1 Walk around at trade show inviting people to work on iPad. Combine with press release and t-shirts.
“We walk around the show wearing t-shirts that invite people to use the iPad on the spot. People would see our shirts and ask us what we are doing. We just hand them the iPad and invite them to set themselves up a server on the spot. They are hooked immediately. We could get a smaller trade show booth next ti
me, because it’s out in the corridors that the action happens."
2 During product demo, use iPad to manipulate 3-d virtual model of product for demo.
“We have built a 3-d model of our product (a server). With the iPad I can walk around, talk, and make the 3-d model move, open, and display parts. Previously with a laptop it’s impossible to do this. We needed one salesperson to run the demo, and one to walk around and chat with the crowd. Now I can do both, because the iPad is so unobtrusive and easy to use. So, I suppose you could say we just got a 50% productivity boost on our sales process, in terma of our own time, plus the fact that we make a better impression on our clients.”
3 Use iPad to pitch investors.
“This makes me look more “on top of it” and prepared in front of investors. I can walk around, talk, in a very relaxed way. That means I’m more in control of the meeting, which means I look better.”
4 Junior salesperson just deliver the iPad to the client, sales manager does every demo via WebEx.
“I used to fly out with every one of my sales reps to deliver the key presentation… I can close twice as many, and that is how we make our numbers. But I was limited by time and health, couldn’t hit all the clients that were coming in the door. Now with the iPad I can handle a huge load because I never leave the office, don’t have to fly. My time commitment is 3 hours instead of 2 days per client."
"In theory we could do this with the laptop but it never quite worked… the customer wasn’t willing to hold the laptop, it didn’t have the same emotional strength. The iPad somehow crosses the threshold, it serves as a viable replacement for a person. This will be the centerpiece of our sales strategy going forward."
James G., VP of Sales and Marketing, Fortune 100 technology firm (name of firm withheld).
5 Use iPad-based sales documentation to allow prospects to instantly email documentation materials to colleagues.
“In pharma and biotech, there are fat stacks of product documentation and technical information. With the iPad instead we just hand the iPad to a user, they read what they are interested in, and then immediately email what they think is most important to their colleagues in a very digestible form. So they almost immediately start making the sale for us.
6 Use “optimized” presentation on iPad to differentiate from low cost competitors and close large deals.
“We are getting a significantly better close rate since we started using iPad. Don’t know how long it’s going to last, but we’re going to push it all we can. Deals are usually over 5 million dollars and we’re seeing a lot of lowballing competitors. The customers know that the lowballers are not to be trusted, but they have a hard time convincing their peers. Very hard sometimes for them to fight the urge to jump for the lowball price, even when you know you could get burned. The iPad helps them make their case to their colleagues, that quality is the crucial issue. Our iPad presentation gives a higher perception of quality."
Paul S., VP of Sales, Mid-sized technology company (name of firm withheld),
