At J.H. Larson, a leading electrical and plumbing distributor with eight branches and four designer showrooms across the Midwest, experience runs deep. Many of the company’s 28 outside sales reps have been with the business for decades. That tenure brings strength – but also challenges.
Curtis would know. In the past year, two sales reps were unexpectedly out for extended medical reasons – and because their account activity was undocumented, it became difficult for other team members to step in and support their customers.
An Opportunity to Reset
When Curtis stepped into his role, J.H. Larson was still using Tour de Force (TDF) CRM. “Adoption was poor,” he said. “It was clunky to use. Reports didn’t load cleanly. It took weeks or months to onboard new users. And it had become a compliance tool – something reps felt was watching over them, not supporting them.”
But Curtis saw an opportunity. “I was doing my MBA at Texas A&M, researching modern sales tech like AI – and I kept seeing features listed on White Cup’s site that we didn’t have,” he said. “That’s when I realized: We weren’t tapping into what White Cup could really do for us.”
The timing was right. J.H. Larson was undergoing a broader operational transformation – modernizing its ERP usage, automating AP workflows, and standing up a central data warehouse. So Curtis made the call to switch from TDF CRM to White Cup CRM + BI.
A CRM That Works Like Distributors Do
Even in early-stage conversations, Curtis could clearly envision White Cup’s impact. “White Cup CRM gave us a system that was flexible, modern, and actually usable – especially on mobile,” he said. “For our newer reps, the app is where they’ll live. The fact that it’s seamless and field-friendly is huge.”
For the first time, J.H. Larson will be able to deliver real-time insights across the entire sales motion – not just to outside reps, but to the full commercial team. “We’re giving access to everyone: inside sales, branch managers, marketing, even counter staff. That’s how you make CRM work.”
Instead of relying on tribal knowledge, sales reps and their support teams can now see customer history, open projects, and follow-ups in one place. “We’re creating super users at each branch – go-to champions who help drive adoption from the inside out,” Curtis explained.
Driving Strategic Growth
J.H. Larson isn’t just using CRM to check a box. They’re using it to fuel a smarter, more strategic go-to-market motion.
White Cup CRM’s built-in marketing capabilities will help the company launch more targeted campaigns based on spend history, product gaps, and buying behavior – all without layering on additional tools. “White Cup’s campaign tools give our team the ability to work smarter, not harder,” Curtis said.
Soon, two newly hired Territory Sales Managers (TSMs) will help reinforce that strategy even further. “Our TSMs will live in the CRM. They’ll plan their days and manage their teams directly in the platform,” said Curtis. “It will give them a real-time window into rep activity – and ensure our data stays fresh.”
Advice for Other Distributors
Curtis’s advice to other distributors still on TDF CRM?
“Do the research. Talk to peers who’ve made the move,” he said. “If we’d realized earlier how much more capability was sitting right there within White Cup CRM, we wouldn’t have waited so long to switch.”
As Curtis and the team at J.H. Larson continue modernizing their tech stack, White Cup CRM + BI is now a foundational pillar of their strategy. “It’s not just about CRM adoption. It’s about building a data-driven sales engine,” Curtis said. “And now we’ve got the platform to support it.”
Want to see what’s possible beyond TDF?
Let us show you how White Cup CRM can help you modernize your sales strategy, unify your team, and move beyond tribal knowledge.
