In the interview with Susanne Henkel, Managing Director Sales of SAE Applications for Digitalization GmbH

For many companies, the path to future sales still seems quite long. Companies are still ordering company vehicles for field sales and scheduling on-site appointments. The Corona pandemic has further intensified the challenges for sales employees. Today, customers expect quotes within minutes and, for complex projects, at least within a few days. To meet these demands, it is extremely important to streamline the quotation process and present complex products transparently. SAE Applications for Digitalization GmbH, based in Weng, has focused precisely on these goals and has been successfully operating as an independent software manufacturer internationally for almost 20 years. Their applications secure sales success for companies and are used in over 70 countries by innovative medium-sized companies and global players. In an interview with SAE sales manager Susanne Henkel, we discuss 3D showrooms, product finders on homepages, quotation software with integrated product configurators, automatic price calculation, and bill of materials generation. Or, in short: the digital sales of the future.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Some time ago, it was said: Everything that can become digital will become digital. Will personal sales therefore disappear completely?

Susanne Henkel: No, this component will certainly always remain. But probably to a significantly reduced extent than is currently the case. There was also a recent study by Ernst & Young showing that customers, in the case of a new purchase, still want to speak with sales employees before placing an order. At the same time, however, they also wish to be able to order directly and digitally for repeat orders or spare parts. They want to be able to configure products and solutions themselves in the early phases of the quotation process and request a quote easily. Companies should not forget that prospects and customers are very well informed about the products and functions and know their own requirements for the solution precisely. Additionally, trends from B2C and the upcoming generations Y & Z are further shaping B2B sales. In the future, companies that focus on digital sales with the latest technology will be disproportionately successful.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: There will always be products that require explanation. Your software is used in almost all areas: mechanical engineering, plant and vehicle construction, medical technology, electrical, glass and plastics industries, as well as services for insurance companies or even IT services. It sounds like a solution that covers all needs. But what can it not do, and what is its unique advantage?

Susanne Henkel: She can’t iron… (laughs). No, really – there’s nothing missing in terms of functionality. With our new generation of software, we’ve incorporated the experience from the past two decades. In doing so, we paid close attention to the architecture so that the system can operate autonomously but also communicate bidirectionally with all ERP, PLM, PIM, CAD, and CRM systems. The usability is outstanding, not just for direct users (customers or sales employees) but also for the admin team that maintains configurations, images, texts, prices, and 3D models.

With our software, we generate more leads for our customers, guarantee accurate and fast quotes, and automatically create technical parts lists for production. Our customers achieve seamless support across all relevant business processes, secure their technical expertise, support dealers and sales teams worldwide, and also inspire their target audiences.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Your software particularly generates leads on your customers’ websites, which are created directly via the Product/Solution Finder. How can we imagine this?

Susanne Henkel: Today, most providers of complex products feature a lot of text, model information as PDF files, or tables on their homepage. The problem is that potential buyers often can’t understand the product names, which aren’t self-explanatory, and therefore have to search through everything. Only with a lot of luck – and know-how – do they find a product that suits their intended use. However, fewer and fewer potential buyers are willing to wade through this flood of information, and in many cases, they leave the website frustrated, assuming that the provider doesn’t offer the solution they’re looking for.

To avoid this, we recommend using a Product Finder or Solution Advisor on the website. You can imagine it like this: Potential buyers are presented with simple questions about their requirements and preferences at the very beginning, which they can answer with just a few clicks. In the background, the SAE configuration engine uses the answers provided to find the right product series and then outputs a product recommendation. It says something like “…for your requirements, we recommend product series XY…”. The potential buyers can then view additional data for the matching product series, pre-configure it, send an inquiry to sales, or jump into the 3D showroom to experience it visually. The result is that they feel they’ve come to the right provider, receive the right information quickly, and immediately identify with the products and the (company) brand. It’s equally important that creating the Product Finder requires minimal internal effort. The logic of the Product Finder is based on the configuration used in sales – so no data silos, but one single source of truth.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: For complex products, SAE offers the option of using 3D showrooms – a kind of virtual product exhibition. What effort do your customers need to make to present their products to interested parties in high quality?

