For the next installment of this series, we sat down with Mark Tanner, Co-Founder and CEO of Qwilr. Qwilr is a software platform that enables users to create interactive, web-based proposals and sales documents. It integrates with CRM systems and offers features like dynamic pricing, e-signatures, payment options, and detailed analytics to enhance the sales process and improve engagement with buyers.
Before founding Qwilr, Mark was a Strategic Partner Development Manager at Google in New York where he focused on business development for Android and Google Play.
How do you see the future of sales technology evolving, and where does your product fit into that vision?
I think the hot take we have at the moment is around the use of data in sales tech. In the early 2000s, there was a big revolution in marketing around the ability to measure everything, optimize various parts of it, and understand the flow from top-of-funnel acquisition all the way through to conversions. This has been lacking in the sales process, especially in the area between the creation of a sales opportunity and the closing of a deal, which often relies on intuition rather than data.
There's a significant wave of sales tech focused on data, understanding customer actions and conversations. For example, Gong measures and analyzes conversations, providing insights on language used, pricing discussions, and more. Internally, I use Gong's activity view more than our CRM to understand deal progress.
What problem are you solving and what inspired you to develop this particular sales tool?
Qwilr is a proposal tool that allows companies to create proposals and sales collateral as web pages. These pages offer three main benefits: content, analytics, and automation. The content side allows for beautiful, interactive proposals that can include embedded videos, scheduling tools, and interactive pricing options. Analytics provide detailed insights into what prospects are doing with the proposal, like which sections they are clicking on and how they are interacting with pricing options.
The future of sales tech is data-driven, and Qwilr contributes unique data. While tools like Gong provide insights into conversations, much of the sale happens outside these interactions. Qwilr provides visibility into what prospects are viewing and discussing within proposals, enhancing understanding and likelihood of closing deals.
How does your technology solve this problem?
Because Qwilr proposals are web pages, they offer more impressive content and interactive features, merging sales enablement with transactional processes. The analytics provide deep insights into prospect interactions, and the automation integrates seamlessly with CRM and other tools.
How does your technology differentiate itself from existing solutions in the market?
We are the only tool that creates proposals as web pages, allowing for more engaging content and detailed analytics. Other tools like DocuSign and PandaDoc offer document signing and sales enablement, but they don't provide the same level of interactivity and data insights that Qwilr does.
Finally, what advice would you give to sales teams or businesses considering adopting new technologies like yours to enhance their sales processes?
Firstly, someone needs to own the implementation process to ensure it is fully integrated and used effectively. Secondly, don't overload your team with too many new tools at once. Aim to implement one or two tools per quarter to ensure they are adopted properly. Finally, ensure your core tech stack integrates well. Qwilr works deeply with CRMs like HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho, and Pipedrive, and it’s important to have a cohesive ecosystem.
To learn more about Qwilr, see an introduction video below or get started with a free trial today.
Thank you to Mark and the Qwilr team!
