Mobile selling: Bring the showroom to the customer

More than 8.5 million Americans owned a boat in 2013, according to the joint special report on fishing and boating from the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation and The Outdoor Foundation. And 88 million of us set foot in one for recreational purposes at least once last year. In addition, 532,00 new boats were purchased in 2013, and 955,000 used ones found new homes.

Mobile technology can transform the way boats and boating equipment is sold. Sales professionals for watercraft distributors and dealerships no longer have to get people to the showroom or warehouse; today, we can bring these things to our prospective customers, thanks to the availability of affordable mobile access packages.

Today’s Mobile Access Providers Think ‘Small Business’

Just a few years ago, mobile access providers mostly targeted individuals and large businesses. Small and even medium-sized businesses were the odd guys out. We’re sure more than one small business owner wondered if everyone at work should become one big family to get favorable mobile pricing.

Luckily, mobile providers realized this missed opportunity. As one T-Mobile executive admitted to the San Francisco Gate during the paper’s annual Small Business Week conference, mobile service plans were often confusing and unpredictable, a situation most small businesses simply can’t accept. “The wireless industry has seemed determined to make things harder, not simpler, for small businesses,” the exec confessed, adding that T-Mobile is no longer part of “the clueless carrier club.”

Once it decided it wanted small business customers, T-Mobile took steps to lower access costs, which surveys told them had been a major roadblock. It ended expensive and punitive contracts and introduced its Simple Choice plan that gives small businesses more options and lower costs. Most other carriers followed suit.

Hotspots Enable Sales Professionals to Sell Anywhere – Even on the Water

What this means is now you can go to your customer, not the other way around. With hotspot technology, you can use your mobile device to bring the showroom right to a boat owner’s favorite place to be: on the waterfront. To learn more about the type of tablet that’s right for your small business, read this Business Bee review.

What are the benefits of mobile selling? For starters, it’s more convenient for the customers. They don’t have to drive downtown, look for parking and wait for someone to talk to them. Other benefits include:

• People are more comfortable in their own homes. Or in the case of boat owners, on their boats or in the members clubhouse.
• Comfortable people are more open to making a purchase.
• With good previsit prep, a salesperson will know what items a prospective customer is interested in purchasing and not waste time paging through the online catalog, saving time for both of them.
• Salespeople can check inventory right away without waiting for an open terminal.
• Mobile devices now have point-of-sale tools so sales can be as instant as in a retail setting. Plus, there’s no wait for an open register and no lines or crowds.
• If a customer needs to apply for credit, doing so in a private setting is far more appealing than hanging around to hear the verdict in the showroom.

Finally, a mobile visit will stick in a customer’s mind. Even if no purchase is made, the experience will no doubt be far more pleasant than a visit to even the nicest showroom. Mobile tech lets sales pros give a more customized pitch. Even without a sale, a positive tone sets the stage for a return visit.