Gantrade Boosts Sales Team Effectiveness with CRM and Key Integrations

CHALLENGES

No Central Source of Truth to Connect Data from Disparate Software Systems and Global Locations

With a tech stack consisting of HubSpot for marketing and three different Microsoft ERP systems across its U.S., European, and Asian operations, Gantrade’s leadership and sales teams lacked the information and insights needed to make informed business decisions, leverage opportunities, and serve customers with optimal efficiency. 

According to Melissa Lutz, Business Manager of Urethane Intermediates at Gantrade, because the company had no customer relationship management (CRM) system, all sales activities and prospecting tasks before the purchase order stage (such as lead generation, quoting, and sampling) were handled and tracked manually via email and spreadsheets. “Some processes were very complex. They were all done by email, and information was in different places,” Lutz explained. “For example, when preparing quotes, we had to look in different systems to find inventory, pricing, past quotes, and other details; we didn’t have access to it all in one central place. The sampling process involved manual tracking and follow-up to confirm whether customers received and used the samples we sent them.”

Also, they had no way of tracking transactions and interactions with specific customers and vendors across product lines and regions. Lutz shared the example of a paints and coatings manufacturer with different product lines and entities across the globe, “No one knew the full picture of what we do for them, and we would sometimes repeat things or weren’t as efficient when interacting with them.”

SOLUTIONS

A Cloud-Based CRM That Pulls All the Pieces Together

Lutz shared that they wanted a CRM with automation to make the sales team faster and proactive when following up on opportunities. They also wanted better sales and marketing tracking and analysis capabilities.

“We needed a CRM to bring us transparency across our systems, product lines, and locations,” she said.

Gantrade began exploring several options and ultimately decided on Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM because of its functionality (including its powerful use of AI) and the cost-effectiveness of integrating and running it with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central. Another deciding factor was ease of adoption; the company was already using other Microsoft software (its ERPs, Outlook, SharePoint, and the Microsoft 365 productivity suite), so employees were familiar with the Microsoft family of products. 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM 

• Sales module
• HubSpot integration—Marketing, Content Marketing Software (CMS), and Operations Hubs
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central integration
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV integration
• Data warehouse integration (pulls data from all 3 ERPs into one place and links to the CRM)
• Various customizations to accommodate Gantrade’s unique processes 
• Ongoing technical support 

Lutz explained that she and other company decision makers chose Cargas because they felt Cargas understood not only the software but also Gantrade’s business processes. Additionally, she said the Cargas team’s collaborative skills with Gantrade’s team and the company’s other software vendors stood out.

Cargas and Gantrade began working together in April 2024, and the solution went live in late August that year. The company first did a soft launch to a select group of employees and then incrementally rolled out the solution to other employees in phases to build familiarity and confidence.

“We took small steps when introducing it rather than throwing everyone into everything at once,” shared Lutz.

“Gantrade is one of the most engaged CRM customers we’ve ever had. […] One of the reasons the implementation was so successful is their exceptional support of the new tech stack.” 

— Anthony Verrecchia, Manager of CRM Professional Services, Cargas

BENEFITS

Empowered to Get More Done and Grow the Business

The integrated solution has helped Gantrade’s sales team become more efficient and effective in multiple ways. For example, the complex and inefficient quoting and sampling processes are now streamlined and automated, enabling Gantrade to become proactive rather than reactive.

“The CRM is set up to automatically prompt our sales team to follow up after a quote or sample goes out,” Lutz said. She estimates it has reduced the time to quote pricing or check on a sample by 50 percent. They can get a lot more done and grow their sales because they’re no longer wasting time looking through emails and spreadsheets.”

She also shared that the Dynamics 365 CRM’s integration with HubSpot and the transparency across systems and locations have helped the sales team assess the ROI on marketing campaigns and recognize cross-selling opportunities. 

“Although we had good lead generation from our marketing efforts, we previously had no connection between HubSpot and our other systems that let us measure how they directly affected our sales. Now, we can make better decisions because we know what works and what doesn’t,“ Lutz explained. “And, in the CRM, we can see customers’ past interactions with our website contact form, identify which products they inquired about, and proactively follow up.”  

“I think the Dynamics 365 CRM-HubSpot integration has probably doubled the verified opportunities we get in a month.”

— Melissa Lutz, Business Manager of Urethane Intermediates, Gantrade

Customizations to tailor the software to Gantrade’s nuanced processes have also elevated efficiency and cross-system visibility. From managing sample inventory to accommodating different measurements and currencies when quoting pricing to creating specialized reports, Cargas helped the company fine-tune the solution to address specific needs unique to their operations. They also helped Gantrade standardize terminology across systems to provide consistency company-wide.

Lutz shared that the sales team has eagerly adapted to using the software, and they’re reaping the rewards of having all information automatically populated across multiple systems.

“The CRM is giving our sales team one place to go for everything they need. There’s one source of truth for all of our processes and information.”

— Melissa Lutz, Business Manager of Urethane Intermediates, Gantrade

Lutz said their work with Cargas continues on projects to automate more of Gantrade’s processes. For example, Cargas is helping them develop reporting dashboards to give them interactive reports that they can slice and dice in different ways—a vast improvement over static reports in PDF format. Gantrade also plans to work with Cargas to incorporate ticketing workflows for handling issues and complaints and eventually merge some of its accounting processes into the CRM. 

“Cargas’s support is fantastic. We appreciate their willingness to listen to what we want to do and offer a pragmatic, collaborative approach to finding the best solution. They not only know the products but also understand our company’s processes,” she explained. 

She shared that Cargas’s team demonstrated the same superior level of collaboration when engaging with Gantrade’s Dynamics 365 Business Central and HubSpot vendors to ensure a successful implementation. 

“Everyone we interact with from Cargas puts their whole heart into it. They are committed to helping us achieve what we set out to do.”

— Melissa Lutz, Business Manager of Urethane Intermediates, Gantrade

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