CRM Integration Added to SalesDoc Architect
We are pleased to announce the availability of software that enables you to pull data from almost any CRM or contact management solution and push it into SalesDoc Architect™. This not only includes contact information, but can also include other data that can be used by SalesDoc Architect to drive solution configurations, pricing and proposal content (see also our article on this topic).
As long as your CRM or contact management solution can merge data into a Microsoft Word document, the new Word2SalesDoc Architect integration can grab that data and push it into SalesDoc Architect. Moreover, you can push that data into any named range of any configuration tab within SalesDoc Architect, and SalesDoc Architect will automatically bring the required target tabs into your SalesDoc Architect file.
The most obvious benefit of the Word2SalesDoc Architect integration is that it eliminates the need to re-type contact information into SalesDoc Architect, saving you time and reducing typing errors.
The more revolutionary benefit is that you can use this data to drive your configurations, proposal content and statement of work content based on rules that you set up within SalesDoc Architect. As mentioned in “The Benefits of Driving Proposals from Your CRM Solution” on the Productivity Edge, you can drive configurations, pricing and proposal/SOW content based on data such as vertical market (e.g., hospitality, financial services, etc.) that is stored in your CRM or contact management solution.
To install the Word2SalesDoc Architect integration, simply open up SalesDoc Architect; it will place the Word2SalesDoc Architect software in the appropriate location on your hard drive. Next, add the “Open SalesDoc Architect” button to the Microsoft Word toolbar by opening Word and clicking Tools, Macro, Macros, then “AddWord2PQButton” (in Word 2007, click the Developer tab, then Macros, then “AddWord2PQButton”).
Next, you’ll need to set up the Word merge document that your CRM or contact management system will merge into. I’d recommend that your SalesDoc Architect administrator create this document and place it in your CRM system or distribute it to all users. You can create this merge document by creating a table in Microsoft Word with the following columns (in the following order):
- SalesDoc Architect Range Name, which is the name of the Excel range into which the data should be pushed.
- SalesDoc Architect Tab Name, which is the name of the SalesDoc Architect tab or product/service configuration tab on which the above-mentioned range name resides. You should use the main name of the tab; there’s no need to add the “.XLS” extension.
- Merge Field(s), which are the merge fields used by your CRM or contact management system. You can put one or more fields in each box in the table, or even hard-code data that you wish to push to SalesDoc Architect.
- Type, which is the type of data. Usually, you can leave this blank. Currently, the only options are blank or “Text”, which is used for numeric fields that you want to treat like text (e.g., you want “00130” to be pushed to SalesDoc Architect as “00130”, not “130”).
Once you’ve set up this document, you’ll need to place the merge fields from your CRM or contact management solution into the “Merge Field(s)” column. The process for inserting the merge fields into the Word doc varies depending on your specific CRM or contact management solution.
You can download a sample of this merge document containing common contact information fields and complete it by filling in the “Merge Field(s)” column.
To use Word2Excel, generate the Word merge document for a contact in your CRM or contact management system, then click the “Open SalesDoc Architect” button (found on the Add-Ins tab in Office 2007) to push the information into SalesDoc Architect. That’s it!
What’s the cost of this new software? If you’re a SalesDoc Architect Pro subscriber, NOTHING! And it doesn’t take an army of consultants to implement it. Start with the basic contact information; you’ll save time and reduce keying errors. Later, you can push more information out of your CRM or contact management solution and into SalesDoc Architect, enabling SalesDoc Architect to act on that data and drive solution configurations and pricing, as well as the proposal and statement of work content that is generated.