Latest insights

Over 40% of field sales professionals feel micromanaged by their managers, according to a recent survey. Catherine Naudé shares why she, despite resisting being micromanaged herself, wants her manager to track her whereabouts. I’ve always believed that micromanaging people kills their initiative and turns them into followers. No wonder some sales managers hesitate to push their team for call reports, fearing they’ll seem distrustful of their whereabouts. But this has always left me with the questions. ‘How does my boss know when I’m doing well in the field or need assistance out there, if they have no visibility of

In a survey of over 400 field sales professionals we asked what they did during a typical week, concluding the time spent on admin could be better used on other sales activities. The comment that pops up most often when talking to sales managers is how much salespeople dislike admin. They want to be with their customers and prospects, selling. Not tied down to a desk, writing up reports and filling out forms and spreadsheets. Below you can see how over 400 sales professionals from South Africa and the UK spend their day. Only 39% of their time is spent on selling, either doing cold calls or face-to-face. Some spend

Most Field Sales Reps Still Lack Access to Mobile Sales Technology Our recent survey of UK field sales representatives found that only 30% have access to mobile sales apps and the benefits they offer. Successful field sales reps act as trusted consultants — guiding customers through buying decisions, providing accurate quotes, and submitting orders quickly and efficiently. Customer satisfaction depends on consistently delivering these services. To do this effectively, sales reps need real-time access to accurate product, pricing, and stock information as well as customer data. These tools empower them to make

Can you be sure that sensitive business data you entrust to third-party sales apps are secure? Consider these 5 questions before entrusting business data to service providers. 1. Which data is collected? Business apps require very intimate access to sensitive company data, like customer information, product price lists and employees’ personal details, in order to provide an effective service. The more value an app-based service is to provide, the more comprehensive this access to core business info needs to be. It’s therefore crucial that your service provider takes data security seriously and you pose a few further

The 21 songs that get reps rocking on the road from our recent surveys, got Skynamo’s sales office all nostalgic. Even the young ones among us seem to love the oldies! Have a listen to the Golden Oldies playlist that got our office shuffling. Our research among South African and British sales professionals revealed the 21 beats that gets them in ‘the zone’. These are the songs that motivate and refresh them while on the road visiting customers. We had our own fun in the office as our sales team and some of our Skynamo employees began sharing golden oldies that get them out of their seats and ready for business. We

Looking after customer data is a huge responsibility for any business and it’s easy to spend all our time worrying about digital security protections, but in the end breaches can come down to something as mundane as who’s dating your sister… Security is the same the world over whether it’s someone pick-pocketing you, breaking into your flat to get your Xbox or stealing thousands of credit card details from an airline e-commerce site. Every burglar from the common to the high tech relies on the same thing: Humans doing human things. Burglars tend to rely on human negligence to enter homes, with the majority of

Sharing ideas is a means by which you can model and participate in value creation in your sales team while growing your own competencies. Yet, some salespeople remain hesitant to share their ideas with others in sales meetings. Why is that? Does sharing your own ideas seem too risky; do you think your opinions being shot down by your manager or team members will expose how little you really know? Or, are you part of a highly competitive team, where everyone tends to keep all their best ideas to themselves? These are two of the main reasons many of us are hesitant to share our ideas with others during sales meetings.

The Ultimate Sales Playlist: Staying “In the Zone” on the Road For field sales reps, the car often doubles as a mobile office. During the critical moments between customer visits, reps need a space that keeps them focused and productive. Recent surveys conducted for Skynamo’s Field Sales Trust Gap Report reveal the top 21 songs that help South African and UK sales professionals stay energized, motivated, and ready to sell while on the road. These beats keep sales reps tuned in, engaged, and performing at their best throughout the day. Click to listen to Skynamo’s playlist for sales professionals on Spotify. Share

PRESS RELEASE: 9 July 2019 The Field Sales app provider is one of relatively few tech providers worldwide to achieve global benchmark in data security – ISO 27001:2013 certification – to protect its customers’ business data. Skynamo Achieves ISO 27001:2013 Certification for Top-Tier Data Security Skynamo, a leading field sales management and productivity app provider, announced today that it has received ISO 27001:2013 certification. This internationally recognised certification sets the global benchmark for information security management and demonstrates Skynamo’s commitment to protecting customer business data.

Salespeople face the challenge of having to represent their brands and win the trust of customers while negative labels hang around their necks. Here’s 4 reasons why reps get a bad rap and how the right sales tool helps them to shake off these labels. Whenever Anthony Iannarino, a B2B sales coach and consultant, asks students to describe the attributes that define a salesperson their replies usually include words like pushy, creepy, slimy, greedy, selfish, and aggressive. But these students, having likely only purchased clothing items, tech gadgets and possibly a car, haven’t had many interactions with field sales