B2B Reimagined

Today we are joined by Salesforce Sr. Director of Product Management, Quote-to-Cash Solutions Erwan Kerebel for a breakdown of challenges, opportunities and reimagined solutions within the Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) space.

Kerebel outlined three focus areas for manufacturers: faster quote turnaround times, accurate pricing, and precise payment terms and product selection at the time of quote. Historically, manufacturers have relied on silos of people, processes and systems to manage the quoting process. The systems tend to be "duct-taped" together over time, with point solutions and spreadsheets falling short of achieving these three aims.

Listen to learn how Salesforce CPQ and Zilliant pricing solutions combine to provide the backbone for faster, more accurate and more relevant price quotes, while at the same time knocking down silos within an organization.

To attend Kerebel's breakout session at Zilliant MindShare 2021, register here: MindShare 2021

Download the joint Salesforce-Zilliant whitepaper referenced in the episode here: The Importance of Faster, Smarter Pricing in CPQ

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We welcome two guests from our strategic partner Acumen Solutions, Manufacturing Industry SME Gary Brown and Engagement Director Kyle Dreyer, to take the pulse of the modern manufacturer during a time of intensifying change.

Host Lindsay Duran leads the conversation, which covers the need for customer-centricity for B2B and B2C channels, workforce transformation, supply chain disruption, raw material cost increases and an accelerated push to eCommerce.

Listen to learn how manufacturers are responding to these hurdles amid a global pandemic and future-proofing their business for a post-pandemic environment. For more information on Acumen Solutions, visit www.acumensolutions.com or reach out to [email protected].

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Former client and longtime friend of Zilliant Pat Curtin joins host Rick Chappell, senior vice president of services and customer success, to share exciting news about his new pricing consultancy as part of a wide-ranging conversation about the steps needed to pave the way for a successful pricing initiative.

From executive alignment, data issues, competing projects and the jumble of business systems that need to speak to each other, the pair get their hands dirty dissecting the complexities that stand in the way of pricing transformation, ultimately arriving at a set of best practices that have been proven to move the needle for clients.

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In this episode, we are pleased to host SAP Principal Solution Manager, IBU Wholesale Distribution Susanne Adam to take the pulse of trends, challenges and opportunities in global distribution businesses.

The threats of the past year and change have been well-documented, and Susanne offers us a front-row seat to a wide range she's seeing out in the field, including increased eCommerce competition, marketplace strategy, supply chain and governmental restrictions, and the changing role of sales in a digital world.

Each challenge creates an opportunity, and Susanne shares some dynamic outside-the-box use cases wholesale distributors are adopting to drive services value with all-in-one Total Solutions.

You can find the joint Zilliant-SAP whitepaper mentioned in the episode here:

Enabling More Profitable Pricing in Wholesale Distribution

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Paul Demery, editor at Digital Commerce 360, joins host Barrett Thompson for a candid chat about the urgency thrust onto B2B companies to sell online in a pandemic-induced paradigm shift. Listen to learn why eCommerce pricing must be dynamic and how to accomplish a consistent, real-time pricing strategy across owned eCommerce platforms as well as third party marketplaces. We wrap up the show with a recent case study of how dynamic price optimization is paying dividends for a global building products manufacturer.

You can find the resources mentioned in the episode here:

Roofing Supplies Manufacturer Takes Pricing to New Heights

Terreal Improves Prices While Maintaining Market Share

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Mike Hockett, managing editor at Industrial Distribution, joins our first episode of the new year to share findings from the publisher's recent 2020 survey and talk about what lies ahead for industrial distributors in 2021. Listen to hear about the surprising cost-cutting measure distributors have undertaken during the pandemic and why many had a digital wake-up call in 2020. Mike and host Lindsay Duran also project the most in-demand product categories in 2021 and tackle the big question: to compete with or partner with Amazon Business?

You can find Mike's work here:

Industrial Distribution

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Business Solutions Consultant Tim Mohnke returns for a follow-up episode on auto parts/aftermarket manufacturing. How has the electric car trend changed the game for auto parts suppliers? How can they navigate tariffs, which are expected to continue for the foreseeable future? How can suppliers avoid "winner's remorse" when it comes to negotiating long-term contracts with customers? Listen in to get his take on these burning questions and more.

Download our infographic:

Avoid These Aftermarket Margin Pitfalls

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Zilliant Chief Marketing Officer Lindsay Duran and Senior Director, Solutions Consulting Vishal Asatkar have logged many hundreds of miles visiting customers and prospects together over the years. The pair teams up again for an intensive look into the factors that drive total margin in the food production industry – the volatility of cash crops, the delicate balance between price and cost, and the differences between contract business vs. spot business. Duran and Asatkar also provide a peek behind the curtain into how this highly essential industry is adjusting on the fly to a global pandemic.

To read the blog post mentioned in the episode click here:

How Food Producers Win With Zilliant Campaign Manager

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SAP's Jonathan Burdette joins host Barrett Thompson to dissect THE compelling event of 2020 for B2B manufacturers: a forced transition to digital commerce due to COVID-19. Whereas traditionally sales reps walked the factory floor to build relationships, understand what equipment is working and what isn't, and how best to position new deals, selling has now fundamentally shifted to the digital realm. How do manufacturers adjust when most of their pricing processes are just as manual, with trillions of transaction dollars calculated in Excel? Listen to this lively conversation to learn how leading companies are designing exceptional eCommerce experiences featuring vetted, transparent prices to serve a new generation of buyers and salespeople. The discussion closes with some educated predictions for the future of eCommerce adoption for B2B manufacturers. (SPOILER ALERT: There's no time left to waste!)

To access the joint whitepaper mentioned in the episode click here:

Reimagine Commerce with Zilliant & SAP

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This week marked the official launch of Zilliant's newest product, Zilliant Campaign Manager™. An exciting evolution, this 100% cloud-native SaaS solution takes the insights generated by Sales IQ™ to the next level by unlocking self-service capability and providing the flexibility to scope, refine and execute campaigns with closed-loop reporting.

Director, Product Management Brian Hirt joins the show to discuss the out-of-the-box and custom action types that make the possibilities virtually limitless with Campaign Manager. Listen in to hear how this new Zilliant offering closes the strategy-to-execution gap!

Register for our Nov. 19 Campaign Manager webinar to learn more.

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