QIC
“Our challenge is to provide a differentiated service from a traditional leasing team. It’s an ever-evolving role that requires us to be flexible, nimble and efficient – and Salesforce helps us achieve this.””
Brand iQ speeds sales in fast moving world of pop-up retail
Brand iQ is a reinvention of the brand and scope of a casual leasing team, part of QIC’s real estate division – QICGRE. With responsibilities throughout the Australian portfolio of shopping and lifestyle destinations such as Canberra Centre in the ACT, Robina Town Centre in Queensland and Eastland in Melbourne, the Brand IQ team provides a platform for brands to engage with their audiences beyond the confines of a traditional shop, through leasing space for pop-up retail and brand activations.
Rebecca Aichholzer, National Commercial Manager - Brand iQ, said the short-term leases create a diverse range of opportunities throughout the shopping centre environment with options and approaches that can be tailored for each brand.
“Our challenge is to provide a differentiated service from a traditional leasing team, facilitating bespoke experiences that can be turned around quickly to meet a range of valuable short-term goals. It’s an ever-evolving role that requires us to be flexible, nimble and efficient – and Salesforce helps us achieve this,” said Aichholzer.
Meeting the challenges of a dynamic industry
Business is moving faster than ever and it’s not uncommon for Brand iQ to get a call from a brand or retailer who wants to occupy a space the next day. Salesforce helps make that possible, where in the past it had been a struggle. Brand iQ’s booking system was basic, and involved the team entering booking details into the system and then separately creating a contract. All contracts would be reviewed by Aichholzer before being sent to the customer.
The business needed a system that would speed up the booking process so that it could contract and invoice customers within 24 hours. It also needed to minimise the opportunity for errors and reduce risk.
Aichholzer worked with QIC’s Business Platforms team to research alternative platforms and Salesforce came out on top.
Creating new contracts in minutes
Brand iQ has transformed the way Brand iQ sells – using Salesforce to work increasingly smarter and faster over the last four years. Data and automation propel the sales team forward, from lead management through to bookings which can be completed in minutes.
“By using Salesforce, we can create a booking and send out a contract in minutes and most are fully executed within 24 hours. This means retailers can start trading in just one day as opposed to seven,” said Aichholzer.
Increasing intelligence and efficiencies
Salesforce has given Brand iQ a single source of truth with data about its leads, customers and retail sites all in one place. Sales reps and managers can analyse where leads are coming from and what helps drive conversion. They can also view site details including booking history, photos, pricing and other site attributes.
“The sales team has the information they need for each stage of the sales cycle and processes and dashboards that help them work more efficiently. It’s helped us increase the occupancy rates of our sites while halving the number of people that touch each booking,” said Aichholzer.
Blazing new trails with a community of support
Brand iQ has set a standard in the industry for how short-term leases can be managed. It’s removed hours of administration internally so brands can launch new campaigns and pop-ups faster. It also tracks trends through reporting and analytics, understanding which retail categories and sites are generating most value. All of this helps keep sites filled and creates more revenue and improved valuations for each property.
Aichholzer is continuing to drive improvements using insights and best practice gained from Trailhead, the Salesforce community and Premier Support.
“I don’t know any other technology that comes with such an immense amount of support as Salesforce, from the community through to Trailhead. It’s improved my knowledge and that of the team and I can’t wait to build on that with MyTrailhead,” said Aichholzer.
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