Go Mobile or Wind Up Your Business!

Tools have simplified our lives ever since the very first humans. There was a time when a caveman attached wood to sharp stones and used them as hammer. There was a concern, there came an idea and a tool was made. After thousands of years since, we are still creating tools on the same ideology, just that the technologies have changed. Today these tools have become superfluously advanced, and this innovative technology offers us the ability to instantly call a cab, edit a picture or send a message faster – all with the same motive of trying to make things easier.
And in these challenging times going mobile has become a need than a luxury.

Sales representatives still clinging to the prehistoric sales methodologies?
As consumer behaviour and their preferences domineer the enterprise technology trends in an extraordinary way, companies of all shapes and sizes are struggling hard in finding out how to effectively equip sales teams with mobile solutions?

Sales Leaders and CIOs are busy in defining a proactive mobile strategy and harnessing mobility capabilities therefore exploiting the newest capabilities of mobile technology. This will develop a distinctive sales representative and customer experience.

Having met with the largest and fastest growing sales team, I learnt some tips from them to increase their effectiveness of sales reps. They are :

1. Real-time information access
2. Modern mobile devices
3. Collaboration through the cloud

Sales industry is constantly moving and it is on the go. Prudently speaking and let’s now face it that selling is not a ‘some time’ thing instead it’s an ‘all the time’. Sales reps are expected to be always upselling existing customers and instead finding new customers. They are always been told that selling must be in their blood. With their over busy travelling schedules, sales reps rely on mobile technology to stay continually connected with their customers and coworkers. They need smartphones, tablets, phablets and without any denial the cloud technology throughout the selling process.

Why Mobile-enabled Sales Reps:

Statistics clearly explains that enterprises have already moved to the Mobile Enabled Sales Reps strategy and those who have not are proactively abiding by the changeover processes. Candidly I mean that there is a reason why you should mobile enable your sales reps, if you have not yet.

Here goes the list of reasons why you should:

• • 1. Collaboration and Uniformity:
    Collaboration is very important in a situation where employees work away from office on a regular basis, in this case of course sales reps. Multiple team members have the same information in hand at any specific given time as everything is kept on cloud. All these updates are made to the system will reflect on other sales rep’s app. Information remains intact and is shared between sales reps directly. This can keep misinformation and misunderstanding at bay. The incorrect information can be rectified easily by any of the shared member. Uniformity is maintained.
  • 2. Proximity With Engagement:
    Proximity has the potential to create good customer relationships. A tablet which is a light handheld device has a large screen where two or more people can comfortably view your electronic catalogue. Proximity gives your client a closer feel and therefore helps them to develop trust in you. Hence mobile devices and tablets necessitates that you give a closer view for your client of your sales demonstration.Having enterprise centric mobile sales app as part of your sales strategy allows you to focus on the client more than on the sale itself. Client engagement also takes place when client gets involved in looking the screen, scrolling through product images, handpicking the products and allowing them to see how to actually place an order. This feels more intimate than an (usually) impersonal sales presentation.

• 3. Mobilized Sales Discussion:
  When your sales reps are using a tablet or another mobile device, then you have the ability to have a sales conversation with their colleagues and clients anywhere. Sales reps can even show orders placed or quotes by simply accessing various mobile sales apps from their mobile device. Algoworks is specialized in offering many enterprise centric mobile sales applications. Using these mobile apps, users can take orders, create quotes, download the latest copy of a product catalogue, store contacts, create an electronic catalogue, review daily sales operations and more.
• 4. Customer Relationship Management:
  You are known how and what you carry in your personality. Everyone loves attention. And so does your client. It has been observed that mobile enabled sales reps are more preferred by CIOs and CEOs as they tend to create a positive and professional image in comparison to those who are still clinging to obsolete tools.
  With a little assistance of mobile sales apps you can actually make your client feel important. Your client would never want to consistently repeat themselves especially for minuscule things.
• 5. Improved Team’s Image:
  Use of mobile sales apps by your sales representatives while they are with client, not only gives client an image of professionalism but such practice benefits them for their internal business processes. When you move alongside technological developments, you are more trusted by clients to provide them the same great product innovations as what you are using. Carrying tatty, outdated paper catalogue or files gives an unprofessional and unreliable look nowadays. They may even perceive that if a sales team is so disorganized, how will be their products and client service?

Proof

Let’s have a quick look at some statistics which tend to prove that process of Sales-reps Mobilization has already started taking big (Sources CIO Insight)
According to the CSO Insights, Sales Performance Optimization Study, 97 percent of firms are actively using or have started to use tablet devices for their sales processes. This number has increased significantly since only one year ago, when only 45 percent of survey respondents had provided their sales forces with mobile-enabled sales capabilities. However, nearly half of the organizations surveyed in 2012 do not yet have a formal program around tablet usage. (See Figure 1 and 2)

(I) Sales forces are using tablets more frequently but without defined policies.

Ques 1 – What percentage of your sales force is currently using tablet devices to support their sales activities?	Ques 2 – Which of the following statements best describes your company’s policy towards tablet device usage in sales?

A Gartner study of a large sales force found that representatives were spending 20 percent more computing time per day when they used a tablet, a smart phone and a laptop, as opposed to a smart phone and laptop alone, to execute the same or similar activities. (See Figure 3 and 4)

(II)The introduction of tablets is changing computing behaviour.
A Gartner study for a large sales force found that representatives were spending 20 percent more computing time per day when they used a tablet, a smart phone and a laptop, as opposed to a smart phone and laptop alone, to execute the same or similar activities. (See Figure 3 and 4)
An example:

CIO Insight report clearly shows that implementing new CRM tool was a top priority initiative for more than 40 percent of chief sales officers surveyed. Application of CRM based tools hasshown positive responses in various ways. (See Figure 5)

(III) What measurable improvements in performance are you seeing as a result of implementing your CRM system?

(IV) Tech-Gurus Twitter Speaks:

Hence, keep your sales reps productive and connected while they are on the move. With the proliferation of cloud technologies, user friendly mobile devices, and enterprise-class apps, the organizations can enjoy innovative and enhanced sales connectedness and effectiveness.

Looking for mobile app development services? Contact us for the best solutions, we can help!

References:

http://mobileenterprise.edgl.com/tech-spotlight/3-Tips-for-Maximizing-Field-Sales85977
http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture-Selling-More-with-Mobile-Solutions.pdf
http://www.insightsquared.com/2014/07/top-10-sales-tools-for-2014/
http://www.docurated.com/all-things-productivity/43-mobile-sales-apps-streamline-sales-ops

Why you should mobile-enable your sales reps

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Ajeet Singh

Co-Founder & Director, Business Management

Ajeet is responsible for driving sales, forging strategic partnerships and managing key Client relationships in the United States and Canada. In the past, Ajeet has held consulting roles with various global technology leaders, such as Globallogic & HSBC in India.

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