During bear markets, field reps often struggle with a manager’s crisis of confidence that accompanies declining demand. The decrease in a company’s faith in its sales team is often proportional to its decrease in revenue.
But the outside sales profession marches on through the best and worst of times because there is simply no substitute for eye-to-eye, relational sales—even as technology makes it exceedingly easy for buyers and sellers to connect without a moment of human contact.
Technology should be viewed as a boon for sales personnel, rather than a bogeyman (as it is often portrayed). Enterprise mobile technology in particular is spawning a new breed of highly efficient salespeople who perform better without putting in longer hours that raise the cost of sales.
It bears repeating (and we’ve repeated this fairly regularly in our blog): mobility eliminates the wasted time a field rep spends recording and reporting data from the field to HQ, whether through paper, phone, or inconvenient desktop processes.
Mobile sales automation solutions are configured to equip sales reps with a wide range of tools to facilitate and streamline sales. These tools may include an ordering solution offering backend systems integration, a customizable eCatalog to display products at the point-of-sale, and a library of up-to-the-minute sales and marketing materials (presentations, videos, brochures, price sheets, customer info, etc.). Solutions can also leverage a tablet’s native software in order to geo-locate leads, for example.
You might be able to find all these things in a single dynamic solution.
Admittedly, we’re slightly biased when it comes to naming the best sales automation app. However, it’s noteworthy that it is possible for the same mobile application that is employed to facilitate the sales process can also cater to the requirements of sales supervisors and other executives.
By offering a two-way channel of communication between the field and HQ, mobile apps provide decision-makers with immediate access to key information. For instance, a sales manager can view real-time information from reps, such as a synopsis of a meeting with a prospect or the details of a customer order.
This instantly transmitted data—especially when integrated with ERP systems—provides a granular view of big-picture sales metrics (i.e. who is buying, what is selling, etc.) that will inform better business development decisions.
Image credit: http://thesaleshunter.com/the-problem-with-blaming-the-sales-force/