ERPNext CRM Consultant, Australia

Trade account applications: where the pipeline really starts

Ask an Australian trade supplier where a new customer comes from and the answer is often a credit application form. The builder or installer has already been buying cash or on a card, or has been quoted for a job, and now wants an account. Until that application is approved, quotes can be raised but orders cannot go on terms.

In ERPNext I usually model this as follows:

1. Lead created from the inquiry or the first cash sale, with source and salesperson.
2. Application record, either a web form or a custom document linked to the lead, holding the entity details, trade references and requested terms.
3. Credit review by your credit team, with the decision, approved limit and payment terms recorded.
4. Customer creation from the approved application, with customer group, price list and credit limit set in one step.
5. Quotations and orders then check the credit limit automatically.

This removes a familiar problem: salespeople creating customers themselves to get an urgent order through, with no limit and the wrong price group. Credit checks and terms are commercial and legal decisions for your business and its advisors; the system simply records them consistently. The broader platform view for Australian businesses is on the ERPNext consultant in Australia page.

From quote to GST tax invoice without re-keying

A quote is a promise about price, and in Australia that price normally includes or clearly shows GST. If the quote is written in a separate tool and the invoice is raised in accounting software, the two eventually disagree on items, freight or tax.

ERPNext keeps one chain:

• Quotation pulls the customer's price list and pricing rules, and applies a GST template chosen from the customer's tax category, with item tax templates for any lines your accountant confirms are GST-free.
• Sales order is made from the accepted quote, checking stock and credit.
• Delivery note records what was dispatched or collected from the trade counter, including back orders.
• Sales invoice inherits prices and GST, and carries the details a tax invoice needs, which your accountant should confirm against current ATO guidance.

For customers with several job sites, delivery addresses sit under one customer, so reporting by builder stays intact. I also make sure quote validity dates are set, because supplier price increases mean old quotes cannot be honored indefinitely. How these invoices feed BAS reporting is an accounting design question, covered on the ERPNext accounting in Australia page.

AUD and NZD pricing for customers across the Tasman

Many Australian suppliers have a cluster of New Zealand customers, and some also quote into the Pacific or Asia. ERPNext supports quotations and invoices in New Zealand dollars or other currencies while the books stay in Australian dollars, but the commercial rules need agreeing first.

The decisions I work through:

• Separate price lists in each currency, maintained by a named person, so margins are deliberate rather than the side effect of a rate on the day.
• Billing currency fixed on each overseas customer, so statements and receivables are not mixed.
• Freight and delivery terms spelled out on export quotes, since shipping across the Tasman changes the landed cost and lead time.
• GST on exports, where goods may be GST-free if export conditions are met; your accountant confirms the treatment and the evidence to keep, and I build the template and document links accordingly.

If you also operate a New Zealand entity, ERPNext can run it as a second company with its own currency and tax setup, and we agree up front whether Australian or New Zealand customers are served by the local company. For foreign currency accounting, read about ERP for multi-currency businesses.

Builders, tenders and the lead sources that matter here

Lead sources for Australian suppliers are often quite different from the inbound marketing model. Estimators at building companies send plans and ask for prices. Government and corporate work appears on tender portals. Walk-in trade counter customers ask for quotes. Distributors pass on inquiries from regions they do not cover. Trade shows produce a stack of contacts every season.

In ERPNext I give each a defined path:

• Builder and estimator inquiries become opportunities linked to the project, so repeat quoting for the same job does not create duplicate leads.
• Tender opportunities carry closing dates and submission documents, kept apart from the everyday pipeline in reports.
• Trade counter quotes are created quickly against an existing account or a cash customer, then followed up.
• Territories by state match how sales managers split the country, with pipeline reports at that level.

A web form or the API can push website inquiries into ERPNext directly. Whatever the source, the value is in being able to say which channels produce accounts that actually buy. For sector detail see the Australian construction ERP page and wholesale.

Where ERPNext CRM runs out for Australian sellers

For trade suppliers selling on account, ERPNext CRM is often the right tool because credit, stock and pricing matter more than campaigns. It becomes too thin when marketing carries the growth.

The gaps I point out to Australian clients:

• Ads attribution: Google and Meta spend cannot be traced to paid invoices without capturing click data and building the link yourself or through another tool.
• Nurture and scoring: ERPNext email campaigns are basic; consumer brands and service businesses running long campaigns usually need a marketing platform.
• Field and mobile selling: sales reps working from vehicles may find the ERP screens heavy; test the mobile experience early.
• Telephony and messaging: connectors come from third parties and need checking one by one.

Reps who want a lighter screen might prefer Frappe CRM, which is a standalone app rather than an ERPNext module. I would trial it against your account application and credit flow before advising. When a dedicated CRM is kept, ERPNext stays the owner of customers, credit limits, prices and invoices. See ERPNext CRM, CRM consulting, the Australian ERP consultant page and the Australia hub.