Susanne Henkel: Following the principle “what you see is, what you get”, our customers have the option of operating a virtual showroom on their website that presents their product portfolio in three dimensions. To do this, existing CAD data of the products is converted into a web-enabled format in the SAE application and “brought to life” with standardized functions. The app allows users to experience the products directly in 3D on the website. For example, doors can be opened on a system or the movements of a robot can be tried out. 3D configuration can also be done immediately. When developing the technology, we always had our customers’ competitive advantage in mind. That the sales team can present innovative products more attractively and offer them more convincingly than the competition. In the meantime, our customers have told us that there is another major benefit – the mostly globally active sales team uses it for self-training. New functions, options and processes can be easily viewed and understood in the 3D model. So, three birds with one stone: 1.) the online product finder for potential buyers and customers to generate leads, 2.) 3D integrated into the quotation management system or CPQ system as a brilliant competitive advantage, and 3.) for training globally active sales staff and dealers. The creation process is also very simple. Our customers receive intuitive and efficient features to complete tasks themselves – completely without external help and without special know-how. This application was awarded the US patent this year.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Congratulations! With complex and customer-specific projects, price calculation is often difficult and time-consuming. How can customers use your system to shorten this process?

Susanne Henkel: In our CPQ system, the calculation is linked to the configurator. This means that pricing is active and can be displayed while the product is being configured. Our customers can choose whether to adopt existing calculation schemes from their ERP or define them themselves in the SAE solution. Everything is possible – from cost-based calculation with individual material prices to function- or variant-based pricing. With one more click, the quotation document can be generated in any language and sent to interested parties. The system guarantees fast throughput times and correct quotations without manual intermediate steps. It avoids errors and relieves the burden on teams in sales, order processing and production. Of course, the system also allows discount limits to be stored, workflows to be defined for customer special requests and quotation versions to be implemented.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: What criteria should be met when executives make the final decision on new sales software?

Susanne Henkel: The software must be designed to communicate with relevant and already existing applications so that existing data can be used sustainably and does not need to be re-entered. NO MORE data silos! It is also very important that the application is easy and intuitive to use for both sales users and administrators. And of course, the sales software must be web-enabled and flexible in terms of operating model. At SAE, customers can decide for themselves whether they want to manage the solution in their own IT or whether SAE should take care of provisioning or hosting. One very important point: for some industries, an additional offline client is an absolute guarantee of success. This enables sales staff to configure their products, create an offer and provide high-quality advice to their prospects or users at any time and anywhere – even in 3D – without an internet connection!

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Let’s talk about the sales of the future. Describe your vision that you would like to have realized in 5-8 years.

Susanne Henkel: Our software is continuously being expanded with features that enhance usability and benefits. We also place great value on customer feedback and collect their suggestions and ideas. For example, our latest release now includes a comprehensive analysis and evaluation function. Our clients can use it to evaluate all created offers and configurations. This makes it quick and efficient to determine, for example, what are the top and flop products in the portfolio that sell very well or almost not at all.

Without any bad conscience, I can say that with our application and platform, we are already well ahead of the times. That’s why we are currently already working on the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) in our software. Many people probably still think that this is just pie in the sky. But I am convinced that in five years’ time, we will be able to support administrators even better with this innovative enhancement. The system learns, among other things, on the basis of generated offers with assigned discounts and country-specific configurations. It can then provide users with recommendations, for example regarding price adjustments or market conditions. In my opinion, the term “artificial intelligence” is often hyped too much and therefore seems unrealistic to some people. But if we are honest, it is “only” a matter of intelligent algorithms that, if added in the right place, will create enormous added value.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: That definitely makes us want to know more! Thank you very much for this pleasant conversation and the enlightening insights into sales innovations.

The interview was conducted by Michael Mattis, editor of DIGITAL FUTUREmag.