B-Brain
Lewis Kerr

Merriott Lyle Distribution / BB-Demo – Discovery

Callcompleted

Merriott Lyle Distribution logo Merriott Lyle Distribution · 2024-12-02 12:45

Discovery on 2 Dec 2024 with Deepa Chauhan, who sponsors but does not sign. She wants one view of a trade account; Lewis Kerr put the deal at £146k in total including implementation. Finance sign-off is still ahead.

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What was said

What this says

Current to 13 Oct 26

Discovery on 2 Dec 2024 with Deepa Chauhan, who sponsors but does not sign. She wants one view of a trade account; Lewis Kerr put the deal at £146k in total including implementation. Finance sign-off is still ahead.

What happened: Deepa described five or six systems that disagree about a trade account and showed a hand-built three-tab sample that took most of an afternoon. Lewis Kerr confirmed Enterprise, a target decision of 14 Feb 2025, and a price of £146k in total, plus VAT.

Customer view: She wants branch managers to stop phoning head office and credit control and key-account to share one page. She distrusts overpromising and valued Lewis not claiming more than he knew.

Commercial: Finance signs, regional directors must want it and credit control must trust it. She would start with one region rather than company-wide.

Watch: Data cleaning, another login for branch managers, and permissions on credit notes and disputes are her stated worries. The security review is its own line in the plan.

AI · claude-sonnet-5-5 · 13 Oct 2026

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Themes

Current to 9 Oct 26
Theme
Enterprise single account view
Importance
neutral
Sentiment
positive
Voice
champion
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Who was there

BB-Demo

CRMmade from

Them

CRMmade from

Follow-up

Next steps

Current to 9 Oct 26
  • Lewis Kerr to send the proposal with subscription and implementation separate, plus VAT, and support options marked.
  • Deepa Chauhan to send the open disputes figure and the name of the IT security lead.
  • Lewis Kerr and Daniel Okafor to run the demo on Merriott Lyle's data using the single account question.
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Risks

Current to 9 Oct 26
  • Finance sign-off and credit control trust are unresolved, and February is only a target.
  • Deepa would walk away if the data needed months of clean-up or branch managers had to use another tool.
  • A phased start in one region may delay the company-wide use the Enterprise price assumes.
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Opportunities

Current to 9 Oct 26
  • Enterprise with security review support and a Premium support option, which she asked to see itemised.
  • A demo on her own data with regional directors and credit control present could widen the buying group.
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Transcript

