Building materials sit between retail and projects. A tile dealer sells a few boxes to a homeowner at the counter in the morning and ships two trucks to a builder's site in the afternoon. A paint brand works through dealers, but the painter decides the brand. A cement distributor's biggest customer may be a contractor who pays when the builder pays him.
Two kinds of customer, one business
| Retail counter | Project / site | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer | Homeowner, small contractor | Builder, contractor, institution |
| Order | Small, immediate | Large, scheduled, revised |
| Delivery | Pickup or local | To site, heavy, in tranches |
| Credit | Usually little | Significant, tied to the project |
| Paperwork | Bill | Quote, PO, e-way bill, delivery proof |
What to get right
Quotes and project orders
Large orders start as quotes with negotiated prices and a delivery schedule — see quotation management.
Site deliveries
Heavy loads to sites with limited access; deliveries proven with who received them — see delivery runs and proof of delivery.
Contractor credit
Outstanding by customer and project, with deliveries and payments against each — see collections management.
Dealer networks
Brands run dealers with territories, targets and schemes — see dealer targets and schemes and claims.
Installation and projects
Sanitaryware, kitchens and fittings often come with installation — see site projects.
How Zaqnet fits building materials
- Quotes and CRM for project enquiries, and orders from the counter, field teams and buyer POs in ControlRoom.
- Stock across godowns and showrooms, with transfers.
- Delivery runs to sites with proof of delivery in GroundLink.
- Dealer network with territories, schemes, claims, targets and ledgers.
- Service projects for installation work.
- E-invoices and e-way bills generated in the sales workflow — see e-invoice and e-way bill.
In building materials, the counter keeps the lights on and the projects make the year.