Where does one go to find fine, artistic, and expressive cabinet hardware that surpasses the offerings sold at local hardware stores? Where does a distributor of fine, artistic, and expressive cabinet hardware find its customers? For Cliffside Industries of Lititz, PA, new customer opportunities were being “lost in the mail.”

For over fifteen years, Cliffside Industries has been the leading distributor of unique, decorative cabinetry hardware. Having built a solid network of clients in all fifty states, Mexico, and Canada, Cliffside offers the widest selection of cabinet hardware in the industry. Made from Italian marble, English porcelain, pewter, and other high quality material, Cliffside obtains its inventory from all over the world, including Italy and the Far East. Some of Cliffside’s most distinctive works are created in the basements of craftsmen’s homes in tucked away country villas. 

Looking for Business
Cliffside Industries relies on direct mail to cultivate new business. In the past, Cliffside would send bulk mail to numerous potential kitchen dealers, manufacturers and builders through purchased prospect lists. Manufacturers contacted Cliffside with special requests, kitchen dealers called with large orders, builders telephoned with needs for custom homes, and orders came in through their web site. Cliffside would get to work, fill the orders, and move on to the next customer. 

Unfortunately, this effort left a great void. Deep within the pile of work orders and invoices was buried a potential target market that was not being cultivated for repeat business because Cliffside had no systematic way of determining which mail campaigns were generating the most interest, where business was being generated, or from whom more business could be developed.

Without a tracking system in place, Cliffside’s marketing efforts could only continue blanket rather than internally targeted mailings, often wasting resources on obsolete and irrelevant addresses. Streamlining advertising and controlling marketing activities were now becoming essential in order to contain costs and develop stronger customer relationships. It was time to get things moving again.

Looking for Help
Recognizing its need for renewed efficiency, Cliffside Industries turned to CompuData for help. Cliffside had a long-standing relationship with CompuData as a technology provider. Since 1994, CompuData has worked closely with Cliffside and their CPA firm, supporting their accounting, communications and technology requirements. In 2000, CompuData developed and integrated a custom business-to-business e-commerce solution for Cliffside that integrated with their MAS 200 Accounting and Distribution system. 

CompuData called on Cliffside, listened to what its managers and office personnel had to say, and assessed the situation. A stand-alone solution would only offer temporary relief. In order to truly understand customer lead sources, their impact on sales, and track customer metrics, Cliffside had to unite a front office CRM solution with their existing MAS 200 back office system and operate as a single entity. CompuData recommended an integrated Saleslogix CRM solution.

Finding a Solution
SalesLogix is a user-friendly Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution that CompuData can integrate into a company’s back office system, and “web office” activities. Correctly implemented, it gives managers a complete real time view of their customers – putting clients, rather than confusion, at the center of business. 

CompuData integrated SalesLogix into Cliffside’s previously installed MAS 200 software. This allows sales and marketing personnel to look at the complete picture of each client – past and present. SalesLogix enables Cliffside to keep records of every contact made with each prospect or customer, and empowers the staff to work with or manipulate that information to give them better control of business development. By interfacing SalesLogix with MAS 200, prospect information is instantly converted into sales information, and sales history is now available to enable target marketing. When a manufacturer that Cliffside might have been prospecting for six months agrees to sign on the dotted line, the information stored in SalesLogix is seamlessly integrated into MAS 200, creating a full customer record. Conversely, SalesLogix tabs such as Open Orders, Invoice History, Aging and other fields are populated from MAS 200, bringing together the front office with the back office in a most perfect union.

This bi-directional solution provided by CompuData integrates Cliffside’s entire environment. Hours, months, and even years of reconciliation have been reduced to seconds. Orders placed in SalesLogix flow naturally into MAS 200, and invoicing and other entries made in MAS 200 are accessible through SalesLogix.

Cliffside Industries is now able to focus more on increasing revenue, maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty, increasing productivity, and cutting costs. This year alone, Cliffside will trim $30,000 off of its advertising budget.

According to Cliffside’s Director of Sales and Marketing David Willison, the company is able to provide better customer service with the total integration provided by CompuData. “We are able to analyze our customers’ accounts, anticipate their needs, and suggest products in advance of their requests,” revealed Willison. “That is an invaluable tool to have in any economy.” 

Willison finds SalesLogix to be a user-friendly time and money saver. “This is a financially self-sustaining product that pays itself off quickly through cost-savings and revenue generation,” explained Willison. 

Easy to Use & Expandable
Initially, Willison was concerned that his staff would have to commit to long periods of study to learn the new system. To his delight, he found that CompuData’s training program made understanding SalesLogix simple. “CompuData provided us with both online and onsite training,” Willison reported. “They did a great job in making what we thought would be a challenging learning experience very easy.”

Willison added that he is exceptionally pleased that CompuData created a solution that is expandable and will grow with Cliffside. He predicts that Cliffside will eventually move into other features SalesLogix offers, including the forecasting module to assist with sales and revenue planning. 

CompuData’s niche is simple – it provides total solutions – not piecemeal efforts that leave other avenues to be addressed. Through CompuData’s thorough analysis, understanding of each business and its needs, and customization, companies like Cliffside Industries can focus on what they do best – generating revenue through the unique services they provide to the marketplace. 

“We are able to analyze our customers’ accounts, anticipate their needs, and suggest products in advance of their requests. That is an invaluable tool to have in any economy.”
David Willison
Director of Sales & Marketing