  1. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Afternoon, Deepa. Can you hear me all right?
  2. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    I can, yes. Sorry, I'm a couple of minutes behind. The call before this one with the regional directors overran.
  3. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    No problem at all. We've got the time. How's the week treating you?
  4. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Busy. Month end is coming and it's turned cold, so every branch manager is ringing head office about deliveries. Same as every year, really.
  5. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Ha, I can imagine. Right, thanks for making the time. What I'd like to do is confirm what you're looking to buy and roughly by when, and then spend most of the call on how things work for you today. Is that all right?
  6. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Yes. The one thing I need from this call is to know whether the brain can give a branch manager one view of a trade account. Orders, disputes, calls, invoices, all in one place. Everything else is detail.
  7. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Good, that's clear. So you're looking at Enterprise, company-wide, with a decision targeted for Friday 14 February 2025. Is that still the shape of it?
  8. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Broadly, yes. February is the date I've been given, but it depends on credit control being comfortable and on finance. I don't go around finance on money, so treat it as a target, not a promise.
  9. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Understood. I'll record it as a target. Right, take me through today. Which systems do your branches and key-account managers actually work in?
  10. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    So there's the CRM, which I run, and that's where the key-account managers live. Then the order system, which the branches use for quotes, orders and deliveries. Credit control have their own ledger and a set of spreadsheets for disputes. Then we record calls for the key-account team and some of the branches, and each region has a shared mailbox. So that's five or six places, and none of them agree.
  11. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    When you say none of them agree, give me an example.
  12. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Which account, which branch? That's the question I get asked most. A builder rings a branch about a disputed delivery. The branch manager sees one thing, the key-account manager sees another, and credit control has put the account on hold over an invoice the branch thinks is settled. Three people, three answers, and the customer is on the phone the whole time.
  13. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    And how long does it take to get to a straight answer?
  14. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Depends who you ask. Sometimes the same day. Sometimes a week, and it goes round the houses. Mostly it's someone phoning someone else. Show me where that number comes from is more or less my job title.
  15. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Mm. To put a number on it, do you have a sense of how many of those are open at any one time? Roughly is fine.
  16. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Honestly, no, and I'd rather not guess on a recorded call. I could pull something together from the monthly account-data review. Give me a few days.
  17. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    That would be really useful. I'd rather have your figure than quote one from memory anyway.
  18. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Ha. Quite.
  19. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Who sits in that monthly review?
  20. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Credit control, the regional directors, a couple of the key-account leads, and me chairing. Let's get credit control in the room is what I say every month. When they're there, disputes get closed. When they're not, we spend the hour on rumour.
  21. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    That's helpful. And is the rumour problem mostly stale information, or people looking at different records of the same customer?
  22. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Both, but mostly the second. The same builder can be three accounts, one for every branch that's ever sold to them, and nobody has the full picture. And the first as well, because the ledger moves at one rhythm and the CRM at another.
  23. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Right. That's squarely what the brain is for. It sits across those systems, runs inside your own Snowflake account, and people ask it questions instead of reconciling by hand. Do you have Snowflake today?
  24. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    We do. Mostly finance and the BI people use it. I'd need someone from IT in the room for that conversation, and I'm fairly sure they'll have security questions.
  25. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Of course. Enterprise comes with support through the security review, so we'd expect that. Do you know who would lead it on your side?
  26. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Someone in IT. I'll find out and give you a name.
  27. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Good, thank you. Now, if you imagine this working, who are the first people using it?
  28. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    I'd start with one region. The key-account team and credit control for that region, and branch managers from a dozen or so branches. If it works there I can take it to the regional directors with something real in my hand, rather than a slide. Then widen out. I wouldn't want to go company-wide on day one.
  29. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    That's sensible, and it fits how people tend to roll Enterprise out even when they're buying for the whole company. Which sources would you want connected first?
  30. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    The CRM, the order system and the credit control ledger. Calls and the mailboxes second. And I'm wary here, because I won't promise the regions something before it exists. If the brain can't show disputes cleanly, I'm not telling branch managers it can.
  31. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Fair, and I wouldn't ask you to. What we'd do is demo it on your own data, so you see what it does and what it doesn't. Daniel Okafor, who would look after your account day to day, would join that.
  32. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Good. I'd want that before anything goes near finance.
  33. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Understood. Can I ask about the people side? Who has to say yes, besides finance?
  34. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    The regional directors have to want it, otherwise branch managers won't touch it. Credit control have to trust it, which is the harder one, because they've been burnt by dashboards before. And someone in finance signs it off. I'm the one sponsoring it, but I'm not the one who signs.
  35. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    That helps. Is there anything that would make you walk away, or slow it down?
  36. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Honestly? If it's another project that needs my team to clean the data for six months before it shows anything. We haven't the people. And if branch managers have to log in to yet another thing. They won't.
  37. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Mm. On the first point, it works on what's in your systems, so I wouldn't promise the data is pristine. The brain will show you where records disagree, which is useful in itself, but your team would still own fixing the sources. On the second, I'd rather show you in the demo how branch managers would actually reach it than promise from here.
  38. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    I appreciate you saying that. Thanks.
