delaware helps Selmers streamline sales with SAP Sales Cloud
Selmers, an international provider of advanced machinery for coating and handling steel objects, partnered with delaware to transform its sales operations by successfully integrating the Shipley sales methodology with SAP Sales Cloud V2.
This crucial transition, executed rapidly in just three months with guidance of implementation partner delaware, marks a significant step towards alleviating the heavy workload on the engineering team and establishing a robust, data-driven foundation to achieve the company’s ambitious growth objectives.
“We have bold ambitions: We want to double our revenue within six years,” said Rob Schouten, Managing Director at Selmers. “That means getting the foundation right. Thanks to SAP, we’re now ready to grow in a controlled and data-driven way. “
The challenge of custom sales requests
Selmers had long faced substantial operational bottlenecks due to the highly customized nature of its products. The company handled hundreds of technical customer requests each year, and critically, every single request demanded detailed, time-consuming input from the engineering team.
This high volume of custom engagement made the sales process inherently slow and unpredictable, placing the engineering department under constant, undue pressure. Furthermore, the lack of a structured method for early-stage qualification meant that valuable engineering hours were often spent developing elaborate proposals for opportunities that were ultimately unlikely to close.
Compounding these issues was the fragmentation of essential customer data, which was scattered inefficiently across various emails and spreadsheets, hindering both internal collaboration and swift decision-making.
A solution: Methodology before tooling
To resolve these systemic challenges and introduce a much-needed layer of structure, Selmers adopted a ‘methodology-first’ approach.
The company chose to implement the Shipley method, a proven framework recognized for its effectiveness in qualifying and managing complex proposals. This key methodology empowers the sales team to decide early on whether a specific opportunity warrants further pursuit, ensuring that only the most promising and viable proposals are pushed forward for full development.
Selmers then successfully embedded this methodology directly into the new SAP Sales Cloud V2 platform. That was thanks to leveraging delaware’s industry-specific best practices and integrating seamlessly with Selmers’ existing SAP S/4HANA setup. The new system was fully operational in just three months.
This swift deployment has delivered a streamlined, scalable sales process where the methodology dictates the workflow, not merely the technology.
“Everyone already knew how Shipley worked, which made the transition easy. The process is now leading, not the system,” said Taco Righarts, proposal manager at Selmers.
Results are scalability and a data-driven future
With SAP Sales Cloud now fully operational, Selmers operates from a single, centralized platform that provides real-time visibility into all customer data and sales communication. The new system now allows for immediate, transparent insight into the status of every opportunity, the precise customer needs, and who is responsible for it.
This transformation has resulted in a smoother and more transparent handover process from sales to operations, significantly reducing potential misunderstandings and fostering improved internal collaboration. Most importantly, the company has drastically reduced the non-essential workload on its engineering team by focusing their efforts earlier in the cycle. This achievement is crucial for their forward-looking strategy.
“By shifting from gut feeling to data-driven decision-making, Selmers is building a scalable sales foundation that supports its long-term ambitions,” said Simon Depuydt, CX lead at delaware.
