Smartphones, tablets give sales reps an edge

Peter Dinham
Thursday, 15 December 2011 17:11

IT Industry - Market

Smartphones and tablets are speeding up communication between sales reps and customers and helping the reps hit sales targets, according a new survey of businesses in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the US and Canada. And, it's no surprise that Apple is dominating the business market with its tablets, with more than 85 percent of company-issued devices, to just over five percent for Android.

The survey of more than 8,500 sales managers, directors and associates found that the sales reps who are easiest to reach are the ones who seal the deal with customers, and in Australia and the other countries surveyed, 70.1 percent of people with a company-issued tablet hit sales targets for the most recent sales quarter, compared with 62.5 overall.

The survey by sales performance organisation Huthwaite, also found that nearly 90 percent of the sales people surveyed said mobile devices improved their productivity, while 46.5 percent cited faster communication as the main benefit of having a mobile device.

According to Huthwaite CEO and President, John Golden, when you give salespeople the right tools, they can 'focus on the person who matters most: the buyer.' 'Quick and efficient information is the currency of sales conversations and it's clear from the survey that smartphones and tablets will be a driver for successful companies in the years to come,' Golden said.

Huthwaite also found that, despite the benefits of mobile devices on productivity and sales results, the survey revealed less than 13 percent of respondents had a company-issued tablet, while 64 percent had a company-issued smartphone.

However, Australia and New Zealand were slightly above the norm with 14.1 percent of respondents indicating they had company-issued tablet and 68.3 percent saying they had a company-issued smartphone.

The survey also showed Apple's iPad was dominating in the business world, accounting for more than 85 percent of company-issued tablets, with Android tablets accounting for just over five percent.

The Huthwaite global survey polled senior staff from diverse industries, including as banking and finance, information technology, manufacturing, professional services, advertising and media, pharmaceutical, and retail.

The full survey results can be downloaded here.