Customer Spotlight: Talking with Joan Flowers, Business Owner & President, Joan Hartley & Associates, Inc.
We spoke with the owner and president of Joan Hartley & Associates, Inc., Joan Flowers, about some of the ways the Aleran Commerce Platform has helped transform her business — from increasing productivity to growing revenues. As a 30-year sales veteran and independent rep, Joan is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down.
Before working with Aleran, what was your experience with sales enablement tools and technology?
“I’ve been an independent rep for 30 years and I’ve seen a lot of changes in the industry. I’ve tried other programs that were too cumbersome. They didn’t really help me work with my customers. With lots of manufacturer’s websites you’d go to enter an item and it would disappear or it wouldn’t save what you’re working on. Just way too time consuming! I also think a lot of people don’t understand what being a road rep is like and they don’t understand the information we need. Therefore, they also don’t understand the best way to serve us. When Aleran was presented to me by a friend of mine, I just said — this is exactly what I need.”
How have you benefited from the Aleran platform?
“Aleran has increased my productivity, my business revenue and enabled me to deal with key accounts better. It doesn’t matter where I am; I can talk to customers anytime, from anywhere. Aleran is also a time-saver. I love the function of quotes because I have to do that a lot, especially for my international customers. They need to know how much their investment is and factor in customs and all that. So that’s very beneficial.”
Are there additional ways using Aleran has helped streamline sales order management for your business?
“Aleran helps me provide customers with answers really fast on their orders, their status, etc. I can pull up the orders right in front of me and search for things, giving them the information they need right away. Aleran’s platform is really easy. You’d have to be not functioning on all cylinders to not be able to use it.”
How has Aleran grown your business?
“Aleran was instrumental in keeping me on point and increasing my business revenues by 36% last year. I had a meeting with several independent reps yesterday and I was talking about Aleran and how it helped me in my business, even during the pandemic. I felt it made me a much sharper professional because I had the tools I needed at hand.”
What would you say to someone who is considering working with Aleran?
“I would have to ask them how important the growth of their business is. And I’ve always asked myself this one question when I have to make a decision: if money were no object, what would you do? And in this case it was an easy answer. Get a program that assists you, that works for you, and that’s going to grow your business.”
