- The Method
- Who we help
- How we work
- Results
- Insights
- About
- Assessment See the Method
A longstanding manufacturer in the building and memorial products industry was focused on improving profitability and increasing Return on Assets (ROA).
While the company had a strong market presence, inconsistent estimating and sales processes were creating operational challenges. Quotes were being handled differently across teams, workflows lacked standardization, and resources were not always aligned with the complexity of incoming opportunities.
This resulted in:
Without a structured approach to managing estimates, leadership struggled to consistently balance responsiveness, resource allocation, and financial performance.
Work Excellence partnered with the organization to improve how estimating and sales activities were managed across the business.
Rather than focusing solely on quote generation, the work centered on improving workflow clarity, resource allocation, and decision-making throughout the estimating process.
We worked directly on the business by:
This created the foundation for a more disciplined and scalable estimating operation.
The organization implemented a structured estimating and sales management system designed to improve speed, consistency, and profitability.
This included:
Nine levels of estimate complexity were established, with all incoming opportunities assigned within 24 hours of receipt.
Standard lead times were created for each estimate type, improving responsiveness and setting clear expectations.
Estimators were matched to opportunities based on complexity and capability, improving both efficiency and quote quality.
Dashboards were introduced to monitor key performance indicators, including:
Sales teams were provided with predefined pricing parameters, creating greater consistency while maintaining appropriate oversight for exceptions.
The improvements delivered measurable operational and financial benefits:
With greater visibility and structure, leadership gained stronger control over both sales execution and financial performance.
Profitability is often influenced long before a customer says yes.
Many organizations focus on sales outcomes while overlooking the systems that drive quoting, pricing, and resource allocation. When those processes lack structure, profitability becomes inconsistent and difficult to manage.
This case demonstrates that improving financial performance often starts with improving how opportunities are evaluated, assigned, and priced.
The question for leaders is whether they have a consistent way to evaluate, prioritize, and price opportunities.
Organizations that create structure around quoting, pricing, and resource allocation are often better positioned to improve both financial performance and customer responsiveness.