An Overview

Over the years WeLoop.SAMS has changed and evolved to meet the needs of Sales Agencies in the Gift and Decorative Accessories market.  Our objective has been, and continues to be, to have SAMS address your requirements, rather than re-shaping the world in which your business operates to fit within SAMS perspective. 

In the past several weeks, after a number of conversations with Reps as we implemented SAMS or extended their use of SAMS, we realized it would probably be beneficial to everyone to share those conversations.

A series of one or two page discussions:

• Lessons learned, some the hard way;
• Using technology as a "power tool" with simplicity as the goal;
• Looking ahead to avoid problems rather than letting them arise and having to solve them.

At the present time the following topics have been identified:

1. Get Organized -- If you're anything like me you keep a lot of "stuff" on your computer.  Saving it is the easy part, locating it when you need it is the real trick.  Folders and standardization are the answer.
2. Standardize -- There is a wealth of information available in your SAMS records.  Using it to assess performance requires precise a definition of terms.
3. Commission Accounting -- In the past few weeks a couple of topics have come up that should be reviewed, just in case.  If it doesn't ship there is no commission, and there may be a tax break based on where the Customer is located.
4. House Cleaning -- As your "line list" changes, or Territory assignments change and you re-align the structure of you organization, you may need to re-align the information in your SAMS records.   
5. Structure -- Each member of your organization has a slightly different view of the business.  In order to properly support these perspectives with meaningful reporting the records must be properly, and consistently, maintained.
6. Handling the Paper -- A "system" must take into consideration ALL of the record keeping elements, not just those that reside on a computer.
7. Printing Reports -- We are no longer tied to printed reports for sharing information.  The storage capacity available today and the common use of email has opened a new reporting vehicle, the "PDF-file".  That being said, there is still a need for a printed copy and an archive that can be easily accessed.
8. Call.Back Reminders -- A re-order is far easier business than a new order.  SAMS will maintain a "tickler file" of Sales.Order and Invoice dates setting up a "Call.Back Reminder" for you to contact the Customer for the "easy Order".
9. When to throw it away -- SAMS allows you to retain information virtually forever.  How long should you keep it, and what is the impact of letting those files grow?
10. Some utilities -- A long time ago we decided it is impossible "to be all things to all people".  There are a number of programs available that we've found handy and you may as well.
11. What's Sellin' and Where -- What Lines are selling, and to which Customers is pretty important, but, that can be a long list.  Obviously the emphasis needs to be on last year's BIG Buyers to be sure they earn the title again this year.

This is a "work in progress" and will probably remain so forever because "things change".  The plan is to spend some time each week, and some weeks are longer than others,  addressing an issue or topic.  If there are topics you'd like to have covered, or priorities you'd like changed in the sequence, drop us a note.  The objective is to provide you with meaningful information, not to generate hot air that adds to global warming.

As these "dissertations" are posted to the website we'd be happy to drop you an email, just let us know.  If you'd like to notices sent to additional folks, a note will make that happen as well.