Sales Partnerships, Inc. - Best New Version of a Sales Automation Solution

Company: Sales Partnerships, Inc., Broomfield, CO
Company Description: Sales Partnerships, Inc. is the premier direct sales outsourcing company in the world, offering branded representation that delivers rapid revenue lift for the most influential B2B firms in the world. Whether it's brand activation, customer acquisition, or retention, SPI is the leader in providing scalable and proven solutions to the Fortune 500.
Nomination Category: New Product & Service Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sales Automation Solution – New Version

Nomination Title: SPI’s Automated Territory Management Technology Allows for Safer Field Activity During COVID-19

COVID-19 presented an unprecedented challenge to SPI as we worked quickly in 2020 to enable the safest possible environments for reps and customers to engage face-to-face during the pandemic. In response, SPI’s IS team developed our automated territory management technology to keep as many of our agents active in the field while also ensuring that they were operating in as safe of an environment as possible in order to avoid contributing to the spread of COVID-19.

Specifically, the solution provides multi-layer, interactive mapping functionality so that we can re-route reps in real-time around COVID hot spots and territories where they would lose productivity. We did this process continuously, oftentimes reshaping and designating new territories multiple times per day to keep everyone active and safe. Without this solution, we would have had to shut down 40% of our sales activity, resulting in a substantial loss of revenue and staff.

This automated intelligence tool also allowed us to increase field sales productivity by guiding reps to the optimal records. Sales reps were, as a result, able to quickly and easily prioritize the top records each day, while also staying safe and being routed around COVID hot spots by the tool. This led to a marked increase in efficiency and effectiveness in the field.

From a revenue perspective, this automation solution enabled us to generate $100 million in revenue for one of our clients, one of the three largest financial institutions in the country. It allowed us to exceed quota in 2020, while our industry peers saw on average a 30% drop in sales.

SPI has been the only field sales organization in North America using this type of automated territory management technology to continue safer sales operations during COVID-19, and it has allowed us not only to continue to operate (when other competitors shut down field activity all together) but also to exceed our yearly quota for 2020 while keeping our reps and customers as safe as possible. This solution simply does not exist elsewhere, positioning SPI as a pioneer in the field of automated territory management.

The SPI Territory visualization and Management document outlines the platform we have and how it enables our field sales reps to remain active and safe. It also details the general functionality of the tool (the prior version had also been a Stevie Gold award winner.)

The Field Sales case study places this use of technology in context for our overall success in field work for 2020.

The Covid QuickView document details the variation of this GIS-powered mapping tool we created for public health departments and the CDC to enable enhanced visualization of COVID-19 data.

Lastly, we included a link to the SPI web site providing background on who Sales Partnerships is as an organization.

If you are nominating a brand-new product or service, state the date on which it was released. If you are nominating a new version of an existing product or service, state the date on which the update was released:

At the end of Q1 in 2020, SPI updated it’s existing automated territory management intelligence to enable safer field sales activity during COVID-19. The previous version of this territory management technology was a Stevie gold winner.

Outline the market performance, critical reception, and customer satisfaction with the product or service to date. State monetary or unit sales figures to date, if possible, and how they compare to expectations or past performance. Provide links to laudatory product or service reviews. Include some customer testimonials, if applicable (up to 350 words):

At the organizational level, the significance of this technology in terms of its role in allowing us to safely operate during the pandemic can’t be overstated. But, perhaps most importantly, our territory management technology is personal, having direct implications for the safety and well being of our field sales reps (as well as customers). Because of this technology, our reps felt prepared, confident, and safer that SPI was using the best technology tool available to route them around areas of highest concern and to set them up for success. They have the assurance that, if COVID-19 conditions in one part of their field become too risky, SPI is able to immediately identify the risk, and the tool will point them elsewhere.

As one field sales representative based in Portland, Oregon puts it:
“Working in downtown Portland, Oregon, during a pandemic and civil unrest is not an easy task being a field agent. The city follows COVID-19 restrictions set up in place by the Oregon government, which poses a challenge to scheduling and routing around these areas across the greater Portland area. SPI and their routing tools have made it very easy for me to target exactly where I needed to work, steering me clear of COVID-19 local restrictions and areas where social unrest and rioting was taking place. This gave me peace of mind knowing SPI had my best interest in mind and routed me to parts of my territory that would set me up for the best success while keeping me safe.” - Current Portland Field Agent at SPI