Spiro follows up. Proton knows what to sell.
Spiro is a CRM that captures rep activity for you. Proton’s CRM module works from your order history, and the same data turns emailed POs and RFQs into draft orders and quotes.
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 Spiro?
Spiro is good at capturing activity and chasing follow-ups. Proton works from the order data in your ERP, down to the product, and puts the same data to work on quotes and orders.
| SpiroActivity-capture CRM | ProtonAI platform for distributors | |
|---|---|---|
| The AI | SpiroPartial fit: Follow-ups and remindersIt flags quiet accounts, stalled orders and quotes going cold. | ProtonStrong fit: What each account should buyIt reads every order, so it sees the products an account stopped buying and the ones it should add. |
| Who it serves | SpiroStrong fit: Manufacturers and distributorsSpiro sells to both, with connectors for distribution ERPs. | ProtonStrong fit: Wholesale distributors onlyEvery workflow is made for distributors’ reps, catalogs and ERPs. |
| Keeping records | SpiroStrong fit: Captures activity for youEmails, meetings and account activity are logged automatically. It’s what Spiro does best. | ProtonStrong fit: Synced, plus voice notesEmail and calendar sync in. Reps dictate visit notes, and Pronto, Proton’s AI assistant, files them and sets the follow-up. |
| A rep’s morning | SpiroPartial fit: A list of follow-upsAccounts and quotes that need attention, ready to call or email through. | ProtonStrong fit: Calls, with products to pitchA ranked list built from order history, with a brief for each call. |
| Your ERP | SpiroStrong fit: Standard connectorsEclipse, SAP, NetSuite, Infor and more, set up by its team. | ProtonStrong fit: Mapped by our engineersCustomer, product and order data from one ERP or several, kept in sync. |
| Platform | SpiroPartial fit: A CRM, with quotingPlus calling, campaigns, route planning and tickets. Product data management isn’t on its site. | ProtonStrong fit: Order entry and PIM tooEmailed POs become draft orders, and PIM keeps product data clean, both on the CRM’s customer and order data. |
CRM is one module of Proton
Spiro is a CRM with quoting and campaigns built in. In Proton, CRM is one module, and product data, order entry and eCommerce work from the same records.
Why distributors choose Proton over Spiro
It knows what to sell
Spiro is good at catching an account that’s gone quiet. Proton goes a level down: which products each account stopped buying, and which ones it should add. At Richards Supply, 23.67% of what reps pitch converts.
The PO doesn’t get retyped
When a customer replies with an emailed PO, Quote & Order Entry Automation reads it, matches the products and drafts the order for your team to review.
One set of product data
Proton PIM enriches product records and reviews them before they reach your selling systems, so a rep’s recommendation, the web store and the order use the same product data.
Customer story
11% of products Salon Services Pro’s consultants pitch become orders
“One time, we said, ‘For one week, trust every recommendation that Proton gives you and talk with your customer about it.’ They had a 40% close rate on brands that they never would have talked about before.”Read the Salon Services Pro story
Questions to ask Spiro before you sign
Ask these in your Spiro demo, with your own accounts on screen if you can.
When an account keeps ordering but drops a product line, will Spiro flag it and suggest what to pitch?
How many of your customers are wholesale distributors, and can we speak to one that runs our ERP?
What’s on Spiro’s roadmap for distributors next year?
When a customer emails a PO after a rep’s call, how does it get into our ERP?
Spiro or Proton?
Spiro is a CRM for manufacturers and distributors that captures activity automatically and reminds reps to follow up. Proton serves wholesale distributors only. Its CRM module reads your ERP order history down to the product and shows each rep what to sell; order entry, PIM and eCommerce AI sit beside it on the same records.
Yes. Spiro sells to distributors as well as manufacturers, and it connects to distribution ERPs such as Epicor Eclipse. The difference is focus: Proton is built for distribution alone, and its AI works at the product level, spotting what each account stopped buying and what it should add.
Spiro syncs orders to show history and alert you when a regular customer hasn’t ordered. Proton goes down to the product: which lines an account dropped, and what to pitch next. The same data matches products when an emailed PO becomes a draft order.
Yes. Salon Services Pro counts more than $1M in incremental revenue with Proton, across a team of 40+ consultants. Read the Salon Services Pro story
Spiro handles quotes, but its site lists no product information management and no automation that turns emailed POs into ERP orders. Proton’s PIM and Quote & Order Entry Automation work from the same customer and order data as its CRM module.
It depends on your ERP and your data. Our in-house team builds the ERP connection and plans the rollout with you. You can keep Spiro running until your reps are ready to move.
More ways to compare CRMs
See Proton next to Spiro
Bring your Spiro questions. We’ll show you a rep’s day in Proton, from the products to pitch to the order that comes back.
