13 Hacks for Salespeople Use Mobile Technology to Serve Customers Better
On this page you will discover practical mobile technology hacks that help salespeople serve customers better, respond faster, and close deals more efficiently. These tips are designed specifically for small and medium businesses that want to stay competitive without complicated tools or large budgets.
Over 90 percent of salespeople have cell phones and many have tablets. However, many of us are not using mobile technology to its fullest potential.
Learn 13 mobile technology hacks to serve your customers better.
Hack 1 Gather a lot of customer data quickly
Using your cell phone to capture contact information is a no brainer, but do you go beyond the basics? Consider collecting more than a name and a phone number.
Basic Contact Information
- Name and Position Title
- Phone Number
Going beyond the basics helps you personalize future communications
- How did you meet
- How does your new contact prefer to be contacted
- What industry or department does your contact serve
- In a few words what challenges can you help them solve
- Will others be involved in the decision making process
- What is his or her passion personal and professional interests
A mobile friendly CRM like Claritysoft makes it easier to capture and organize this information immediately while it is still fresh.
Hack 2 Use mobile Customer Relationship Management
You can manage all of your contact and account information directly from your smartphone or tablet using Claritysoft’s mobile CRM solution. Not only is this an easy way to gather all of the customer data quickly, you can access leads, opportunities, and sales activities.
Some applications allow you to call, text, email, Skype, log activities, and map the location of your contacts right from your mobile device.
Hack 3 Respond to customer questions faster and look smarter
If you’re in sales, you probably have your best technical, product and support experts on speed dial. Another way to answer customer questions quickly is to access product information on your phone or tablet.
Before visiting a client site, build a folder on your mobile browser listing your most important product manuals, resources and support documentation in one single place. Showing customers product information in writing increases your credibility and makes it easier to overcome objections.
Customer notes and documents stored in Claritysoft help sales teams respond confidently and consistently.
Hack 4 Take notes and pictures that you can search later
You can use your smartphone or tablet to take notes throughout client meetings. Make your notes more meaningful by adding photographs related to the client project, including images of part numbers and accessories.
One great thing about digital notes is that you can search them later looking for key phrases.
Hack 5 Plan sales routes
According to the Pew Research Center, 74 percent of American adults use their smartphones to get directions and location information.
Rather than bouncing from location to location, plan your entire sales route by plotting all of your contacts on a map at one time. This option is available in some contact management software.
Hack 6 Improve CRM adoption
Sarah Sluis states that for many field sales representatives CRM is a burden. After a long day of selling they have to enter information from the day’s calls and appointments into their company’s system.
Mobile CRM makes it easier for field sales teams to manage customer information on the go. With tools like Claritysoft, salespeople do not need to wait until they return to a desktop.
Hack 7 Check calendars and schedule appointments immediately
Digital calendars help us stay efficient, but there is a more important reason to use online scheduling. You want to check calendars and schedule appointments immediately to keep momentum going with customers.
Waiting to get back to the office can risk losing the deal to a competitor.
Hack 8 Carry all your marketing materials with you
If you are one of the 33 percent of salespeople who carry printed marketing binders and brochures, you might want to rethink your approach. Creating digital brochures allows you to include links and videos for a more engaging sales pitch.
Digital materials also give you a great reason to collect email addresses and follow up later using tools like Claritysoft.
Hack 9 Personalize marketing materials on the fly
Mobile marketing materials allow you to add, remove, and modify your sales pitch during the meeting. As you learn more about client challenges, you can focus on what truly matters to them.
Hack 10 Check inventory in real time
If your inventory system is accessible via the internet, you can check inventory in real time from your smartphone or tablet. This allows you to commit to orders on the spot and reduce lost deals.
Hack 11 Accept customer payments on the spot
Mobile payments have grown rapidly. Accepting payments on site helps increase close rates and shorten the sales cycle.
Hack 12 Track expenses more efficiently
Capturing and categorizing expenses with mobile phones saves time and removes the frustration of last minute expense reporting.
Hack 13 Keep up to date on industry trends
While waiting at client sites or traveling, use downtime to improve your knowledge. Download books or white papers to your mobile device and continue learning.
When combined with a mobile ready CRM like Claritysoft, these habits help sales teams stay informed, organized, and focused on what matters most the customer.
