Acme Inc. was facing a pressing problem. Managing their onsite field sales representative was proving to be hectic. Measuring results to targets field sales rep-wise was yet another nightmare.
The management did not take much time to get a field sales app built to eliminate all the problems once and for all. Then, came the nasty surprise. The field sales personnel were not ready to adapt to it. They were happy being on their own, selling through traditional means, that is, manual catalogs, physical products and so on.
Well, in case you find yourself in the same boat, be informed that there are ways out.
Sometimes all it takes is a small push in the right direction to get people do what you want them do. The same with field sales reps too.
Here are 6 ways how you can entice them to get used to your field sales mobile app and make them use it like a sales weapon.
#1. Enlighten them of its diverse utilities
Let’s take inventory of some of the common challenges that field sales reps invariably face:
- Missing product information
- Manual order process that is slow and error-prone
- No real-time connect with backend sales team
- Inability to explain product convincingly
- No proper product demo (other than personal description)
Now let’s take inventory of the possibilities that a field sales app can do:
- Complete product information, including dimensions and order quantity in digital form
- Online process that is swift and near real-time connected with backend sales team
- Product demo videos, use cases demo in interactive form
- Live order taking forms that can be customized endlessly according to individual customers
This would make the first move of making them look at a field sales app in a positive way.
#2. Migrate to a mobile-only approach
Another way to make your field sales reps adapt the field sales app is to give them no other option. Like some upgrades that force us to leave the erstwhile version behind, force your sales reps to a mobile-only approach where the field sales mobile app will be the centerpiece. A mobile-only approach will also ensure that there is universal adoption of mobile field sales app across the organization.
#3. Design the app to be universally accessible
Although rare, it is possible that some reps may not want to adopt your mobile sales apps simply because it is not compatible with their devices or its OS. There is no point in blaming them either. The solution is to fabricate the app to be universally across all OS (Android, iOS, Windows) and also all possible devices like mobile, desktops, tablets or hybrid devices.
#4. Keep all marketing materials accessible on the app
Does your field sales mobile app have all the marketing materials integrated into it? If your answer is, “I don’t know” or “few of them”, your field sales reps may not want to use the app for long.
If the app can supply the field sales executive with all essential marketing materials on the go without any hassle, they will have no other way but to like it. Keep all marketing materials, like digital product catalogs, demo videos, product technical details, pricing offers, etc. readily available and quickly accessible within the app interface.
#5. Provide offline app connectivity
A typical field sales team spends a large amount of time outdoors trying to reach out to customers. In some places, network connectivity could be damn poor spoiling all possible plans of fetching online information. This can be a valid reason for your field sales field sales representative to shy away from using the app.
Well, just trump them by providing offline connectivity which can sync order details when connectivity resumes. Local storage within the app can help the field sales rep work seamlessly even when signals drop as bad as 2G speeds. Alternatively, order booking using SMS and push notifications for order statuses can also be explored.
#6. Apply result measurement on the go
Mobile field sales reps need to know how well they are faring in selling. Waiting for month end to get the sales report is not a feasible option either. It is here that the sales tracking mobile app can work its charm.
A mobile field sales app that can generate instant charts about selling, targets achieved, impending orders, etc. can be a boon to a field sales rep. They will find the app to be more useful than just raising order tickets or showing product demos. They will carry it around and use it as a yardstick to measure their performance.
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