A tech-enabled mobile sales team provides different challenges to a manager than a traditional team who may not be making use of technology. Technology has opened up the doors to providing a new way to do sales and thus management styles need to reflect this change in selling processes. Here are some tips on how you can aid a tech-savvy mobile sales team to reach new heights.
Access to the latest information
One of the things that a mobile sales team does on the regular is connecting to the cloud. The cloud is a place that everyone has to have access to in order to do their jobs correctly and efficiently. If a person does not have access to the latest information, it can cause problems. Whether it be access to client contacts, sales figures or the newest orders that have come through, all of these things need to be accessible and everyone on the team needs to have the same type of access. Of course, as the manager, your access will be different but all team members need to feel like they are on the same level.
Technical support
Since tech-savvy mobile sales teams have mobile devices and software installed on these devices, you always need to provide great technical support. Any software and mobile devices used to do sales with is essential to the team doing their jobs efficiently, so having it bug out or fail is not an option. Invest in a technical support team (either in-house or outsourced) to back the team at all times and who are available when necessary.
You never know if a problem will emerge during an important sales pitch so only having technical support available when the team returns to the office will only hinder the team’s efficiency. Have support be available via email and phone. An even better option would be to have an automated system that sends reports about bugs to the support team immediately to ensure quick response times.
Keep in contact
Communication is essential no matter what type of sales team you are managing. It becomes even more essential when you do not see your sales team for long periods of time. Have your mobile sales team members check in with you periodically by having them physically come in to the office, say, once a week. Making a mobile sales team have a face-to-face meeting makes it easier for everyone to engage with what is going on in the office and reconnect. Often, communicating via email or phone may cause some information to go lost or cause misunderstandings. Avoid this by having regular check-ins.
Provide the right equipment
Technology evolves at a rapid pace so it is important to make sure your mobile sales team always has the right equipment to get the job done. Most times this will mean the latest and most up-to-date equipment. If a member of the team is working with a mobile device that is outdated, it can hinder them when they use the software on the devices. Getting new equipment all the time can be costly but it will be even more costly when you leave it for too long. If a team member cannot close a sale because they do not have the correct software or equipment, it will cost you money in the long run.
Have your technical support team, mentioned in a previous point, automatically set up software updates and keep track of mobile devices – when they were purchased, the warranty time periods and when they need to be replaced.
Train for mobility
Using traditional training techniques may not be as successful when used on a tech-savvy mobile sales team. One needs to take into consideration that these types of teams work at a faster pace because of the technology they use daily. They also, often, have a shorter attention span which means training has to be adapted to compensate for this.
Quick-fire videos can be the best way to capture the attention of busy mobile sales people. Videos can better demonstrate how to use a device or software than a training manual can because the video displays the physical actions involved in using these. Make use of visuals as much as possible instead of lengthy reading materials.
