Role of Technology in Sales Management

Technology is an absolute need we cannot escape from. Let’s just say, it has a very big role in most aspects of our lives. In other words, it answers most of Mankind problems. Across centuries technology evolves. The importance of technology is aiming for comfort of use in whichever form it is. It always directs for easiness in life. Take the mobile technology for example. The faster the world is moving, the more hi-end the features are offered. Laptop gets thinner and smaller. It becomes more compact every year and offers more capabilities and top performance. One of the biggest challenges currently facing sales management is how to effectively and affordably train a large and/or geographically dispersed sales force. †¢24-hour access. Through the Internet which is available 24/7. Management can make sales of new product, services or product updates. Customers can access the web from their offices, homes or remote Internet locations at their convenience, at a time that best fits their schedules and maximizes comfort, reduces stress, and most importantly, allows them to purchase something even after business hours. Easy management of geographically dispersed teams. Managing a geographically dispersed team is always a problem, with training being one of the more significant struggles. By employing modern day technologies, however, sales management can increase sales performance while balancing the time required for productivity. Through database reporting system, they can view the progress of a sales team anywhere in the world. †¢In stant new product information and current product updates. Once of the biggest headaches for companies is the lag time between finalizing a new product or service and getting their sales force up-to-speed and actively selling it. With modern technology in Sales, it is like a big aspirin tablet for this headache, and can eliminate it. When the new product or service is finalized, management can create a features/benefits using technology for their salespeople to complete. Depending on the complexity of the offering, salespeople could competently sell the product the next day. Instant results measurement. Sales persons can receive instant assessment of their performance at any given time. They can review assigned areas and given tasks. This will help ensure understanding and retention of the information, making them more productive salespeople. For management, this instant feedback feature provides a method of tracking individual progress and a benchmark for individual and team success. †¢Economical, low relative cost. Sales team can train online which produces a strong economic savings, too. Oftentimes, airfare, hotel stays and per diem costs equal, if not surpass, the investment in actual training. With online training, these costs are eliminated. And if you are large corporation, the cost involved in simply producing printed material and sending it to the sales force can be tremendous. What's more, salespeople can remain productive in the field, serving their customers without being pulled away for training.