PIP Printing and Marketing Services is a locally owned family business that has been providing central Illinois with its printing and direct marketing needs for over 30 years. PIP has become an industry leader through innovative and proactive adoption of the latest in printing, digital, and marketing services technology. Shane Parker, Managing Partner, describes PIP as "not your average run of the mill quick printer. You won't find us in a strip mall."

Seven years ago PIP decided it needed a new system to help its sales team of seven match its printing capabilities. After trying multiple CRMs, Salesnet was chosen for its ease of use, flexibility, and its low cost. With the help of Salesnet CRM, PIP has been ranked in the top 100 quick printers by Quick Printing Magazine for the past five years.

Salesnet CRM Helps Find Real Answers to Complex Problems

One of the problems in running a small business is delegating tasks to your team. As Managing Partner of PIP Printing & Direct Marketing, Shane Parker describes himself as a man of many hats. In the matter of a day Parker can find himself in the role of marketing, accounts payable, or HR. It soon became apparent that he was spending too much time as Sales Manger as well.

Before Salesnet, Parker would have to sit down and discuss sales with each member of his team for 30 minutes to an hour each day. With Salesnet, PIP was able to streamline and track their sales and delivery cycle. This allowed Parker to be able to view each sales member's progress and allowed him to talk to each member, as he needed to. Not only did this save him time for other duties, but it saved him money that he would have spent hiring a Sales Manager.

"Salesnet has allowed me not to have to hire a Sales Manager which would be an expensive proposition, especially now [referring to the recession]," said Parker, "I've been able to do this because I have this tool [Salesnet]. With a staff our size you would normally need a sales manager, but with Salesnet we've been able to get by without that."

Salesnet Goes Beyond Problem Solving

Not only has PIP weathered through a recession, but it has continued to grow using Salesnet. Parker was able to get his sales team to adopt their own customized sales process that helps guide and prioritize their sales. Knowing when to act on a sale helped expedite the process for his team. Soon the sales team was able to hit sales goals faster, and in turn shorten their sales cycle.

Not only would PIP be able to hit goals faster, but they would be able to forecast the future of a sale. By knowing at which point each member of his workforce is at, Parker is able to help move deals along. Through the use of Salesnet PIP Printing & Direct Marketing was able to get a solid sales base in which to launch an increase of business.

Tools to Prosper

When Parker was asked what Salesnet brought to his business he said, "the main thing is getting a solid base up front and that's the sales process. The sales process capability was even more valuable than I thought."

He went on to further say "It seems like everyone else [without Salesnet] has worked twice as hard for half as much. You have to have so many balls in the air, and have so many more opportunities open and when you're trying to manage that without the proper tool you're not going to be able to follow up or act in a timely manner."