Tablets are being embraced with enthusiasm in the B2C world, but it might surprise you to hear that manufacturers and distributors are empowering their sales teams with this mobile technology.
Global research conducted by Corporate Visions, a sales messaging firm, six in 10 respondents to the survey said they are using tablets in the sales cycle, most often to give customer presentations or demos, according to eMarketer.
In addition, about half of respondents said they use tablets to share video, marketing materials and edit customer presentations on the fly.
Other interesting stats from the study:
- 51 percent use a tablet to perform various CRM activities
- 42 percent “whiteboard” a message
- 38 percent review coaching documents prior to making a sales call
- 32 percent share best practices tips and content with peers and colleagues
Mobile is extremely powerful in the hands of your B2B sales force—look at the successful Grainger for a model.
And, as the study “The Emerging The Emerging Role of B-to-B E-commerce” reveals 31 percent of all B2B marketers surveyed identified themselves as “strong” or “complete” adopters in 2012. And, in 2014, at least 40 percent of those marketers will be fully committed to e-commerce.
That survey also found:
- 15 percent of marketers still avoid e-commerce entirely
- 23 percent of B2B companies make products available online or via portal
- 19 percent also sell via social networks
- 8 percent conduct e-commerce via online marketplaces, including Ariba Discovery or BuyerZone
This new data about tablets in the hands of B2B sales teams and marketers seems to reinforce the idea that in 2014, more and more companies are looking to mobile to enable a more successful model.
