Implemented correctly, a handheld sales solution enables any sales person to have real-time access to corporate headquarter data, making sure they're always ready with the answers to prospects' questions, and ready to close the sale. Hot sales opportunities have less of a chance to cool down. A competing vendor has less of a chance to wedge themselves into the account between meetings. The net result is a higher sales close rate.

Shortened sales cycles
Simply stated, more gets done in sales meetings conducted by a sales person that's enabled by a robust mobile sales solution. The logistics of officially consummating the sale and delivering the goods are accomplished with fewer meetings since the sales person has better access to corporate resources and information. Less meetings and less time waiting between scheduled meetingS produces a shorter average sales cycle overall.

In conclusion
Mobile solutions should be a corporate mandate as the sales tool for field sales organizations. Such a mobile solution keeps the unleashed field sales force in the corporate fold, completely wired into the corporate CRM system. Everyone is happy with the result. Sales teams feel they're better supported by corporate, and are more productive in the field. Corporate feels they have more accurate insight into the total sales picture. And finally, more revenue and higher sales commissions are universal crowd pleasers!

What's next on the docket?
For our next column, we're going to turn our attention to a very exciting industry sector for mobile solutions: healthcare. Handhelds are redefining how providers deliver and manage care. We'll be examining the value delivery of mobile charge capture and mobile rounding. So stay tuned.

While we thoroughly enjoy pontificating on our personally selected topics regarding Mobile Enterprise Solutions, we'd like to establish an interactive relationship with you, our reading audience. Monologues are not us! We'd like to invite you to send your questions, opinions and topic suggestions on mobile enterprise solution value delivery to dtroppito@computingunplugged.com. We'll do our very best to respond expeditiously in our upcoming columns. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Dale Troppito and Dawna Paton are managing partners of the Gantry Group. Troppito has guided Gantry's rigorous ROI best practice models based on a 25-year career in the technology sector as a CEO, product development executive and chief marketing officer. You can reach her at dtroppito@gantrygroup.com. Paton believes that the technology leaders of the future will be those that understand the crucial role that a market-validated, value delivery strategy and compelling ROI play in shaping corporate competitiveness and customer satisfaction. You can reach her at dpaton@gantrygroup.com.