I don’t usually write about technology and I am not a technology writer but I can’t stand how ineffective and indecisive so many sales executives have become with technology!
There are many applications that can help us find opportunities, connect with people, manage the sales process and pipeline, manage relationships, share information, and keep us organized.
In addition to the applications, technology also comes comes in the form of smart phones, tablets, laptops, netbooks and desktop computers.
There are plenty of good choices, both with the devices and the applications so how do you choose?
I’ve always been an early adapter and I’ve used much of what is out there, from free to paid, from simple to complicated, from useful to useless, and from integrated to stand-alone. In the end, the most valuable feature for me, is the ability to sync across every device. IN MY OPINION THAT IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE/FUNCTION FOR STAYING ORGANIZED, EFFICIENT AND LEAN, WHILE MAKING THE FEWEST MISTAKES, FROM ANYWHERE AT ANYTIME.
I’ll share what I have settled on based on the app’s ability to be accessed from whichever device I happen to be using:
Browser – Chrome – Every bookmark and saved auto-fill entry is saved so that whichever computer you can quickly access all of your mission critical sites regardless of the computer on which you are using Chrome.
Passwords – LastPass -A Chrome plugin that remembers and completes your passwords and automatically logs you into your mission critical sites from all your devices.
Calendar – Google Calendar – It’s on my desktop and laptop, it syncs seamlessly with my Android phone, and there is a terrific 3rd party app called Calendars for use on iPhone and iPad.
Tasks and To Do’s – Wunderlist – Like Google Calendar, it’s a cloud application so it appears as a Tab on my Browser, but it also has terrific apps for Android, iPhone and iPad. I like it’s ability to simply have lists with tasks in each list. You can also share your lists.
Email – I still use Outlook for email due to several factors. (1) it’s flexibility with folders; (2) the simple ability to use and manage my 3 email accounts for OMG, Kurlan & Associates, and Baseline Selling without signing in or out, and (3) the Rules Wizard for managing incoming mail and customizing automated replies and actions. You can configure any device to send and receive email but they only sync with Outlook if you are using Exchange. If it weren’t for my multiple addresses and tremendous reliance on the Rules Wizard, I would use Gmail.
CRM – Landslide is still my favorite but I am reviewing some simple, new applications from other companies. SalesForce.com? Sure you know it, but it’s complex, expensive and not very user friendly.
Contacts – I still maintain my contacts in Outlook and on my Android device so by default, in Google contacts too. I use SyncCell to sync those contacts between devices.
Notes – Evernote -there is an app for every device and they sync seamlessly so what you note on one device shows up on each of the others. You can also share your notes.
I have two monitors and they typically look like:
My email is open on the 1st monitor (not shown); the 2nd monitor has several tabs at the top; 1 has Google Calendar running, 1 has Wunderlist running, 1 has Landslide (shown with dashboard), and one has Hubspot, my Blogging and lead gen application running.
As for devices, I use:
Working at Home – Macbook Pro – it’s awesome.
Working on the Road – iPad – it’s so simple!
Monitoring Work from the Road – Smartphone – take your pick!
Here is a list of other applications that I think are terrific:
reachable.com for determining how to connect with people
LinkedIn for building a network of connections that reachable.com can analyze. I do not accept invites from strangers or people whose reason to connect is not compelling to me so I favor quality over quantity. You may have a different view of that…
Wistia.com for sharing video.
VisibleGains.com for sharing files and tracking opens.
Are there any great applications that you use? Let us know about them!
