In the fiercely competitive world of sales, first impressions are everything and every meeting matters. If you don’t leave a mark on your client within the first 30 seconds, chances are you won’t get the sale.

To increase the probability of closing deals, employers across the globe are turning to mobile technology, which helps them professionalise their sales force, improve client engagement and ultimately win business, says a new report from SME Advisor Middle East, a publication with a focus on business owners and senior executives across the GCC.

Any profitable organisation is looking for ways to optimise processes, reduce time spent on administrative tasks and focus its resources on building client relationships. Mobile technology is a fantastic medium helping businesses achieve these goals. Latest market data shows that a large number of companies around the world are investing in sophisticated mobile technology – not just for internal operations, but for customer facing functions too. One area that has yielded significant results is sales – Aberdeen research revealed that “23 per cent more firms meet team sales quotas when employing a sales mobility strategy”.

Organisations are using mobile technology to increase the effectiveness of the sales function; helping their employees be organised, consistent and engaging in every meeting. More importantly, they are using such technology to create a seamless link between the sales rep onsite and the business home base. For example, a salesperson can simply access latest prices on a mobile device rather than having to wait to go back to the office and share a revised quotation to the client.

In fact, businesses using mobile technology are enjoying a multitude of benefits. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages that mobile technology offers:

Provides real-time information

How many times do you find that your salesperson has to scour internal sites, PPTs, Excel sheets and old e-mails to get valuable information? Using a mobile device, you can easily assemble and catalogue data into an organised manner. Mobile forms are another popular way of collecting and organising information; they can be used to update purchase orders, alter pricing, record inventory and close sales.

An article on marketingprofs.com explains: “Making pertinent information such as product details, prices, inventory, and Web demos available remotely enables the salespeople to easily access the most accurate and timely information when they need it most. The more quickly salespeople can get to information crucial to move their prospects through each stage of the cycle, the more they will stand out from the competition and ultimately make a sale.”

Manages a customer database

Use an advanced CRM system to manage customer information and update the status of prospective leads. For instance, as soon as a sales member has finished a meeting, they will need to add in all crucial details into the CRM database. This allows for proper client follow-up and a streamlined customer contact systems across the sales floor.

Facilitates account management

Most businesses have a VIP segment of customers who are essentially repeat or loyal clients and account for a large portion of the revenue of the business. These accounts are usually handled by ‘account managers’, who give them individual attention. Mobile devices can help automate the interaction of account managers with these elite clients ensuring that all their needs are fully catered to.

Tracks and evaluates sales performance

With advanced mobile software available today, sales staff can sign in when they start work on their mobile devices and keep a time log of all their meetings during the day. In addition, they can update the status of every meeting online. So, managers are fully up to date in terms of the time spent on a meeting, the primary discussion points and the outcome.

That’s not all. Managers can also track what information is accessed the most by sales staff when interacting with clients, and use this to improve their proposals in the future. In fact, many businesses take advantage of a customised dashboard feature on devices which provides an overview of the progress of meetings across the sales floor including number of meetings attended, number of calls made, number of deals closed, number of leads collected, and so on.

Improves sales productivity

The lesser the amount of time spent on collecting and assembling information means more time spent on selling. It’s as simple as that. Sales staff no longer have an excuse to spend huge chunks of time in the office doing paperwork or sending out e-mails. Experts suggest that the implementation of mobile technology essentially gives up to one extra selling day every month!

Seal the deal: best practices in mobile sales

It is important to understand that simply providing latest gadgets to your sales team isn’t enough to make a difference or give your business a competitive edge. In order to fully maximise the opportunities that mobile technology offers, sales reps need to be trained and informed about key best practices before they begin field work.

The following is a list of important guidelines to bear in mind when briefing your sales force –

 Create customised content

No matter what the medium of presentation is, content is still king. Create a content library with a variety of templates so that it is easy to plug-in relevant information and prepare a raft of proposals. One of the biggest mistakes sales executives make is that they use a standard version of their presentation for a raft of diversified clients.

When it comes to sales presentations, avoid a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach and create a customised template based on the client’s individual needs. In case of back-to-back meetings, ensure that your salesperson has prepared multiple versions of the presentations beforehand.

Produce consistent messaging

Although sales staff are strongly recommended to use different proposals for different clients, the underlying message you are sharing with the customer should be the same. This means that your brand’s value should be reflected consistently across all materials. Have one-on-one meetings with sales members to ensure that they fully comprehend the organisation’s mission and strategic principles.

Another good practice is to break down sales messages into different modules so that the client has time to digest all the information. So, instead of creating a PowerPoint presentation with 10 slides, try to offer one slide with text and one slide with animated infographics to engage the customer.

Stay prepared

Don’t rely on Wi-Fi connection at your client’s office or a public meeting place; make sure that your sales members have the sales presentation saved on their device, which of course should be fully charged. They should refrain from using multiple devices during one meeting or relying heavily on mobile apps to do the work for them – this can cause confusion and waste time. More importantly, this helps keeps the prospective client engaged throughout the meeting.

Be organised

Encourage your staff to research the client beforehand and have an agenda in place for the meeting. Knowing what the client wants and catering to those needs within the presentation is a great way to close a deal. Remember that simply having the information accessible through the device isn’t sufficient, it needs to be organised in a coherent way and be client-friendly.

Follow-up instantly

Sales members shouldn’t wait to get back to the office or until the next day to follow-up with a prospect. They should send a recap of the meeting along with a soft copy of the presentation and other discussion points straightaway.

Ultimately, integrating mobile technology into your sales department will not only boost your bottom line but will also help you build a sales force that is more prepared, confident and organised. Moreover, combining the ease and timeliness of mobile devices with your company’s communication network will give you a robust sales ecosystem, within which your business can prosper. – TradeArabia News Service