Rubber Tree tracks trends. Proton ranks calls.
Rubber Tree Systems turns your ERP data into reports and dashboards. Proton turns the same data into each rep’s ranked calls, and into drafted quotes and orders.
Distributors growing with Proton
“It’s not just a reporting tool, it’s a sales growth engine. We’re giving the sales team a sports car, not a ball and chain.”Dane LeBelDirector of Inside Sales · VallenRead the case study 
Case study
“The value of Proton for our industry is that right out of the box, it speaks our language. It understands what challenges distribution companies have.”Jason MooreheadVP of Sales · SwishRead the case study Case study
“Proton is the best ROI of any tech investment we’ve made in the past 30 years.”Mike PageFormer CMO & CTO · R.S. HughesRead the case study 
Case study
“We’re seeing a 3x profit return for every dollar spent on Proton software. What makes Proton different is the people and their domain expertise. It feels like we have a partner — a group that’s living and breathing distribution. They understand the unique challenges distributors face.”Erik GershwindFormer CEO · MSCRead the case study 
“Seeing how Proton’s three key components — CRM capabilities, AI-driven insights, and website integration — overlap was eye-opening. Integrating these drives revenue and enhances communication.”Matt CohenPresident · ReplenexCase study
“Proton gets info to our sellers fast and effectively, so they can talk about what’s relevant and what’s important. With Proton, our team has better discussions with customers.”Tim BabcoCIO · ORS NascoRead the case study 
“Before Proton, important info was buried in reports and often overlooked. With Proton, the data is right at our fingertips, easy to access and actionable. It’s a game-changer for our daily routine.”Matt GoldbergRegional Manager · Benco DentalRead the case study Case study
“Beforehand, depending on the amount of SKUs, it could have taken a week, two weeks to gather all the relevant information and images. Now with the PIM, farm to table, it could be a matter of hours.”Ben KuhnsVP of Sales & Marketing · Dakota RiggersRead the case study Case study
“The ‘due to reorder’ feature has made our sales team much more proactive in discussing new sales opportunities with customers, rather than just reacting to incoming orders. This has helped us increase the order size per invoice.”Kyle SchullPresident & Owner · BPIRead the case study Case study
“When a CRM works, everybody gets on board pretty quick. So far, we’ve had a lot of wins. That makes it contagious; if everybody sees that guy got that sale, they want to get the next one.”Eric WessingerPresident & CEO · Richards SupplyRead the case study 
Case study
“It provides better visibility and accountability. We went from a one-dimensional CRM to a three-dimensional one with Proton.”Matthew JamesCEO · Purity LifeRead the case study Case study
“Proton has helped us to greatly reduce ramp-up time for our new sales staff. Today, it’s around 60 to 90 days — just a third of what it used to be.”Guy LaceyVice President · Salon Services ProRead the case study Case study
“Proton’s added one day’s worth of sales per month.”Adam CrewsDirector of Sales · Chattanooga Shooting SuppliesRead the case study Case study
“We used to see large projects quoted by our quotations team, but communication didn’t always reach outside sales for proper follow-up. Proton’s had a big impact helping with that. … It checks all the boxes for us.”Schaun CorbettVice President of Sales · AquiferRead the case study How does Proton compare to Rubber Tree?
Rubber Tree is a long-running reporting and CRM suite for distributors. Proton starts from the same ERP data and puts it into each rep’s day and each order.
