New CRM Advisory Group for Wholesale Distribution and Manufacturing
Industrial CRM Advisory Group Advances CRM in the Wholesale Distribution and Manufacturing Industry
The board of directors of the professional CRM group, formerly known as Tour de Force User Group, announces the rebrand of the nationwide membership organization. The new brand, Industrial CRM Advisory Group (ICAG), will carry on a tradition of being a relevant force in the sales and marketing communities within industrial manufacturing and distribution by providing professional peer-to-peer networking and educational resources. Now extending the professional network to companies and contacts no matter which CRM platform is in use. Members and partners of the group share business practices and experiences related to CRM that have real-life applications in the industry.
Most CRM projects fail due to a lack of process and adoption. Companies that see CRM as solely technology and not a strategy for increasing customer experience and improving the sales and marketing processes are likely to fail.
“We believe customer relationship management is essential in this fast-paced and customer-focused industry and that having a network of professionals to educate one another and share challenges and solutions proves to have a positive impact on CRM success,” said Dave Hajciar, Board President and Operations Manager at Morrell Group, distributor of advanced motion controls, based in Auburn Hills Michigan.
How the Advisory Group Started
The organization started over 13 years ago as a user group for a single brand CRM application called Tour de Force, a popular CRM platform for distributors. When a venture capital company acquired the CRM platform in 2018, members considered moving away from the platform while relying on the professional network to provide insights for their change. The board of directors realized the opportunity to transform the association into one that is impartial to any specific brand of CRM. In late 2020 the group made the official transition.
Since its conception, the group has provided members with resources, information, and knowledge to grow their businesses utilizing best practices and learning from real life-applications of CRM. Sales and marketing professionals have advanced their knowledge and abilities to strategize utilizing CRM.
The newly branded Industrial CRM Advisory Group launched a website in December 2020. The group serves Executives, Sales Leaders, Marketing Managers, and CRM Strategists. The group begins with over one-hundred member companies and over six hundred professional contacts. The group’s extension to professionals no matter what CRM platform is used provides significant opportunities for growth.
New Leadership and Partners
The new direction also gives opportunity for added leadership and partnerships.
Brian Gardner, author of the ROI of CRM, and founder of SalesProcess360, joins the board of directors to provide additional leadership and insights for the community. Gardner has spent more than 25 years in sales and sales management in the industrial market. As a consultant and coach, he has worked with over 200 manufacturer and distribution companies helping them improve their sales process management on the front end of the sales cycle with process changes and CRM systems. He has been involved with onboarding CRM systems like Salesforce, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, Selltis, IFS, and Tour de Force (now Hookshot). Gardner’s experience in sales management and CRM implementation in the industrial sector makes a perfect fit for the board position. He joins other established board members: Dave Hajciar, Morrell Group; Gord Jopling, Mechanical Sales; Elizabeth Heaton, Kelsan; Dave Bell, CRM Business Consultant; Marcie Palmer, Group Administrator.
The organization has formed new and preferred partnerships that will bring a wealth of CRM, sales, and marketing expertise to the advisory group community. Their involvement will fuel the group’s educational resources and extend the network of professionals in the industry.
Member Benefits
Educational webinars from CRM experts, partners, and peers will provide ongoing education. An online forum powered by Slack will connect members with peers from around the nation. Professionals using the same or different CRM programs will learn from diversity and similarities in process and platforms. The group will focus on best practices in sales and marketing process first and the technology to automate second.
Past Webinars
Future Webinars
Questions can be directed to [email protected].