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The Difficulty of Getting Information
A central obstacle to effective sales force management has always been the difficulty of convincing sales employees to record their daily results. Virtually all the data they have is useful — for one thing, it’s fresh, which makes it considerably more accurate, and some of it is pure gold. That’s because managers can use it to replicate success (or avoid failure) in other territories.
But much of this fresh information is lost to management entirely. Unfortunately, certain SFA software reinforce the obstacle. A hosted SFA system that relies on an Internet connection in order for the employee to work is a good example. When the very simplest action — say, recording the notes from a telephone call — requires finding a wired or wireless connection, accessing the Internet, and logging on to a home server, employees aren’t much inclined to do it.
Throw in a few dropped connections, and many stop trying entirely. Maybe they’ll jot something down later, or maybe not.
The Occasional Internet
One of the most important advances in SFA systems is the adoption by some of a concept called occasionally connected computing, or OCC.
Email clients offer a good illustration of OCC. On the road, a user might be able to log in only once a day to upload and download new messages. But the ability to read and answer messages — that is, to work — doesn’t depend on the connection. The user can perform those tasks anywhere, without regard to network availability.
Similarly, an OCC-enabled application permits employees to make use of their computers, applications and data even when they’re off the grid. No connection is needed, so no connection is dropped. The company saves money on wireless cards and on-air fees. And the salesperson’s laptop, fast or slow, can do the job.
Later, whenever an Internet connection is established — at the hotel, or back at the office — an OCC-enabled application automatically synchronizes, transmitting field information to the office (e.g., notes from a prospect meeting) and management communications to the field (e.g., changes in price schedules, a video of the weekly sales talk). No effort by the individual salesperson is required.
All this takes place transparently, in the background, requiring no special action by users and leaving them free to focus on tasks.
You Can’t Automate Sales
Sales force automation doesn’t mean automating your sales force. The opposite is true: Properly used, an SFA system can turn a sales force loose to concentrate on what it does best.
And sales force automation software doesn’t guarantee more sales. It equips a company with tools that open the way to improving sales. Above all it should provides a company with current, accurate information from its forces in the field, which is the bedrock of effective sales management.
In that way, SFA can help a company realize a higher return on its marketing investment.
Our firm knows sales force automation. If you’d like to discuss how SFA might help your company, please contact us.
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