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KEEPING SCORE ON MOBILE SOLUTIONS
Field sales: Redefining out-of-pocket
By Dale Troppito and Dawna Paton
Most companies need to "reach out" to sell their products and services, using a sales force to "spread the word" from one prospect and customer to the next. Sales teams spend most of their working hours on the road, operating out-of-pocket. Enterprises face three top challenges with sales:
- How to keep sales teams at maximum productivity while in the field.
- How to keep sales connected to headquarters in order to keep abreast of sales opportunity developments and status.
- How to accomplish timely, effective, information updates on changing product offerings, pricing schedules, and business practices.
It just turns out that handhelds configured with the right mobile solution are the panacea to these problems. Handhelds are the missing technology link to keep the sales force connected to, and in sync with headquarters, -- and vice versa. Now let's explore why the handheld has such a compelling value proposition for sales forces.
Enumerating the field problems
Let's examine the types of problems sales representatives encounter in the field, and how a mobile solution can deal with those issues.
Being opportunistic & prepared
The sales landscape is a fluid one. Sales opportunities may arise and morph at any time. Enterprises want their sales forces ready and poised to make sales calls as opportunities present themselves.
In such volatile situations, however, it's difficult for a sales professional to have all the necessary information on hand. Sales history, prospect organizational structure, background on the management team, problems with the account, solution needs, RFPs (Request For Proposal), product availability, resource availability -- this is some of the information that a sales person wants to have at their fingertips prior to walking into an account. Handhelds now make this wish a reality.
Keeping up with change
The prospect landscape isn't the only thing that's fluid, so is the enterprise itself. Changing organizational structures, new product announcements, pricing schedule and business form updates, new marketing collateral, and new sales tools continue to evolve within any company.
Sales teams constantly need to be plugged into this information flow to have access to the most accurate, timely information. Handhelds overcome this problem, allowing access to the latest information whether in an airport, on the road, in the hotel, or at the sales account.
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