes and reorders from first call to invoice. We mark each place someone types an order twice, or a reorder slips without warning. You get a map of how orders move today, branch by branch.
You get A map of how quotes and reorders move today, with the gaps marked.
Stage 2: Agree what happens after a quote
Together we decide who follows up on each quote, and who hears when an account stops reordering.
Your sales manager, branch managers, order desk lead and ERP owner agree on the rules. They decide how soon a rep gets reminded about an open quote, and how many days without an order means an account is slipping. They also agree how leads get split across reps and branches, all before anyone changes a system.
You get Written rules for quote follow-up and slipping accounts.
Stage 3: Decide what reps see
We help you decide which records stay in the ERP and which copy over so reps can see them.
We go through accounts, ship-to locations, pricing, stock, orders and order history one at a time. Your ERP owner and sales manager make the calls. Contract pricing and stock usually stay in the ERP. Order history usually copies over, and so can margin by account if you want reps to see it.
You get A list of who owns what, like the one below.
Stage 4: List every field that moves
You approve each field, what triggers it and how often it updates.
We list each field that copies from the ERP, such as last order date, sales by product line and margin by account. For each one we note how often it updates and which way it moves. Your ERP owner and HubSpot admin check it line by line, and you get a fixed scope.
You get A field list and a fixed scope.
Stage 5: Test with live accounts, then train
We test on current accounts and orders, then train inside sales, outside reps and the order desk.
We check the connection against live accounts and orders, including customers with several branches or ship-to locations. After that, inside sales, outside reps and the order desk learn what's different for them. Reps start the first week with numbers they trust.
You get A working connection and reps who use it.
What step 3 looks like at a distributor
Here is where most distributors land. Pricing, stock and orders stay in the ERP. HubSpot gets each account's order history, and margins if you choose, so reps can plan their week. Every distributor's list differs a little, and sorting yours out is part of the work.
Lives in HubSpot
- Leads and buyers at each customer branch
- Open quotes and follow-up dates
- Reasons quotes were lost
- Outside rep visit notes
- Territories and account owners
- Emails and promotions sent to buyers
Shared, synced one way
- New account and ship-to locations ERP to CRM
- Order history and last order date ERP to CRM
- Sales and margin by account ERP to CRM
- Won quote goes to the order desk as a sales order CRM to ERP
Lives in your ERP
- Item master and part numbers
- Contract and customer pricing
- Stock by warehouse
- Orders, shipping and invoices
- Cost and margin
- Credit limits and payments
What we set up for distributors
Accounts with their order history
What each customer bought, how often, when and at what margin, pulled from your ERP onto the company record in HubSpot.
HubSpotQuote follow-up on a schedule
Each open quote gets a reminder for the rep and a short email to the buyer. You see win rates by rep and branch.
Email marketingLeads routed by territory and product line
Web forms and phone leads go to the right rep with a deadline, so nothing waits for someone to forward it.
Google ads for the parts people search for
Search and Shopping campaigns sent to product pages, with each quote request and order we can track tied back to the ad.
Paid adsA review of where quotes and reorders stall
We follow a handful of recent quotes and reorders from request to order and put a dollar cost on each delay.
Friction Point AnalysisHow do you follow up on every quote?
A busy counter can send dozens of quotes a day. Most never get a second touch. The buyer shops the quote around, orders from whoever calls back first, and your team never hears why.
In HubSpot, each quote becomes a deal with an owner, an amount and a date. Two days later, the rep gets a reminder. A few days after that, the buyer gets a short email from the rep asking if they have questions. When the order comes through, the deal closes. When it doesn't, the rep picks a reason, such as price, availability, lead time or no response.
After a quarter, you can see which branches and reps win the most quotes, how fast they follow up and why you lose. Most distributors have never had that view, because the answers were buried in someone's inbox.
Will outside reps actually use HubSpot?
They will if it saves them a phone call. Most outside reps plan their week in the truck, between visits. If finding an account's last order means calling inside sales, they'll skip it and go on memory.
So we set up the HubSpot mobile app around the rep's day. On Monday morning, a rep opens a list of their accounts sorted by how long it's been since each one ordered. Tapping an account shows recent orders, open quotes and the notes from the last visit. After a visit, logging it takes a few taps and one line of notes.
We keep the required fields to a handful. Every extra box a rep has to fill in makes it more likely they'll stop opening the app. Sales managers get what they need from the order data and the quote stages, without asking reps to type it all in.
When a rep leaves, their accounts, contacts and notes stay in HubSpot. The next rep can pick up where they left off instead of starting from scratch.
What to set up first, by what you sell
Industrial MRO and PVF supply. Huge catalogs, repeat buyers and part-number searches. Order history on each account and Google Shopping for parts people search for by name do most of the work.
Electrical and plumbing supply. Contractor accounts, counter sales and quotes tied to jobs. Quote follow-up and each contractor's order history matter most. The same contractor may buy from three supply houses and go with whoever answers first.
Building materials and lumber dealers. You sit between manufacturers and contractors, and one project can bring orders for months. Our page for building product manufacturers shows how projects and specs move through that chain.
Food service and grocery wholesale. Steady weekly or monthly orders. A warning when an account's orders slow down is usually the first thing worth setting up.
The order of work
- 2 to 4 weeks
Review
We follow a handful of recent quotes from request to order and put a cost on each delay. This is the paid initial analysis in our Friction Point Analysis.
- After the review
Build
HubSpot, the ERP connection, account reminders and quote follow-up.
- Once tracking works
Ads
Google Search and Shopping, once tracking reaches the order.
- Ongoing
Monthly support
We run it with you, or train your team and hand it over.
More specific pages
Pick the page closest to your business. Each one covers the problems we see most in that part of distribution.
Distribution questions
Can HubSpot show order history from our ERP?
Yes. Your ERP keeps pricing, stock and orders, and HubSpot shows each account's order history, open quotes and, if you want, margin. If you run NetSuite, HubSpot's marketplace has ready-made connectors. Most distribution ERPs need a third-party connector or a custom connection, and we check yours first.
How do we spot accounts that are buying less?
Send each account's order dates from your ERP into HubSpot. When an account goes longer than normal without ordering, HubSpot creates a task for its rep. Reps get a short list of who to call each week.
Will our outside reps actually use it?
Yes, if it saves them time. We set up the HubSpot mobile app with each rep's accounts, recent orders and open quotes, and keep data entry to a few fields.
Do we still need reps if buyers can order online?
Yes, for the accounts that need advice. Many buyers would rather reorder routine items online. That frees your reps for the accounts where a conversation changes the order.
Should we show prices on our website?
Many distributors show stock and list price on common items and keep contract pricing behind a login. Hiding everything sends buyers to whoever shows it.
Should a distributor run Google ads or LinkedIn ads?
Start with Google, because buyers search for part numbers, brands and product types. LinkedIn helps when you're opening new accounts in a territory.
How long does a HubSpot rollout take for a distributor?
Setting up HubSpot for one sales team can take a few weeks. The ERP connection and the state of your customer data decide most of the timeline. You get a schedule in the written scope.
Related
Other industries we work with
Bring last quarter's account list
We'll show you what HubSpot would have flagged, and which accounts we'd look at first.