How many leads does the sales team turn into opportunities? What’s the status of projects in the production process? How many (and which) jobs are closed out?
Many managers are so consumed by daily tasks that they bypass the big picture of the sales and production cycle. And, for lengthy jobs that require months to complete, there’s greater chance of losing track of time – and money.
At Southern Scape in Alabama, using software has changed the way managers understand and react to information. “It helps us make on-the-fly adjustments,” says Denny Langston, general manager and partner.
For example, while installing a major landscape package at a commercial site, he reviewed tracked data and noticed labor overages, specifically with tree installation.
“There were hundreds of 2.5-inch caliper trees we were putting in and it was taking us, for whatever reason, too long compared to the estimate,” Langston says.
So, Langston reviewed the numbers with the production manager. “We made the decision to invest in an auger and start auguring instead of hand-digging holes to get our labor hours back in line,” he says.
Mid-project adjustments like this can make the difference between profit and loss.
Langston says Southern Scape opted for this technology when its consulting group introduced the platform. What’s attractive is how the program follows the company’s sales and production from beginning to end.
“Our process flows through this one integrated system,” Langston says.
Leads are inputted, along with all of their contact information. Once that lead progresses to an opportunity, the sales team tracks this and notes once that opportunity is qualified. “We figure out what the prospects’ needs are and how we can meet those and eventually (the lead) goes to a proposal stage,” he says.
A pricing tool helps with estimating, which is performed by an estimator who enters the “flow” at this point and inputs the scope of work and every step that must occur for the project to reach completion.
Projects move from account managers to project managers, who continue to use the system for tracking progress until the final walkthrough. “I can see what’s going on at any time and it’s real-time information,” Langston says.
Langston doesn’t want to micromanage his people. But he can stay involved by having the information and redirecting teams if and when necessary.