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CLM Matrix - Contract Lifecycle Management Using Microsoft SharePoint 2007

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Contract Lifecycle Management Perspective for Sales Executives

 

Contract Lifecycle Management Helps Sales Executives Close Deals Faster: 

Every sales executive has the same goal -- secure more business faster at highest contract margins and attainable revenue.  The ability to close and deploy an executable contract in the shortest timeframe possible is directly tied to a company’s profitability. Yet according to the Aberdeen Group’s “Contract Management in the Quote-to-Cash Cycle: Find the Lost Money” report, on average, 9% of revenue is leaked away during the quote-to-cash process.
 
Putting that into real dollars, if your company made $10 million in revenue last year – you just lost $900,000 somewhere along the way!!  Where is that revenue going?  And more importantly, how do you recapture it?  You start by deploying an enterprise-wide contract management system. 

By leveraging a systematic approach to the development, approval, and execution of sell-side contracts you can:
 
Recapture Lost Revenue
An enterprise-wide contract management system connects thevarious sell-side processes including pricing, proposal creation, negotiation, contract generation, approvals, and contract management – providing clear visibility into the entire process.   Transparency helps eliminate any potential lost revenue due to maverick pricing, missed deadlines, unfavorable terms, compliance issues, transactional errors, etc.
 
Reduce Sales Cycle Time
According to the same Aberdeen study referenced above, “on average 18% of an enterprise's sales cycle is attributed to contract creation, negotiation and approval.”  An automated workflow streamlines the sales process from contract creation to contract close, resulting in reduced sales cycle time and faster close rates.
 
Negotiate from a Position of Strength
Knowing the company’s precise previous and current obligations with key customers gives your sales team leverage during negotiations. 
 
Develop Contract Templates and Library of Approved Clauses
Providing the sales team with a central library of executable contract templates with pre-approved language allows you to keep a tighter rein on individual terms, conditions, and clauses. Additionally, a central contract library puts both sales and legal on the same page from the onset.  Standardized sell-side contract creation allows you to close the contract in the shortest timeframe possible.
 

Questions for Sales Executives Considering Contract Management Systems:

  1. Does your organization have a database summarizing the strategic information in your company’s sales contracts? How is data entered into this database?
  2. Do your customers brag about how efficient and painless your contract process is?
  3. Is your contracting process perceived as a bottleneck in your organization?
  4. Is it easy for the sales organization to research contracts for which they are responsible and plan and prioritize their work?
  5. Do sales reps have access to a digital summary of their contracts?
  6. Is the contract process transparent to quickly find the status of any contract in the pipeline?
  7. Would a pipeline view of all contracts in progress be of value to your organization? Why?
  8. Does the current contract process allow sales reps more face time with customers?
  9. Would a mobile contract initiation feature be of benefit to the sales team? Why?
  10. What kind of technology or process automation tools are in use today? How effective are they?
 
 For more information on how CLM Matrix can help you improve your profitability and reduce overall business risks, please contact us.
 
 


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CLM
Productivity
Workshop

A perfect way to jump-start your CLM project, the CLM Productivity Workshop lasts 2 - 5 days and facilitates the process of understanding a customer's business priorities and identifying solution opportunities. Our contract process experts spend two days with you examining and documenting the identified contract process. The deliverables are a comprehensive...


Key Matrix Software
elements are:

  • SQL-based digital, historical contract summaries of information pulled directly from the contract Word document for quick research
  • Dynamic, rules-based and policy-driven contract modeling for requests
  • Automated SmartDoc technology for contract creation and formatting based upon contract request
  • Automated, collaborative workflow for approvals, notifications and reminders
  • A role-based contract monitoring and tracking portal using SharePoint Portal Server
  • Advanced SQL reporting capabilities for contract trend, performance, compliance and governance analysis