Alan Lee

Smooth Selling Forever

For over twenty-five years, I have helped organizations effectively use technology to reach their sales and marketing goals.

Building on a strong and successful background in technology systems, I help companies see how the right systems, tools, and processes give a sales department the focus and data needed to sell more, forecast more accurately, and build a stronger sales team. I help automate the mundane so your people can focus on what they do best – sell!

I really like the space where technology, systems, applications, customer service, and sales meet.

However, data, tools, and processes are only good if people use them.  So, I evaluate my clients’ needs, recommend and customize the right technology solutions, and then train sales managers and their team, empowering them to grow the business faster and more efficiently.

In order for your company to enjoy Smooth Selling Forever, I firmly believe that you need three things – a robust strategy, the right people trained to offer their best, and a system to automate the mundane tasks allowing your salespeople to focus on selling and your managers to create a strong, successful team.  My unique expertise and experience in implementing technology systems is the third arm in this Smooth Selling Forever model.

How did I get here? As a systems engineer for Data General (a Fortune 100 company), I started out programming minicomputers and doing presales sales support. I then moved into sales, earning the “top sales” recognition award, a distinction that I received again at VMX, the inventors of voice mail. The main use of voice mail at the time was automation for large salesforces; it allowed them to communicate and respond much faster. I became a sales manager with sales reps covering half the U.S. and all of Canada.

After an IPO at VMX, I founded E Tech Systems in 1988 to specialize in automating sales forces.  I’ve helped thousands of organizations improve their sales and marketing, as well as migrate data from one CRM system to another as they grow.

I am currently a Salesforce, Zoho, and Act! certified consultant. I am also the leader of the Salesforce Chicago Partner User Group, a founding member of the Chicago Computer Society and the Complete CRM Solution.

The valuable experience I bring to my clients is that I’m not just a technology guy, I’m a sales guy. I’ve walked in your shoes. I know what is needed, what works, and how best to change behavior for positive outcomes.

How I have helped my clients:

• Increased sales at WTTW, a large local public television station. Like many organizations, this station relied primarily on an outside salesforce to sell sponsorships and were challenged with a high turnover rate. If salespeople left the company, sales management did not know which prospects had been contacted and how to best follow up. I provided a CRM system to organize the sales reps daily call scheduling and reporting. This made it easier to sell sponsorships, so the reps embraced the new system. Management had a centralized database that was up-to-date and that made it easy for new people to jump in and get productive much faster.

• Provided the ability to track and forecast sales to make strategic decisions. United Gasket Corporation’s outside salesforce calls on manufacturers around the U.S. The sales cycle is long and salespeople need to get in the door early to help identify opportunities and drive specifications. They need technical information at their fingertips while traveling, to answer customer questions, record specifications, and create quotes. They also needed to forecast future sales. After implementing a technology solution, the company was able to provide monthly sales forecasts for the Board of Directors giving them a snapshot of sales potential at any point in time. Sales managers and sales reps automatically now get their updated sales forecast delivered every Monday morning by email.

• Allowed sales people to double their sales. K40 Electronics designs and manufactures high-end radar detectors that they sell directly to car dealerships and auto accessory shops nationwide. Their inside sales team needed a CRM system to track and follow up with thousands of dealers to boost sales. However, they also needed a custom application that included order processing. I tweaked and integrated a CRM system with their existing ERP platform. That allowed the company’s inside sales team to offer better customer service by taking orders and accessing a customer’s purchasing history all in one place. While the sales reps did not get access to the ERP system, they were thrilled because I designed the system to be as easy to use as possible. Some reps doubled their sales by following up with the right people at the right time with the right product recommendations.

I have a lot more of these stories to share, but I’d rather talk with you about the challenges your business is facing. Give me a call today to start the conversation about how technology could enhance and empower your sales team for better results:
1-847-960-3914.

If you want to learn more about past experience, my credentials and professional accomplishments, check out my LinkedIn page – linkedin.com/in/alanmlee