This technology is particularly beneficial for the sales representative who spends many hours of the road calling upon customers. No longer do you have to worry about being stuck in traffic and missing youe appointment with a customer -- you can now use your hand-held cellular phone to notify your customer that you're running late, and if necessary, reschedule the appointment for a later time that day.

This ability to contact customers and prospects while still on the road makes you appear more professional without the inconvenience of having to pull off the road and find a pay phone.

If you're not certain where you're going, some phones now have navigational devices on them. Even without those, if you have Web access, you have the option of obtaining directions that way. One amazing tool is Google Maps, running on EvDO-equipped mobile phones. Even without GPS access, you can immediately get detailed maps and directions, all downloaded off a fast Internet connection.

Better yet, if you have a Blackberry or email-equipped phone, you can ask your customer to send you directions in your email, which you can access on your phone. This is just one example. You can also send Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PDFs -- and, on some phones, edit those documents and send them back.

In addition, having email access means that you can stay abreast of what is happening in your office and any important issues that you need to address before you return to your office. Your ability to do this enhances your ability as a liaison between your company and its customers as well as increasing your visibility within the business community, thus providing you with the potential to bring in new customers during your travels.

Cell phones of the 21st century also allow you access many of your office programs from your phone. How does that benefit you? If part of your job entails picking up payments from customers, and the billing is in a program such as Excel, you don't have to print everything before you leave, you can access it from the road.

This is especially important if your customer may have sent in payment since you left-it will then be up to date when you access the file. Accessing your Outlook address book is another option that you have at your disposal, and an especially important one if you plan to visit potential prospects during your trip. More and more Web-based applications have a mobile interface, allowing you access to the "cloud" of data from nearly any phone.

Technology has advanced way beyond what any of us would have envisioned before the turn of the century, and it's not showing any signs of a slowdown. Cellular phones have become more than phones -- today they are mini hand-held computers that allows the business traveler to put down your office telephone and spend as much time as necessary making certain you serve your customers -- and your company's bottom line.

With the ability to create an Internet connection for your laptop through your mobile phone, and the technology of your phone itself, it's difficult not to lose that sense of need about being in the office. If you make your living on a commission, you certainly want to spend as little time as possible sitting in your office, and in this instance, modern technology is your friend.