There's little question: to sell competitively, every sales force and every sales person needs to use technology to some extent and those who make full use of the different facets of the latest in information technology stand a better chance of outperforming their peers.
E-mail is now so commonplace that many forget how powerful a tool this can be. Not only can e-mail save time versus phone calls or letters, but e-mail also allows a sales person to keep in touch in a non-intrusive way. There is also the importance of mobile e-mail: for some roles the ability to respond to e-mail messages when away from the office using a device such as a Blackberry can be crucial.
In many cases, a sales pitch requires an on-site visit to a client's premises and here technology can be of enormous help. Having a laptop available makes presenting information far easier whilst the ability to plug in a company laptop to project a presentation in a client's boardroom can be a powerful medium. Whilst off-site, the sales force can also benefit of having CD's or USB drives with product information to leave behind both of which can be far more effective than printed material.
Social media is a big buzzword and this is one area in which the seasoned, well connected salesperson can stand out. With websites such as LinkedIn providing an excellent platform for sharing and exploiting a personal network of colleagues and past and present customers, there is no longer an excuse for a sales force to be out of touch with the many people they have come to know.
Nowadays business relationships can stretch over very long distances and whereas phone calls used to be the most personal way of staying in touch with prospects and existing customers, many sales forces now have access to comprehensive video conferencing facilities. The most advanced of these can closely mirror the boardroom experience and have thus, at least for some groups, greatly reduced the need to travel.
However there are times when a sales person is away from the office for a number of days and remote access to email, work documents and databases can be invaluable if regular visits to the office are out of the question.
There is one crucial development in information technology that combines many of these technologies into an integrated system that is far more than the sum of its constituent parts. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software integrates a central database of customer data with every aspect of a sales force's arsenal of technology.
Whether it is working remotely, sending e-mail or presenting to clients, CRM software can make it dramatically easier for sales people to collaborate and to spend their time as efficiently as possible. Even though all of the aforementioned technologies can each, in their own way, increase the likelihood of a sale occurring, the way in which CRM software binds together technology with people, processes and associated information is what ultimately makes a striking difference in sales team efficiency and in bottom line revenue.
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