How Rapport works: a sales CRM with live stock for distributors
A walkthrough of Rapport: live stock next to accounts, quotes built from the catalogue, WhatsApp on the timeline, sequences and forecasting.
Rapport is a sales CRM for distributors and wholesalers who sell physical products from stock. It keeps accounts, deals and pipeline next to a live product catalogue, so quotes come from what is on the shelf. Here is how it works.
1. See stock while you quote
Your catalogue lives in Rapport, with on-hand and available stock for each product and variant. Reps see stock levels next to the customer they are quoting, so they do not have to call the warehouse.
For sales, it replaces the stock spreadsheet.
2. Build quotes from the catalogue
Quotes pull lines straight from inventory. Each line shows quantity, stock and unit price. If a line is short, Rapport shows it before the quote goes out, and a drafted reply can offer an alternative that is in stock.
3. Every conversation on the account
Every email, call, WhatsApp message and quote is captured on the account's timeline automatically, next to notes and past orders. When a builder messages on WhatsApp, the message files itself under the right account.
4. Your stages, your fields
Rapport uses your stages, fields and rules. Distributors might sell through enquiry, quoted, samples sent and order in. You can work the pipeline as a board or a table.
5. Follow-ups that run on their own
Sequences and reminders fire themselves. A typical sequence after a quote:
- Day 0: quote sent.
- Day 3: check the quote landed (a message that needs approval).
- Day 7: a task reminding the rep to call.
- After delivery: a check-in.
Customer messages wait for a person to approve them.
6. Start the day knowing who to call
Each morning, every rep gets a priority list: a quote going quiet, a delivery to confirm, a customer who usually reorders about now. Managers get a live forecast from the pipeline, with nobody rebuilding a spreadsheet.
A rep's Tuesday
- 8:10. The list is already made: a quiet quote, a delivery and two reorders.
- 9:31. A WhatsApp lands and files itself on the account, next to last month's order.
- 9:34. A quote is built from the shelf. One item is short, so the approved reply offers a substitute.
- 13:00. A site visit is logged in a minute, and the sequence takes over.
- 16:45. The manager opens the forecast and sees the week.
What it replaces
- A general-purpose CRM, for accounts and deals.
- The stock spreadsheet, for products and live stock.
- Quote templates, for quotes from inventory.
- WhatsApp on personal phones, for the account timeline.
- Reminders on sticky notes, for sequences and tasks.
- The Friday forecast sheet.
Your data stays yours
Rapport runs in your cloud account or self-hosted on your servers, never on a shared platform. Data sits in a database you own, with an audit trail of every change. Nothing reaches a customer until your team approves it.
Moving over
Contacts, companies and deals import from CSV or HubSpot. A Thinkiyo team imports your data, sets up your stages and catalogue with you, and stays on.
Works with other Thinkiyo products
- Momentum agents work ad enquiries, then hand qualified leads to Rapport.
- Mosaic brings contacts, deals and inventory into one customer view.
- Vicinity adds local listings and leads, with per-branch pipelines rolled up.
Who it is for
Wholesalers and distributors that sell physical products from stock, and their sales reps. For example, a plumbing and bathroom supplier selling to builders, where reps quote by WhatsApp and the answer depends on what is on the shelf that morning.
If your reps say "let me check with the warehouse and come back to you" several times a day, Rapport is built for that problem.