Slim, portable and powerful, tablets are some of the top tools in the sales field today. According to research from the Sales Management Association, 40 percent of salespeople are already using them to boost efficiency and stay focused, and, of that group, 70 percent are seeing a measurable return on investment in the process. With 90 percent of sales organizations planning to invest in tablets soon, the popularity of these devices is only growing: an IDC report projects they will be more shipped than laptops and desktops combined by 2015. So what makes tablets so useful? Why is a personal tablet such a valuable tool for a salesperson in the office or on the road? What do they offer your sales team? To help answer these questions, here’s a look at how exactly tablets are transforming the sales industry today. With a tablet, here is what a salesperson gains:
- Organization on the Go: In a world that is increasingly mobile, tablets afford salespeople a convenient way to manage their emails, appointments, to-do lists, clients, goals and more — all from a handheld device with a large, readable screen, anywhere they go. By managing everything in one place, your staff members have what essentially amounts to a computer, a planner and a Rolodex in one. This allows them to work more efficiently and from anywhere. They take all their important information with that and are better equipped to be productive on the go.
- Better Communication: It’s not just responding to client questions that salespeople are better able to do with the tablet. It’s also staying in touch with other members of the sales team. Through various apps, tablet users can communicate with one another in real time, as if they were sitting in the same room, even when they’re across the city or country. This makes team meetings incredibly easy and convenient. It’s simple to communicate, stay updated, understand where the team is at in terms of goals, etc. Likewise, tablets make it easy to share documents, contact information, sales materials and more, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
- Mobile Sales Tools: With a tablet, a salesperson carries all kinds of marketing materials, product catalogs, quote tools and important software along wherever he or she goes. Imagine being able to quickly pull out video testimonials, product specifications, slides, websites, photos, etc., to show to prospects. With a tablet, that’s what your staff has at their fingertips. Tablets enable sales staff to make sales anywhere, as they can not only explain and demonstrate products or services, but they can also place orders, track shipments, monitor inventory, respond to questions and so on. For salespeople who need to create and edit documents, there are multiple document-editing apps that make it possible to work with Microsoft Office files. For showing PowerPoint presentations on sales calls, there are apps like Keynote that allow you to transition through slides via the touch screen. The tablet becomes an information-packed tool that moves sales forward.
- GPS Software: A lot of sales jobs require travel, and the tablet makes getting to a new destination in record time no problem at all. Just like in smartphones, a strong GPS system is built right into your tablet. Whether a sales call is in a remote town or in a crowded area of the city, the tablet can be the tool to get you there, for free.
The bottom line with tablets is they empower your sales team. From making it easy to find destinations to providing the resources that help them land new deals, a tablet offers everything a salesperson needs on the road or in the office. As tablets continue to increase in popularity with companies, adding them to your sales team will only grow in importance — so don’t wait. Think about the ways tablets can boost your sales success today.
Steve Yoder is the Vice President of National Accounts for Minerallac. Minerallac assists industrial/construction distributors get the electrical construction and safety equipment they need for their customers.
