How M&M International Modernized Sales with Creatio and Net at Work

A high-volume stainless steel tubing manufacturer builds out a team-based, data-driven sales model to support its next stage of PE-backed growth

Modern manufacturers often run on a mix of ERP, email, and spreadsheets that made sense when the business was smaller. A founder or small sales team keeps everything straight in their heads, while Sage 100 or another ERP handles orders and inventory in the background. As the company grows, adds salespeople, and brings on investors, that patchwork of tools makes it harder to see the full picture of customers, pipeline, and profitable growth.

CRM software for manufacturers is supposed to solve that problem. The reality is that many teams either limp along without CRM, or adopt a heavyweight platform that’s too complex and too expensive for a lean industrial distributor. The sweet spot is a right-sized CRM that connects to the ERP you already trust, gives distribution sales teams real visibility, and supports the next stage of growth without adding a lot of overhead.

In this article, you will learn:

• Why founder-led manufacturers eventually outgrow email and spreadsheets for sales management
• How CRM software for manufacturers can turn tribal knowledge into a shared, searchable customer view
• How integrating Creatio CRM with Sage 100 helps distribution sales teams see pipeline, margin, and history in one place
• What to look for in a right-sized CRM implementation partner for manufacturing
• How M&M International, a high-volume stainless steel tubing manufacturer, worked with Net at Work to build a scalable, data-driven sales model

Founder-led manufacturers often follow a similar pattern, especially when they’re running without dedicated CRM software in place. A strong operator builds a loyal customer base over decades, powered by deep expertise and long-standing relationships. Most of that knowledge lives in one person’s head, inbox, and spreadsheets — and it works, until the company hits a new stage of growth.

That’s where M&M International found itself. For more than 30 years, the company has supplied stainless steel tubing used in a wide range of medical devices and industrial equipment. It’s a high-volume, low-margin business where pennies per foot matter and reliability, responsiveness, and quality are just as important as price.

After a private equity firm acquired M&M and the founder retired, the business remained solid. But the commercial side needed to look very different. The new owners wanted pipeline visibility and repeatable processes. Customers still expected personal attention. And for the first time, M&M needed a team-based sales model instead of one brilliant, hands-on owner doing it all.

Net at Work and Creatio CRM became the way M&M turned founder magic into a shared, repeatable sales engine on top of the Sage 100 ERP they already trusted.

The moment everything has to get out of one inbox

When Chief Commercial Officer Chris Pleibel joined M&M, he stepped into a business with a strong reputation and a fairly bare-bones commercial infrastructure. There was no formal sales organization to speak of. For years, the founder personally managed most customer conversations, pricing decisions, and deal negotiations. Order history and inventory data were stored in Sage 100. Customer interactions were kept in Outlook. Spreadsheets and email threads filled in the gaps.

That model doesn’t translate well when you suddenly have a board, a PE sponsor, and a growing sales team.

Chris was hired to change that. He became the company’s first formal salesperson, then quickly added five more reps. Instead of one person fielding every question, there were now multiple people talking to customers, prospecting new accounts, and carrying quotas.

At the same time, investors needed metrics. They wanted the kind of pipeline visibility you expect from modern CRM software for manufacturers — clear states, conversion rates, and timing they could rely on. As Chris pieced that story together from separate tools and manual reports, it was clear they needed something better than heroic effort every month. They needed a right-sized CRM system to capture what had made the company successful and make it accessible to everyone.

Why Creatio won

Technology-wise, M&M already relied on Sage 100 ERP, hosted by Cloud at Work, as the backbone for orders, inventory, and billing. What was missing was a CRM system for managing customers, opportunities, and day-to-day selling.

Chris came in with plenty of CRM experience, including time with large, well-known platforms. He also understood what it takes to keep those systems humming — specialists, administrators, and a lot of overhead. That wasn’t realistic for a lean organization operating in a tight-margin industry.

Creatio hits the sweet spot. As a low-code CRM platform for manufacturers, it offers the structure and flexibility Chris needs without requiring a huge support staff. M&M could roll out foundational CRM capabilities — accounts, contacts, opportunities, and quotes — and grow into more advanced automation and analytics at its own pace.

Net at Work, already familiar with M&M’s Sage 100 environment and Cloud at Work’s hosting, recommended Creatio and helped turn that vision into a practical design.

The Value of CRM ERP Integration: Keeping Sales from Flying Blind

Net at Work’s consultants worked with Chris to design practical CRM and ERP integration between Creatio and Sage 100 ERP, so the systems talk to each other in ways the sales team actually uses. Sales reps can see who the customer is, what they’ve bought recently, and how volumes are trending — all from within Creatio. When an opportunity matures and it’s time to quote or book the order, the process moves into Sage 100.

In an environment where margins matter, that kind of CRM and ERP integration is crucial. It keeps quoting grounded in real costs and availability. It helps reps focus on profitable business. And it stops the team from re-keying information between systems.

Net at Work’s dual expertise meant Chris didn’t have to translate between how the operation works and the software’s capabilities. The consulting team bridged that gap, keeping the project focused on business outcomes instead of technology for its own sake.

“The Net at Work team is awesome to work with – they are ridiculously responsive,” Chris says. “And they kept the implementation grounded in business outcomes.”

Making CRM something reps willingly live in

Of course, the best CRM in the world doesn’t matter if the sales team avoids it. Chris went in with a clear stance: the system had to make life easier, not harder. Stages and fields need to reflect the long, technical sales cycle typical in M&M’s market. Reps needed a simple way to see what they’d done, what was pending, and where deals were getting stuck.

Net at Work configured Creatio to match the team’s day-to-day rhythm, turning it into sales management software, rather than a generic CRM. Opportunities move through a sequence that makes sense to the reps. Activities are easy to log and review. The Outlook integration automatically pulls in emails and meetings, so the system quietly builds a shared history of every customer interaction. “If the system is clunky, salespeople will work around it,” Chris says. “Because Creatio fits the way we operate, my team actually lives in it.”

For Chris, Creatio has become the hub for running the commercial side of the business. Dashboards show how the pipeline looks by rep and by stage, making it easier to coach the team and prioritize follow-up. “For the first time, I can walk into a board meeting with a clean view of pipeline, probabilities, and timing that I actually trust,” he adds.

More than a project: a partner for the long haul

Today, M&M participates in a customer experience plan with Net at Work, giving them ongoing guidance on their Creation CRM implementation and room to refine their CRM and ERP integration as the business evolves.

M&M still looks and feels like the company its founder built — careful with costs, proud of its place in the medical device supply chain, and committed to doing things right. The difference now is that its sales operation no longer depends on one person’s memory.

With Creatio, Sage 100 ERP, Cloud at Work, and Net at Work behind the scenes, M&M has a shared, scalable way to grow — and the visibility modern CRM software for manufacturers is supposed to deliver.

Read M&M International’s full story here.