Tablets are more important than ever before in the world of business and sales, especially as our world grows increasingly mobile. According to Forrester Research, almost 1/3 of information workers are mobile, using multiple devices in many locations and a plethora of apps to get the job done. The group also predicted that by 2014, tablets will triple in number for use at work and at home.
6 years ago, before I started working online, I worked as a salesperson in a friend’s family business. Tablets weren’t available back then and we went off from one potential client to another with our laptops. You might also guess that laptops back then were slow as hell, with an average of 5 minutes loading time.
Can you imagine the awkward silence when a potential client is sitting infront of you and waiting for your old laptop to load?
Tablets are the ideal medium
Smartphones are amazing as small, portable communication devices that allow you access to apps and email on the go, and laptops are powerhouse do-it-alls that ensure you can handle all your work from anywhere. But tablets are the ideal middle ground between smartphones, which don’t always have supreme capabilities, and laptops, which can be hard to lug around. Tablets are the best friend for sales reps who need mobile, powerful features, which is why so many utilize them today.
Tablets keep you connected with awesome apps
It’s important for sales teams to stay on top of leads, clients, and contacts, but accessing this data on the go can be difficult. Luckily, sales apps in the likes of SupeRep and other leading platforms not only display your full catalog but also sync with your CRM and accounting software so you can work as you normally would in the office, no matter where you are. Also, sales apps like Sign Now allow you to send, receive, and sign important documents, so you can close a sale in seconds, whether you are in a client meeting or on your way to one. The best part about apps is that you can choose to use specialized apps like Asana to complete one aspect of your work, like managing your team’s assignments, or choose to use a comprehensive sales app that includes all the sales features you need in one system.
Tablets keep everyone up to date, wherever and whenever
Mobile technologies available on tablets connect with your other devices and can sync information through the cloud, so everyone has access to the most accurate data when they need it. Whether creating a presentation for a meeting, showing off products in your catalog, following up with clients, tracking work tasks, and more, tablets make it easy to do it all and stay in the loop about your team’s progress.
Most importantly, tablets make sales reps look good. With sleek design and features that keep reps on top of their work, tablets ensure no sales rep is caught in an embarrassing situation of being without a necessary piece of data or access to up-to-date catalog information during a meeting with a client.
Pulling a tablet out in a meeting also helps protect the precious personal barrier between clients and sales reps, because rather than talking over a laptop screen or constantly looking down at a smartphone, with tablets, clients and sales reps can go over information together and feel more connected. Even if clients and reps are far away, apps that allow for remote meetings can ensure that reps can still use their personal touch, even if they are miles away.
If you’re a sales rep, how have tablets helped you increase your sales?