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Useful Apps
for the Sales Rep on-the-go
|
 Manny
Mandrusiak
Managing Creative Consultant,
4 Bravo Marketing
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The last few articles
that I’ve written have been about how to best
utilize the current Social Media tools to increase sales funnels.
One thing that I have not touched on is perhaps the most important
piece of gear in any salesperson’s arsenal…their phone. “Always
be reachable” was a motto that a former sales coach of mine used almost
every day.
These days almost
everyone in sales or marketing is packing a
smartphone simply because it is almost a complete office that fits in a
pocket. All the Applications (Apps) and features on the market
today for smartphones and tablets truly make them a compact and mobile
office complete with an admin assistant to keep track of all those
client appointments and meetings.
In this article I would like to highlight some of my most favorite Apps
for smartphones and tablets that I’ve used to make life on the road
easier.
- Kayak
Mobile – Some companies have a travel
department that makes all the travel arrangements and dots all the”
I’s” for sales reps. Others don’t. For those that don’t,
the Kayak Mobile App works extremely well. Based off the Kayak
website, Kayak Mobile aggregates costs and special deals from travel
agencies, hotel chains, car rental companies and other travel
websites. I have used it to plan recent trips, and what I found
really useful was that it provides easily used price comparison tools
that work well in a mobile environment. This feature enabled me
to plan and modify trips quickly to suit my needs.
- FlightTrack
– I don’t know how many times I was
stuck in the O’Hare Airport in Chicago and wished that I would have had
this App. This App provides flight and gate information on flights from
more than 5,000 airports and 1,400 airlines. Now with the touch
of a screen on your phone sales reps can spend a little more time with
that last minute airport meeting (because we all have them) and still
make the flight even though the gate has changed. It is a free App for
most of the big players i.e.: Windows Phones, iPhone, Blackberry, and
Android. There is a pro version that I am told integrates with any
itineraries entered on Tripit, but I have not explored that option to
date. Flight Track is available for iPhone, Blackberry and Android.
- Turboscan
– Now I’m a Blackberry guy myself, but a
colleague of mine showed me this awesome App for his iPhone called
Turboscan. It is a free App that acts like a document scanner in
your pocket. It uses your smartphone’s camera to save images as a JPEG
or PDF. These can then be emailed to colleagues back at home office
right from the trade show floor. I did some research and there
are similar Apps for Blackberry and Android. PDF Scanner for
Blackberry. Camscanner and DroidScanLite for Android. This
App is promoted as being a great way to keep track of expenses so that
you don’t have to keep them all in Ziploc storage bags. (Not that I
ever did that, and even as I type this I feel compelled to apologize to
my Accountant).
- LinkedIn
– Kind of goes without saying. In
the world of business, networking is the key. It is a must have
when working the trade show floor. As reps make new contacts they
can easily see profiles, explore business networks, get introduced to
potential contacts, or simply join the discussion. LinkedIn is an App
that is available for Blackberry, IPhone and Android operating systems.
Business Card
Reader – At the end of every
introduction there is always the exchange of business cards. Now with
the Business Card Reader App users can easily import information from
the business card directly into your Blackberry, iPhone or Android
Phone. Much like the old business card scanners that plugged into
a laptop’s USB port, this App uses a smartphone’s camera to capture the
information on a business card and enter that information in the
appropriate fields in your phone’s address book. Easily done on
the trade show floor right after receiving a business card. No
more worries about losing a card throughout the day. Once back in your
room, simply sync your phone to your laptop and export the information
directly into Outlook.
- 100
Push Ups – Every business trip or trade show
is typically jammed with client meetings, presentations, drinks with
clients, dinners with clients, early mornings, late nights, and hotel
food. Everyone needs that one thing to stay grounded and help
them make it through a difficult road trip. Some reps I have
known are extremely dedicated and manage to get in a full workout every
day. I do when I can, but sometimes calls, clients, and simply sleep,
take over. I like to keep balanced using the 100 Push Ups App,
and the 100 Sit ups App. Using the App to set your own max push
ups that you can currently perform. The App then constructs a six
week program for you to work on completing 100 push ups. I find
that it is a great program to keep the mind moving, and work off a
little hotel food while on the road.
There are a million Apps out there on the market today for all three
of the largest smartphone operating systems. The purpose of this
article was to make sure that road warriors remember to always treat
their most precious piece of equipment to a treat with a new App and
make life a little easier while on the road this season.
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