| Rubber TreeERP reporting and CRM | ProtonAI platform for distributors | |
|---|---|---|
| The AI | Rubber TreePartial fit: Summaries and a connectorIts new AI Experiences summarize accounts and link your data to the AI tools you already use. | ProtonStrong fit: AI that picks the callsIt ranks every account from order history and suggests what each one should buy next. |
| A rep’s morning | Rubber TreePartial fit: Scorecards and reportsGood for seeing what changed. Reps decide from there who needs a call. | ProtonStrong fit: A ranked list, with briefsAccounts in priority order, each with a brief from Pronto, Proton’s AI assistant. |
| Reporting | Rubber TreeStrong fit: Its specialtyWebQuery and more than 100 dashboard components cover deep ERP reporting. | ProtonStrong fit: Full BI, built inPre-built distribution reports, custom dashboards, and custom reports our engineers build, all on the data your reps sell from. |
| Your ERP | Rubber TreeStrong fit: P21 and many othersConnects to Epicor P21, Infor, SAP, Sage and more in near real time. | ProtonStrong fit: Any ERP, P21 includedOur engineers build the connection, and can bring several ERPs together. |
| Platform | Rubber TreePartial fit: CRM, reports, inventory sharingrubbertree.app, WebQuery, ValueDocs and WarehouseTWO, each its own product. No PIM on the list. | ProtonStrong fit: Many modules, one data layerCRM, PIM, eCommerce AI and Quote & Order Entry Automation share it today. |
| Inventory sharing | Rubber TreeStrong fit: WarehouseTWO, todayDistributors share and find inventory with each other. | ProtonPartial fit: Sourcing, in early accessFinds out-of-stock items through partner distributors. |
CRM is one module of Proton
Rubber Tree sells reporting, CRM and inventory sharing as separate products. Proton’s modules share one data layer built on your ERP, so each new one starts with your data in place.
Why distributors choose Proton over Rubber Tree
Reps don’t start from a report
A dashboard shows what changed. Proton opens on today’s calls in priority order, with what to pitch to each account.
Slipping accounts, caught in time
Proton reads every order, so reps hear an account is slipping while there’s still time to call.
Quotes and orders from the same data
An emailed PO or RFQ turns into a draft order or quote, checked against the ERP data your reps already see, for your team to approve. Rubber Tree’s product list doesn’t include this.
Customer story
1 day of extra sales per Chattanooga Shooting Supplies rep, every month
“The Proton Score means our sales reps don’t need to dig through account history or juggle gap reports anymore. They simply hop onto Proton, see which customers are at-risk, and start reaching out.”Read the Chattanooga Shooting Supplies story
Questions to ask Rubber Tree before you sign
Four questions about what your reps would do with Rubber Tree each day.
When a rep opens Rubber Tree in the morning, what tells them who to call first?
What do your AI Experiences do today, and do they recommend products for each account from its order history?
At your distributor customers, how many reps log in every day, compared with managers?
Do rubbertree.app, WebQuery and ValueDocs share one ERP connection, or does each need its own setup?
Rubber Tree or Proton?
Rubber Tree is a reporting and CRM suite that sits on top of your ERP, known for its dashboards and reports. Proton has full BI on that data too, and goes further: the CRM module ranks each rep’s calls, and the other modules draft quotes and orders, manage product data and recommend products online.
Yes. Proton includes full BI: pre-built distribution reports, custom dashboards for sales, forecasts, goals and rep activity, and custom reports our engineers build for your team. On top of that, the CRM module ranks each rep’s calls, so reps don’t start from a report.
Yes. Proton connects to any ERP, or several at once, including Epicor P21, Epicor Eclipse, Infor SX.e and NetSuite. Our engineers build the connection.
Yes. Its AI Experiences summarize accounts and documents inside the app, and an AI Connector links its data to supported AI platforms. Proton’s AI ranks every account from order history and recommends products for each customer, and Pronto preps briefs, drafts follow-ups and logs notes.
Reps use it, because it starts with their calls. At Richards Supply, 72% of monthly users open Proton every day. Read the Richards Supply story
Product information management, and automation that turns emailed POs and RFQs into draft orders and quotes. Proton runs both beside its CRM module, on the same data. Rubber Tree does offer WarehouseTWO for sharing inventory between distributors, which Proton doesn’t today; Proton Sourcing, which finds items through partner distributors, is in early access.
More ways to compare CRMs
See Proton next to Rubber Tree
Bring a report your reps use today. We’ll show you how Proton puts the same kind of data in front of them as calls to make.
