iPad – a sales game changer
Mike and I are skeptics naturally. And we’ll be the first to wonder just how important is Apple’s iPad to sales and marketing practices within the industry. So while I’d love to remain skeptical about the iPad’s use in business, I’ve come around to agree that – used appropriately – the iPad can be a game changer for sales forces throughout the industry.
Many people have already said this; they usually mention the iPad’s robust e-mail capabilities or CRM access.
I think the game changer functionality is more subtle, closer to etiquette. Think of this situation.
Sales person and prospective client meet for lunch. They get to talking about a product feature, performance, or something related. The sales person wants to use some data to prove a point.Most likely the sales person isn’t going to pull out his laptop, boot it up, log in, plug in a USB networking device, access the Web, find the data, and then turn the laptop to face the prospect. By this point, the prospective client has finished his sandwich.
Also, it’s unlikely that the sales person’s BlackBerry is fast enough to access the data quickly or big enough to keep the sales person from squinting.
Most likely, the sales person will fumble through a dossier to find something printed that approximates proving the point. In this case, the sandwich may get finished and the printed material may not be exactly right.
The iPad’s instant-readiness (powering on and connecting to the network) married with the resolution give the iPad “game changer” potential. The sales person could pull it out, immediately turn it sideways for both people to see and navigate to the exact data. In this case, the conversation continues.
For the right sales person, the iPad can complement a sales process in a way that other technologies can not.