Sales teams are the lifeblood of every business out there aiming to turn a profit on their products. It’s therefore in the best interest of these organizations to equip their teams with the right sales tools that enable them to make the most of any and all opportunities. Today’s sales arena is rife with innovation driven by new mobile solutions that can allow your sales team to operate with high efficiency, all while reaching fresh untapped markets thanks to increased mobility.
These opportunities for improvement are granted to us by mobile devices, such as tablets that allow us to enjoy the same productivity we experience in the confines of our offices while out in the field. The use of mobile sales tools essentially make your field team smarter by empowering them with real time sales data and constant communication with team managers. This kind of team “connectedness” leads to smarter, more targeted sales and increases visibility of new opportunities. After all, sales typically don’t come to you but are rather sought out. The use of tablets makes that task easier.
Proof in numbers
Before we get into the “how,” let’s reinforce the “why” with some cold, hard numbers. According to the Sales Management Association, 40 percent of current salespeople are making use of a mobile solution involving tablets. Among the executives in those tablet-wielding salespeople, 70 percent are seeing a tangible return on investment. With 90 percent of surveyed sales organizations reporting plans for increased investment in tablet sales solutions, we can clearly see that the benefits of tablet driven sales tools are turning some important heads. It’s worth noting here that end-users aren’t the only folks heading the tablet sales empowerment call: Salesforce.com — a sales solution industry leader — recently jumped into the fray with a popular app that leverages a cloud to tablet tandem for delivering crucial data to salespeople in the field.
Tools of the mobile sales trade
Now that we know the real potential of a tablet-empowered sales team, let’s dig into some practical tablet tools that enable this success. Mobile sales tools often times come in the form of apps that are either developed in-house or purchased from third-party vendors. Either way, they’re all built with a specific goal in mind — to increase the likelihood of completing a sale.
First on the list — and maybe the most useful of the mobile tools we’ll discuss — are those that improve team communication. You see, just like a good marriage, a great sales team requires impeccable communication to operate effectively. Tablet tools like Fuze for the iPad allow entire teams to communicate in real time as if they were sitting in the same conference room. The ability to share documents and contact information further proves the utility of such sales tools.
Second, and similar to the above tool, is the notion of “data communication” — that is, the ability to seamlessly integrate data collected in the field with data already gathered and stored within the organization. This allows sales teams to embrace an organic and flexible sales strategy by better understanding how current and fast-changing opportunities fit in with the bigger picture.
The third method for utilizing mobile tools to bolster your sales strategy lies in the power of organization. Mobile devices present unique abilities for automatic organization of customer data, including contact information, purchase patterns and sales opportunities. One such tool that you’re no doubt aware of is LinkedIn. These tools combine the best aspects of today’s socially connected business with innovations in mobile infrastructure to create simple ways to dynamically organize important connections as well as discover new and promising leads.
Summary of benefits
The benefits of mobile sales tools can be summarized with this: most sales are made “in the field,” and mobile devices equip your team members with the tools they need to be productive. By taking advantage of tablets along with the increasingly useful applications they run, your sales team can approach new opportunities in a more intelligent and strategy-focused manner. Your team can also proceed with the confidence in knowing they have the necessary knowledge directly at their fingertips to make the sale.