Workbook®

Catalogues Redefined

Considering a digital sales tool?

Workbook®

Ready to take the next step towards deploying a digital sales tool?

Consider the following questions:

• Do you have a clear need within your business for a digital sales tool?• What is compelling you to take action?• Have you defined the decision criteria against which you will make

your selection?• Are all stakeholders aligned?• Are the decision-makers on board?

Selecting a digital sales tool that is right for your organisation can be straightforward – once you know what you are looking to achieve.

Workbook®

Catalogues Redefined

Workbook®

Do you have a clear need in your business for a digital sales tool?

There are many reasons why a digital sales tool makes sense:

• Support sales and business strategies• Segment your products and market offer• Deliver professional sales presentations• Promote brand and marketing stories• Facilitate assortment planning• To deliver a more personalised experience for buyers• To plan and present a customised range to buyers• Convert pre-season assortments to firm orders• Capture repeat and new orders in-season• Maintain accurate and up to date content as the season progresses• Less reliance on printed materials and reducing costs of distribution

Which reasons are important to you?

Workbook®

Catalogues Redefined

Workbook®

What is compelling you to take action?

Is there a ‘trigger’ that means the time is right to move forward?

• New go-to-market strategy• Refreshed approaches to supporting your sales force• Seasonal product launches• Opening up new routes to market• Channel expansion plans• A driver to create value• Advancing digitally connected product and services

What is the pivotal driver to take action? Often businesses have several reasons for moving towards a digital sales tool. Understanding the main ‘trigger’ will help form the criteria for selecting the right tool for your business.

Workbook®

Catalogues Redefined

Workbook®

Defining the decision criteria you will use to make your selection

Digital sales tools come in many shapes and sizes. Be clear about the key decision criteria when reviewing a solution. What factors are the most important:

• Is the need for an online solution, or one with offline capability?• Is this something that will be used internally or shared with customers?• Are you looking for a list of products to take orders, or a

presentational approach?• Do you want to include order capture or a stock position?• Is the ease of deployment important?• Are you looking to eliminate print?• What computing devices do you want to use? Computer/tablet• The kind of relationship you want to have with the vendor?

Having clearly defined criteria that supports the business need and recognises the trigger for action, will ensure that the vendor selection process is focused on the best possible outcome.

Workbook®

Catalogues Redefined

Workbook®

Are all stakeholders aligned?

Organisation-wide consultation often produces differing opinions:

• Marketing team want to focus on their stories being told successfully• Sales team is looking for ways to be more effective and save time• IT are keen to ensure that the solution fits within the current digital eco-system• Product Managers hold the key to quality product information and

tech stories• Concerns across all functions that deployment will add an increased

burden on already busy people and departments

Be prepared to consult across functions, knowing that the pre-define decision criteria can be used to measure the suitability of the proposed solution.

Workbook®

Catalogues Redefined

Workbook®

Workbook®

Catalogues Redefined

Who ‘owns’ the project? Are all the decision-makers on board?

Typically, initial investigation into a digital sales tool sits with the trade marketing team. But who gives it life?

• IT team• Marketing• Sales • Operations• Finance• People who sit outside of the immediate sphere of influence?

A solution can only be successfully deployed if everyone involved is on-board. Sales Managers have to be convinced their teams will benefit; IT teams need to be comfortable about the impact on their workloads. Marketing need to know that the assets can be gathered together within the timeframe. One team needs to take the lead, and be sure that the decision-makers and influencers are all aligned.

Workbook®

Workbook®

Catalogues Redefined

No two digital sales tools are alike – So how will you find the right solution for your business?

We recommend you put together a brief document identifying:

• A clear statement of the business need• An explanation of your Go To Market organisation• Your target user base for the sales tool• Your current sales process – both sell-in and sell-through• Typical seasonal spread for your brand(s)• Reasons for adopting a digital sell-in tool• Expected outcomes of the project• Expected features of the digital sales tool• Use case examples• Potential integration required with other systems• Other requirements – online/offline, devices to be used, support• Project scope and timeline• Next steps for vendors

Workbook®

Workbook®

Catalogues Redefined

Know the digital ecosystem

Understand your software and systems ecosystem and don’t expect to find one solution to do it all.

It’s not possible to use a single app or platform to handle every business requirement.

You need more than one software solution that can be integrated and connected together.

Workbook®

Workbook®

Catalogues Redefined

Next steps

Whilst working on your brief, we recommend a ‘no obligation’ online demonstrationof the aWorkbook app to give you a flavourof how we could meet your needs.

It’s quick and easy to arrange – just emailinfo@aworkbook.com or call us on+44 1460 279744 to arrange a time.

Alternatively look at the aWorkbook video overview and customer reviews on our web site and YouTube channel.

Workbook®

Workbook®

Catalogues Redefined

Some of our clients

“We know your pain, we recognise your challenges and we deliver on the promise to sell more and save time.“

The aWorkbook Go To Market Software has been designed and built by the team at Hark. It is built from a powerful combination of our expertise in creative digital media, software solutions and the knowledge and experience shared by our customers. aWorkbook delivers a unique set of features and functions that truly work hard for the businesses and the people who use it.