Working in sales can be brutal. The hours are long, and sales reps may be frustrated if their performance isn’t up to par. The one thing that can improve any sales professional’s performance is an Ipad. An Ipad will give them the convenience they need, to get their job done effectively and efficiently. Below are 5 of the best ways to utilize an Ipad or tablet to be effective in sales.

Presentations and Meetings

When you are demonstrating your products, it can be really convenient to have key points of your presentation on the Ipad. When a customer wants information or product photos, you will be able to show them with ease if you have an Ipad handy. The screen is large enough that they won’t have to squint, and this is a really convenient way to have all of your product information at your fingertips. An Ipad is especially useful if you are out in people’s homes selling, or if you are away from your office.

Taking Notes

The Ipad has a lot of convenient features and apps that make note taking a breeze. It is important to take notes about your prospective buyer, so that you will remember them in the future, and know what their preferences are, or what they are looking for. You can document things easily with an Ipad note taking app, and you will be able to download the notes to your office computer when you return to the office. An Ipad will help to keep you organized. Using an iPad saves a lot more time and will create more concise notes as opposed to a paper and pen, which can get messy and can be easily lost or misplaced.

Social Media Tools

Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz, and LinkedIn apps can all be easily accessed from an Ipad, no matter where you are. Social media tools are vital in sales, because the bulk of a company’s business may come from these platforms. Sales professionals need to check these sites frequently. If sales professionals want to monitor their social media pages, they can use their Ipad to run enterprise solutions, such as Radian 6, to know what is being said about them instantly. Monitoring is important if you want to be effective in sales.

Conferencing

Sales professionals lead busy lives. A conferencing app on their Ipad will allow them to easily see what meetings are scheduled, follow tweets, see presentation slides, and enter notes about meetings or events. Staying organized is essential. These apps are really effective in helping sales professionals to improve their performances.

Calculators

Even though a calculator may not seem like a great feature, it is! When you are pitching your products to prospective customers, and they want to know pricing options, taxes, financing options, prices with interest rates, or other related financial information, you will need the ability to calculate things fast. Their time is valuable, and so is yours, so don’t waste it! An Ipad calculator is one of the most convenient tools that a sales representative can have.

The above ways are just a few of the ways that an Ipad can benefit sales professionals to make them more effective in sales. There are thousands of apps on the market, so they can be as effective as they take the initiative to be. An Ipad is worth its weight in gold to a sales professional that uses it correctly.

Sometimes it seems like you just can’t catch a break. No matter how hard you work, how well you pitch your product, you simply can’t generate a sale. You can’t let this rut frighten or discourage you. What you need to do is take a deep breath and turn to Thomas Edison and look at his creative process. When you do so, you’ll learn whole new ways to sell more creatively and hone your creative skills, using them to help you generate more sales.

Edison knew how to listen. Part of this was because he was genuinely interested in people and enjoyed hearing their stories. Another reason he was such an astute listener was because he learned that by listening to others, it would often trigger an idea. By listening to the stories your prospective clients tell, you just might pick up on something that will help you quickly create a pitch that’s bound to work. A genuine personality and respect will get you further in the conversations with clients.

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Edison had fantastic people skills. It didn’t matter if he was with someone one on one, or if he was hanging out with a group of talented individuals, he knew how to connect with everyone he met. You can do the same thing. The next time you’re with a group of people take a few moments to observe them. At this point you should assume the role of the leader. Make it a point to draw each person into the group and identify the unique talents they’re contribution ads. You’re going to find this trait makes you stand out from your associates, putting you in a position to take on bigger accounts.

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In addition to acknowledging the talents of your other sales associates, you need to be willing to take a step back and let them shine once in a while. For example if you have an account you can’t seem to connect with, see if someone else might be better suited for the task. After all you’re supposed to be working as a team.

The next time you meet someone force yourself to keep an open mind. Assume nothing. This was a skill Edison used to his advantage. By not making assumptions your body language won’t accidentally tell a potential customer anything that could cause them to want to take their money elsewhere.

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A last piece of advice is to always try to be as humble as possible when you are out on a sales call. Read a book or two about body language and mannerisms. This investment will pay dividends!

Related Article: Stop Pitching & Start Solving Client Problems

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Sell To The Decision Maker

Ask any sales coach and they will tell you, when selling, it is important not to waste much time on a prospective buyer that has no real influence over purchase decisions. If you need to, spend some time with this person to make sure you get your chance to talk with the decision maker. You need to make your way to the decision maker eventually if you expect to make a sale. Ask up front if you are speaking to the decision maker. This will make your life a whole lot easier, and you will be using your time wisely.

Spot the Stringers

There are a couple of types of buyers that will keep you dangling on a string in the sales process. The first type may be the decision maker. They don’t want to tell you no, but they don’t want to tell you yes either. A vital aspect of your sales effort when dealing with this type of customer is to utilize your time accordingly. Spending time with this type of buyer will take your time away from other sales efforts that may be more important. The second type of stringer is the one that loves your product, but they can’t make a decision without talking to one of their superiors first. This is not such a bad thing, because they will be pitch your product for you and may have a close relationship with the decision maker. However, it is important that you ask to speak to the decision maker immediately once contact is made, so that you aren’t running around in circles trying to make a sale.

Meet with the Decision Maker

Successful selling is often determined by the amount of time that you actually get to spend with the people who make the decisions. You can spend a ton of time with a non-decision maker, but it won’t make much of an impact on your bottom line. You might as well be pushing paper behind a desk. It is often difficult to get in front of the people who are in charge, but you need to make every effort that you possibly can if you expect to see good results. If you are having trouble with this, consult a sales trainer or sales coach who will provide you with insights, tips and training on how to get in front of the decision maker. Receptionists may hold you back, but you must devise a strategy to get in front of the people who really matter. Try making an appointment to see the person in charge, instead of going back and forth with someone who has minimal authority.

Happy Selling!

From your Sales Coach 🙂

If you hope to succeed in the world of sales, you must have a skilled sales team in place. Personal selling is a thing of the past, because it does not even come close to driving the same level of results as what teams accomplish. When teams collaborate for the good of the company as a whole, rather than to meet individual goals, great things can happen. Not only do you have to engage your team in sales training and add new sales personnel often to succeed, you have to offer continual training for your sales employees that already exist as well. This is the only way to ensure that your sales employees are up to date on the latest sales strategies and trends.

Personal Selling vs. Team Selling

Companies that work on a sales team model, instead of personal selling, find that employees are much happier overall, their mental attitudes are much more positive, and they perform greater than those who work alone to reach their sales quotas or goals. Productivity is the ultimate goal. If your sales staff works alone, it is unlikely they will have the same level of motivation that they would have in working as part of a team. The important thing to do is to evaluate your sales force, to determine where things need to be improved. To evaluate your team effectively, try using a sales skills index assessment. If you expect your sales teams to achieve success, then you absolutely must listen to their input. If they feel as if they are part of the solution, then they will be inspired to reach for new heights.

Sales Teams and Productivity

Sales productivity can be tricky. Companies have found that working with sales teams can improve their sales long-term. Companies that do not use teams find that although their sales figures may look good on paper, they could suffer in the long run if sales members are offering subpar service. Individual sales members just do not have the same level of knowledge as teams do. When great minds collaborate together, overall sales are greatly improved. It is clear that teams are the way to go when companies are building their sales forces. Having a solid sales force can mean the difference between soaring profits and negative balance sheets. Spend the time to make your sales staff great.

Start doing more with sales teams that you manage!

Happy Selling!