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Mobile versus desktop.
The never ending discussion around this topic has become the digital equivalent to the octagonal cage match of death.
It’s Mad Max: Thunderdome, all over again:
“Two devices enter, one leaves!”
But what if mobile and desktop was a both/and, not an either/or issue? What if you could optimize your sales efforts for both experiences?
We believe this strategy gives your sales organization the best chance of closing deals.
When it comes to connecting with your leads and closing deals, it’s all about preferences. First, for the customer, in terms of reaching them in the fastest, most convenient and personal way. You want to reach them on their terms, communicating in a way that makes them feel heard and allowing them to respond easily.
But preferences also matter for you, the salesperson. To close deals and grow your brand, it’s critical that you set up your workflow in a manner that gives you the highest probability of focus, organization, speed and efficiency. From your devices to your desk itself to your workstation to your tech stack to your office, everything in your professional environment should be optimized to tap into your strengths so you can do the work that has the highest impact on company growth.
When we first built FranFunnel, we were confronted with the critical tech question of the right platform for building the application. Is it a desktop app? A mobile app?
The answer quickly became both. We suspected our users would ask about sending texts from both the app and the desktop, so we built FranFunnel as a cross platform application.
And for the record, there are a few features of FranFunnel that are available on the desktop but not available via the app, such as creating new quick replies, editing quick replies, connecting an unconnected calendar, changing your password, and exporting and importing leads to and from a csv file.
But given that two-way texting is so important to what we do, users have always been able to send their text messages from either platform. If you send a message in one, it will immediately be reflected in the other. Ultimately, we recommend that salespeople use whatever is more efficient and comfortable for them.
What’s your optimal selling workflow?
As the builders of the premier text messaging app for the franchise industry, clearly we are huge proponents of mobile. All of our features are optimized for people holding phones in their hands, talking to leads in the same way they would talk to friends and family. Conversational marketing is kind of our thing here at FranFunnel.
And so, we’re not immune to the realities of modern technology. We know there are billions and billions of mobile users. We know internet traffic is increasingly being driven through people’s mobile devices. We know the vast majority of time spent online in this country is on mobile devices.
But here’s what we also know.
Despite mobile being the driving force of the future, desktop and laptop computers are not obsolete. They are still vital in business. It all depends on who’s using them, and for what purpose.
Consider generations like Boomers or GenX. They’re not digital natives. They didn’t have the luxury of smartphones at their first job, or even their first few jobs. For these generations, bigger screens have a bigger appeal.
Speaking as the resident old guy here at FranFunnel (being 40 at a tech startup basically makes me a senior citizen), many professionals of my vintage would prefer laptops or desktops over mobile. Personally, I try to use my phone as little as possible, to avoid text neck, eye damage, and getting clipped by a bakery truck on the street. Thank heavens for cross platform apps!
How does your age influence your device preference?
The other aspect to consider is physical limitations. Salespeople in their forties and fifties have different bodily needs than their counterparts in their twenties and thirties. Older generations like us who have been in the workforce for twenty or more years are more likely to develop physical issues that lead to the preference for larger screens, such as:
Declining eyesight, back and neck pain, arthritis of the hands, repetitive stress injuries, aversion to excessive screen time, and sudden overwhelming urge to chuck their smartphone in the East River and never use it again.
Personally, when I’m in the zone doing my best work, it’s partly because I have a giant screen. Actually two or three giant screens, plus a laptop. That setup allows me to operate with speed and efficiency, but also calm and joy. It also makes me feel like I’m working as a government spy.
Point being, older salespeople who hold these preferences aren’t ignoring mobile, they’re just integrating it. It’s a key part of the pie, but it’s not necessarily the biggest slice. Doing their work on a desktop or laptop computer is much easier. And if they have their druthers, they’re going to opt for the larger canvas.
Joe Sexton, Senior Director of Development at Oakscale, is responsible for driving growth for a portfolio of franchise brands including PetWellClinic, Surveillance Secure and Xpresso Delight. As an industry veteran, he prefers larger screens over mobile for his daily sales efforts.
“One of the reasons I love FranFunnel is because I can reply via text to leads using my laptop. It’s ten times faster than my phone, and for an old dude like me, it doesn’t distract me by having to switch gears into phone mode.”
Sexton admits this might not be a huge selling point for the younger generation of salespeople who are digital natives, but for him, it’s huge.
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Vince Lombardi was famous for telling his football players, a win is a win is a win.
Perhaps the same could be said for business professionals. A sale is a sale is a sale.
There’s no need for a cage match to debate the topic of mobile versus desktop. Two devices can enter, and both of them can leave. With a signed contract in their hand.
For today’s salesperson, mobile and desktop is a both/and, not an either/or issue.
What matters most is optimizing your workflow to tap into your strengths so you give your sales organization the best chance of closing deals.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go change my adult diaper.
Scott Ginsberg is Head of Content at FranFunnel. He's a middle aged old soul who's young at heart.
