 Five Must-Have Tech Tools for Salespeople
The marketplace is flooded with technology tools geared toward salespeople on the go. Its hard to know what works and what doesnt what will make your job easier and whats just going to unnecessarily complicate your life. Here are seven essential technologies that could make you a more productive salesperson this year:
- Social networking for salespeople. Social networking isnt just for the MySpace generation. Sites like LinkedIn and Plaxo were created for businesspeople like you. LinkedIn is a Web site created to strengthen and extend your existing network of contacts. Heres how it works: You disclose your network to your contacts, and in turn they share their network with you. So, if it turns out that a friend is connected to the purchasing manager of a company that youve been trying to crack, you can suddenly leverage that social capital. This creates a wonderful opportunity to start making a lot more warm calls, says Keith Rosen, an executive sales coach and author of Time Management for Sales Professionals. For its part, Plaxo lets you better manage and update your network of contacts. The system sends you alerts whenever a contacts info has changed and automatically updates your address book.
Lighten the load. Walter Fine sells commercial real estate throughout southern Ontario. He hates lugging around his bulky laptop, but he frequently needs to get online to access e-mail, software applications, and a variety of Web sites. He considered getting a PDA, but he doesnt like working off a tiny screen and keypad. So he invested in the new ultramobile PC from Samsung called the Q1. I can carry it around in my pocket, access all the Web sites I want, and even use it for PowerPoint presentations, he says. Its definitely more comfortable to operate than a typical PDA. Another popular ultramobile PC is the OQO, which is ergonomically designed for usability on the go.
Always say thank you. Thank you cards and follow-up notes are small details that can go a long way toward closing a sale or winning a contract. Still, many salespeople overlook this simple courtesy because they cant find the time to squeeze it in. Thats where Booked Solid Cards comes in. Its an online service that scans your handwriting style and signature and then mails out personalized thank you cards on your behalf. The service literally makes sending out a card as simple as typing an e-mail. Its actually cost less than buying cards at a store and mailing them out yourself, says Lori Richardson, a sales coach who swears by the service. Its a simple, hassle-free way to touch prospects and build trust.
Get smart phones. The Blackberry isnt called the crackberry for nothing. Smart phones like the Treo and Blackberry are not only highly addictive, they are also highly effective for salespeople. I love having access to the internet from my smart phone, says Christina Richter, director of business development at CRI, a recruitment outsourcing firm. Its easier than using a laptop when Im on the road, and much more convenient for managing my day-to-day business. In the moments before meeting with a client, Richter will log on to the Internet via her smart phone and read the latest press releases or news headlines on that particular client. If something just happened that day, like an acquisition, I walk into the meeting looking real smart, she says.
Make your powerpoint. If youre like most salespeople, you struggle trying to turn limp, lifeless PowerPoint slides into stunning presentations. That was the case with Rick Cooper, until he discovered a new software product called Ovation from Serious Magic. The product really added a 'Wow!' factor to my presentations, says Cooper, a sales coach and author of Million-Dollar Contacts. With a simple click, it automatically makes text more readable, adds motion and animation, and builds in these eye-catching graphical backgrounds. The software also features a countdown clock for each slide so you keep on track if you have limited time to make your presentation.
Source : www.allbusiness.com |
