Transforming foodservice sales

Foodservice sales: integrated solutions in action

In the foodservice industry, having the right tools can make the difference between good and exceptional performance. A recent webinar featuring industry leaders from Kerry Foodservice reveals how combining TELUS Trade Promotion Management and Sales Enablement is revolutionizing how companies approach their sales processes and strategy.

What is foodservice sales?

Foodservice sales involves selling food products, supplies, and related services to restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, hospitals, schools and other food service operators. It's a complex process that requires managing relationships across multiple layers – from manufacturers to distributors to end operators – while handling specialized pricing, contracts and promotional programs unique to the foodservice industry.

What is a foodservice sales enablement solution?

Sales enablement software is a powerful tool designed to boost sales performance and drive revenue growth, specifically for the foodservice industry. This technology equips sales teams with essential resources, including customer data, product information, and marketing content, all in one centralized platform. Additionally, it empowers sales professionals to efficiently manage their pipeline and track performance against budget targets. By providing easy access to these tools, the software enables sales professionals to engage more effectively with prospects, customers, brokers, distributors and foodservice operators.

What is a trade promotion management solution?

A trade promotion management solution is designed to streamline and optimize promotion planning strategies for consumer goods companies. TELUS Trade Promotion Management, for instance, is a comprehensive cloud–based platform that simplifies the planning and execution of promotional activities across both retail partners and foodservice sectors. This solution addresses the complex challenges faced by manufacturers, such as managing intricate distribution channels and harmonizing diverse data sets. By providing a centralized system for tracking promotions, analyzing performance and making data–driven decisions, trade promotion management solutions enable businesses to boost their trade promotion profitability.

Common foodservice sales challenges

Transforming foodservice sales through data–driven approaches, while beneficial, comes with its share of challenges that organizations must navigate. The first hurdle is often the substantial cost involved, as significant time, IT resources and monetary investments are required, with changes potentially taking months or even years to fully implement.

Once the system is in place, complexity becomes a major issue, as raw data insights can be too intricate for foodservice sales teams to understand or use effectively, potentially limiting the practical application of the data. Additionally, accessibility poses a significant challenge, with data insights frequently residing in systems separate from the customer relationship management (CRM) tool.

This separation creates barriers to retrieving information quickly during critical moments, such as client interactions or foodservice sales presentations. Overcoming these challenges requires careful planning, ongoing training and a commitment to creating user–friendly interfaces that bridge the gap between complex data and practical, actionable insights for foodservice sales professionals.

Overcoming foodservice sales challenges with integrated solutions

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