In the world of field team management and event planning, retail data collection tools save time and improve both efficiency and accuracy.
A strong field team has more responsibilities than data collection—namely, seizing the opportunity to build brand loyalty among consumers. Here’s how to help and inspire your team to be valuable brand ambassadors.
Build relationships with customers, not just retail partners.
Account visits present an excellent opportunity to interact with your products’ end users. Eliciting feedback about certain SKUs can be easy with casual shoppers, because people often enjoy talking about themselves and their preferences. Informal conversations at in-store events can lead to valuable insight about purchase decisions and consumer behavior, building brand recognition along the way. Reps can make a good first impression with these customers by presenting themselves as poised, passionate and trustworthy industry leaders.
Think big and be innovative.
Before mobile data collection, field teams were bogged down with the tedious task of collecting data by hand or with spreadsheets. There was little time to infuse added value during account visits. But now, field teams have more time and freedom to problem solve, get creative and pitch new ideas. Encourage representatives to be mindful of brand programming and event planning during visits. Evaluating a competitor’s promotional materials may inspire new marketing ideas or improve event execution. A culture of idea sharing and creativity is what facilitates true innovation, and field representatives who are on the front lines each and every day have invaluable contributions.
Getting your field team to think like brand ambassadors is a must in any competitive marketplace. Technology is speeding up efficiency and the pace of change for customers—not just brands. The world’s latest generation of web and mobile media channels offer customers greater control over information. However, capturing and keeping consumer attention is becoming harder as the amount of stimulation increases. A field team that thinks and acts like brand ambassadors may just give a brand the edge it needs to beat out the competition.
