Brainshark: Sales reps at a loss

According to the report, State of the Sales Rep, one in three are 'often' or 'always' frustrated because they can't find materials while one in five say they 'need GPS' to find their materials.

What's more, even when things are going right in a presentation, sales reps report malfunctions that cause meetings to go awry - things like not turning off mobile GPS and having it go off or mobile devices working fine but pens that stop working.

"Humorous anecdotes aside, our survey shows there are very real challenges that sales reps face when preparing for and presenting at meetings," said Brainshark CMO Andy Zimmerman. "But on the positive side, these can often be easily and cost-effectively overcome. In addition to working toward greater sales and marketing alignment - particularly in terms of content creation and delivery - companies should also gear strategies around today's fast-paced and mobile-oriented landscape. Reps need access to up-to-date, relevant materials no matter where they are and which device they're on. Cost-effective and intuitive technology and apps can help, along with a well-planned content strategy."

Being better prepared would solve these problems, you say? According to the survey nearly half (40%) begin preparing for presentations at least a day in advance but because these reps are traveling out of their office, papers can become misplaced or simply left behind. Most (64%) report prepping for presentations in their car or on a plane (58%).

Another problem: the right materials aren't always handy in remote locations. The surveyed respondents said many times they can't tell if the materials they access remotely are the most up-to-date versions or if the materials are relevant to specific prospects. Meanwhile about half say they've had to modify existing materials, which can be difficult while out of the office.

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Tags: Brainshark, mobile sales staff, sales staff, sales staff trends