  39. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Right. Price. I'll be careful, because I don't quote from memory and I'll send it properly in writing. What I can say is that the deal as it's currently shaped comes to £146,500 in total. That includes the one-off implementation fee, so it isn't an annual price.
  40. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Okay. And that's plus VAT?
  41. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    It is, plus VAT. I'll show the subscription and the implementation separately, with the VAT position on each line, so it's obvious what recurs and what doesn't.
  42. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    That's what finance will ask first. What recurs, what doesn't. Can you also make it clear what each line is for? I'd like to be able to say it in one sentence.
  43. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Yes, I'll build it that way. And anything on discount would only apply to the first term, so I'd flag that clearly rather than let it surprise anyone at renewal.
  44. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Good, because nothing ought to surprise finance at renewal.
  45. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Agreed. I'd rather you hear it from me now than find it in a clause later.
  46. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Shall I show you what I mean by the account view? I've got a sample open, with the names taken off.
  47. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Yes please, go ahead.
  48. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Give me a second. Sharing now. Can you see that?
  49. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    I can see a spreadsheet. Yes.
  50. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    So this is one trade account, anonymised. The left tab is the CRM view: owner, last contact, open opportunities. The middle one is what the branch has, orders and deliveries. The right one is the credit control view, with the invoices and the disputes. Three tabs, and I built this by hand last Thursday for the review. It took most of an afternoon for one account.
  51. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    One account, most of an afternoon.
  52. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Yes. And that's before anyone has listened to a call.
  53. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Right. So the call recordings aren't linked to the account anywhere today?
  54. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    They're linked to the key-account manager, not the account, which is part of the problem. I'd like to be able to say: this builder, the last six weeks, what did they tell us, what did we send, what do they owe.
  55. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    That's the sort of question people ask the brain. I won't claim today that it would answer it perfectly on your data, which is why the demo uses your own records. But it's the right test.
  56. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    It is the right test. Let's use that one.
  57. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Noted, that's the demo scenario. So, after the first quarter, what would make you say it was working?
  58. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Two things. Branch managers stop phoning head office to ask what's going on with an account, and credit control and key-account are looking at the same page in the review. If both are true I'll count it as a win, and I'd be comfortable saying so to the directors.
  59. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Good, those are measurable. I'd suggest we agree them with Daniel Okafor at the start so they're written down, and we can check against them rather than against a feeling.
  60. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    I like that. Written down, and with a date.
  61. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    On timelines, I don't want to give you a week count from memory. What I'll do is put the implementation plan in the proposal, with the order you gave me: CRM, order system, credit control ledger, then calls and mailboxes.
  62. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    That works. And please put the security review in the plan as its own line. IT will want to see it's accounted for.
  63. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Will do. Anything else you'd want covered in the proposal?
  64. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Support. If a branch can't get an answer at nine in the morning I don't want to hear about it through three people. What happens when something breaks?
  65. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Enterprise carries the strongest response commitments we offer, and there's a Premium support option on top. I'll set out exactly what's included rather than give you the half version from memory.
  66. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Please. And what's included versus extra.
  67. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Yes, I'll mark which is which.
  68. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    And one more. I might bring one of the regional directors to the demo, just to listen. Is that all right?
  69. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    More than all right. The more of the people who'll use it in the room, the better the demo.
  70. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Right. I'll invite credit control as well. Let's get credit control in the room.
  71. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Ha, I knew that was coming.
  72. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    It's a habit.
  73. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    So, to recap, so we're agreed. I'll send the proposal breakdown today: subscription and implementation separately, plus VAT, with the support options marked. You'll send me a feel for how many open disputes there are, from the monthly review, and the name of whoever will lead security in IT. We'll set up the demo on your own data with Daniel, with the single account question as the test. Did I miss anything?
  74. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    You've got the lot. I'll check diaries with credit control before I commit to a time. Early next week is probably realistic.
  75. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Early next week is fine. I'll send a couple of slots with the proposal.
  76. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Can I ask something? What does the first month usually look like for people?
  77. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Honest answer: mostly it's getting the connectors right and the first questions are simple ones. The teams that do best get a couple of real questions answered in the early weeks and build from there. The value shows when more than one team is asking.
  78. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    That's what I'd expect. Small and real first.
  79. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Exactly.
  80. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    One last thing. Who sees what? A branch manager shouldn't see another region's accounts, and I'd be careful about who can see credit notes and disputes. Is that something you handle?
  81. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    It's a fair question and an important one. Access follows what's in the source systems, and we'd go through it properly in the security review and again in the demo. I don't want to say more than I know, so I'll put it in writing with the proposal.
  82. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    That's fair. I'd rather hear that than a quick yes.
  83. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Anything else from your side?
  84. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    No, I think that's me. Thanks, Lewis, this was more useful than I expected.
  85. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Glad to hear it. I'll send that over today, and I'll speak to you early next week. Thanks, Deepa.
  86. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Thanks. Speak soon.
  87. Lewis Kerr
    Lewis Kerr None
    Cheers, bye.
  88. Deepa Chauhan
    Deepa Chauhan None
    Bye.
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