7 Apps That Every Sales Professional Needs
The advent of digital platforms and applications has revolutionised the way businesses are run. As a result, efficiency has sky-rocketed in many business sectors and in none has the digital mobile revolution been more welcome than in the most mobile sector of business, sales. Apps for everything from pitching presentations to sales report management have popped up all over the net.
The challenge that does arise from such an endless supply of apps, is for the discerning sales professional to keep their device's wallpaper uncluttered and internal memory unclogged. Believe it or not, you may already have most of those you need, and adding only a few more will reinvent the way your company does sales.
These are the 7 most basic needs of every sales professional and examples of apps to help fill those needs:
Document Sharing and Storing
The most obvious solutions for document sharing and storing are Dropbox and Google Drive. They make it possible to store important documents and retrieve them from any digital device with internet connectivity, as well as making them accessible to clients or sales teams in remote areas. Now your hard-drive can crash or your battery give out, and you will still be able to access that all-important contract.
Organising Sales Teams
Keeping track of sales teams need not be confusing. Wunderlist, the business world's answer to Cozi, everyone's favourite family organiser, gives you an overview of where each member of your sales team is and what they are up to. It includes in-app communication which adds to the streamlining of daily operations. Big Brother just got sales-friendly.
Pitching Presentations On The Go
Setting up a clumsy laptop to pitch a presentation to a prospective client has become a thing of the past. An app like Keynote will give you the power to design and store presentations on your mobile device which you can whip out with the flick of a finger. Imagine, an impressed client before they have even seen the presentation, never mind the product.
 Knowing Who You Are Pitching To
Part of presenting a successful pitch is knowing who you are pitching to as this determines what they will be looking for and what you will focus on in your presentation. Researching the business activities of your client on an app such as LinkedIn can supply you with such strategic information. Don't work hard, work smart.
 Managing and Executing Daily Sales
Whether your focus is B2B, B2C or ERP, keeping track of sales, quotations, orders, inventory control, conversion figures and analysis can present quite a challenge. But not if you make use of one of many excellent e-commerce platforms and their attending mobile apps. Contalog, Handshake and Pepperi are all more than happy to assist on any operating system, while others, like Repzio, cater for Apple users exclusively. Most boast offline connectivity which is a necessity for the travelling sales professional.
 Getting Yourself Out There
It is no more "word of mouth" we depend on, but word of Facebook and Twitter. Tweeting your latest successful pitch or posting your most recent breakthrough collaboration on Facebook makes you more attractive to other prospective clients. After all, everybody likes doing business with successful people. This can be even further exploited by using Facebook for branding by association to boost your public image.
 Staying Personally Connected With Clients and Sales Teams
Despite the great advances in group communication and public profiles, we remain human beings with a desire to be individually recognised and valued. Staying personally connected with clients and sales team members alike can be invaluable in cementing long term, fruitful relationships that can only do your business good. WhatsApp provides such a platform, where you can personally answer your client's questions or concerns.
A little planning and strategic use of mobile apps can simplify your working life as a modern sales professional. It can even leave you with time to spend on Skype, getting precious face-time with your children and other loved ones. A vital part of success in today's business world is to make technology work for you.
 
 
Jen Starr is part of the community team at Next Day PC. Jen enjoys staying on top of the latest tech trends and sharing how new tech can positively impact people’s lives.