Here's an article I wrote for Winston Marsh and his Business Marketing audio magazine. In this article I talked about some new technologies that can help. For more information on this, and to listen to the entire audio, drop me an e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com and I'll forward a link to you.

Benefits now of a handheld computer

Yes, Gary, you’re absolutely right---once again! Today’s serious sales professional needs to have the right tools to get the job done.

Technology has always played a big role in the life of the successful sales person. Even back in the middle ages, the peddler used the technology of his day, the oxcart, the bags to conceal the pleasant surprises he’d offer his potential customers and an occasional crossbow for needed protection now and then.

You, as an avid listener to Business Marketing know that today we have an array of tools that can be most beneficial to mobile salespeople and entrepreneurs in the office. Two that I’ve run across in the past few weeks can help you. As a listener to Business Marketing I wanted to share these with you.

The first is an older technology that has been around for a while but is still very useful. It is the sheet fed scanner. This device can read business cards, letter-size paper (A4 orthe North American 8.5 X 11 size), photographs, magazine and newspaper articles, etc. We’ve had technology like this for a while but today’s advances make it even more useful for sales professionals.

The scanner I’m using is from Ambir Technology. It is called the Visigo A4. It is very lightweight (about 13.4 ounces or less than 380 grams). The “footprint” is ideal in that it is smaller and lighter than a three-hole punch commonly used in offices. You can unplug from one computer and take it over to another then just plug it into the USB port.

I find it most beneficial when coupled with Paper Port Deluxe 9.0 software. That way I can read an article in a magazine or a newspaper and scan it quickly converting it to the popular Adobe Acrobat format creating a PDF file. This can then be dragged to an e-mail message to send to a client or prospect. Within just a few seconds, you have sent great article to one or more prospects with a quick “How’s Things?, Here’s something you will appreciate” message that Winston Marsh has encouraged all of us to do through the years. You provide something of value to your prospect at little or no cost to you.

The Visigo A4 also handles business cards beautifully. Within a matter of seconds, I scan a business card, then drop it into my Corex Cardscan software which sends it over to ACT! I get contacts organized quickly and then send e-mail and letter messages. This is leveraging technology to stay in touch with important people.

The cost is US$189.00 and you can get it for about $145.00 through some of the price shopping Net tools that I’ve shared before here on Business Marketing.

This is a powerful tool that can help you get organized and sell more. That’s a pretty powerful combination, if you ask me.

Another tool I’m using now is my new handheld computer or PDA from Dell. It is the Dell Axim X50v. This model runs Windows Mobile software so I have pocket Word, pocket Excel and Pocket Outlook available for documents, spreadsheets and synchronizing with my regular computer’s files.

When at the office I have it set up so that as my calendar is changed in Outlook it automatically synchs this with my Axim. Then when I have to leave for a meeting in or out of Orlando I have all my contact information and meetings in one easy place. I synch this with Intellisync, a free software and with Yahoo, a free service so that everything is available and backed up nicely on a server in the sky. This makes a great backup service and allows me to share important details with others if I need to.

The Axim plays music and with the available CF and SD cards you can store many hours of music and instructional audio. You can also show full videos. If you have a 2 hour movie you want to watch on your next flight, you can do that with the Axim X50v. Running low on batteries? Not a problem since it is removable and I’ve discovered that Dell is quite happy to sell you additional batteries. And because it will show movies, you can have your sales presentation available to show prospects. If you want to demonstrate something that can’t easily be brought to the office, this is a great tool. If you want to demonstrate testimonials from current happy clients, this is a great way to show these right there in the palm of your hand.

Overall this Axim from Dell is the best handheld computer I’ve seen for the price and the convenience it affords. For a serious, mobile professional the Axim provides a great sales and organizing tool.

These two devices, the Visigo A4 and the Dell Axim, can help boost your personal productivity and sales. As our sales ancestors made sure they had a good cart, good bags of goodies and perhaps a good crossbow, if needed, today’s sales professional needs to have the right tools that give a competitive advantage.

If you’d like more information on these tools and see how video can be used, drop me an e-mail and I’ll look forward to hearing from you.

Reporting for Business Marketing, from Orlando, Florida, this is Terry Brock.