Business Tip 2
Case History - Dr Pepper/7 UP

The Application
As recently profiled in Consumer Goods Technology magazine (click to download copy - PDF format), Dr Pepper/7 UP's experience with Interactive Edge's XP3 is representative of how new advances being made in data analysis and presentation are bringing a higher level of clarity and efficiency to the buyer/seller relationship.

Dr Pepper/7 UP global category management team is now into its third year using XP3 to streamline the process of data integration, production and dissemination of custom presentations for category management, new product and business reviews.

Key Benefits
The soft drinks manufacturer talks about former efforts to service all of their accounts effectively using manual methods -- about the wasted manpower, wasted paper, and tedium involved in preparing reports and presentations for clients and, in particular, the complication of doing customized versions.

"Most sales reports are basically the exact same thing with very small tweaks," says Craig Hodnett, VP of Category Management, Dr Pepper/7 UP. "This kind of tool and this kind of thinking gets you out of the paper trail."

Another big advantage for Hodnett is the ability to use XP3 to standardize a strategic approach for all his salespeople, while offering them the flexibility they need to make account-specific adaptations on-the-fly.

"Countless times, I'd be working with the database, wondering how I can get my sales force on the same page with all of the insightful templates and into one system," he said. With XP3, Hodnett finds that, not only can he quickly build a system of presentations for his entire team, but that his people take to it without the usual trepidation found with new technology.

"It's a fun way to look at the business and it's a very high-impact presentation to the retailer when they can ask a question, and the sales person can point and click to provide the answer."

Take-Aways
Having now worked with XP3 for an extended period, Hodnett and his team have shown how users can build on the original intentions designed into the product by program developers.

		1. The 80/20 Rule: Hodnett has found that about 80% of his presentations are routinely about doing basic orientation for neophyte soft drink buyers. With XP3's ability to quickly update ACNielsen and other data sources, these reports can now be easily customized, without distracting his team from their most profitable accounts. "Now I have time for the 20 percent club projects, and that's where the productivity comes in." 2. A Training Tip: Since XP3 is such a customer-responsive tool, Hodnett decided that a role-playing training technique would put his people through a realistic drill and allow them to discover for themselves what they could pull out of the program on the spot. "We build a real, live situation and we play the role of the buyer," he says. "They have to use the tool to solve the problems." 3. An Enabler, Not a Magic Wand: Hodnett says XP3 has become one of his company's "core competencies," but warns that the wonders that the Suite provides can be intoxicating. "This is definitely a key enabler but you also want to be careful to not become enamored with it. Anybody can go buy a tool. What you do with that tool is key."?

The data, products and accounts depicted in this example are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual data, products or accounts is purely coincidental.