Top 5 iPhone Apps for Sales Professionals

Many sales pros are users of the popular Apple iPhone, according to Dale Hagemeyer, a research vice president who studies CRM for the market research firm Gartner. “What a phone can do in terms of memory, functionality, and computation is quite amazing compared to a phone from five years ago,” he says. With that in mind, here’s a list of five downloadable iPhone apps that, in our view, are particularly useful for sales professionals:App: Quickoffice Mobile Office SuiteVendor: QuickofficeWhat it does: This app lets you view, edit, and email your Microsoft Office files right from your iPhone. This is an essential capability for iPhone-armed road warriors because email attachments have become ubiquitous in the business world. (A recent Microsoft study revealed that more than 30 percent of business emails contain attachments.) The applications make it both possible and practical to leave the laptop behind during a sales call.Noteworthy features: * High-definition viewing of email attachments * Support for Word and Excel * Fully compatible with your desktop filesApp: LinkedIn for iPhoneVendor: LinkedInWhat it does: Gives you access to the profiles and contact data of more than 19 million LinkedIn members – directly from your iPhone. Using this app, you can check the background of prospects and customers, find common connections that can offer introductions to key decision makers, and even find out information about the sales reps of the competitor that you’re looking to outsell.Noteworthy features: * Profile search to recall and connect with business acquaintances * Identification of mutual contacts * On-the-go updates about your connectionsApp: Cisco WebEx Meeting Center on the iPhoneVendor: CiscoWhat it does: The app connects you to WebEx online meetings directly from any iPhone. And if you’ve got a WebEx account, you can use your iPhone to schedule a meeting, invite attendees, and cancel a meeting. While WebEx isn’t the only Web conferencing provider, it’s still the market leader, so if you want to participate without a computer, this application is a must-own.Noteworthy features: * Free download * Free access to meetings * Free trial WebEx accountApp: iDialUDriveVendor: iCloseBy.comWhat It Does: This cool little app automatically dials a list of your contacts. Before getting into your car, you make a custom call list. Then, once you’re on the road, iDialUDrive calls the first person on the list. When the call is completed, it hangs up and dials the next person. When used with a compatible headset, the application allows sales reps to legally use their cell phone service to move sales opportunities forward, even as they drive.Noteworthy features: * Uses the iPhone contact list * Can adjust the time between calls * User can stop dialing with a single touchApp: Salesforce MobileVendor: salesforce.comWhat it does: This app enables sales reps to stay plugged in to the latest information, even when they are meeting with a prospect or customer. The application requires no cradling or synching of mobile devices because data is exchanged automatically over the mobile connection. It even supports the hundreds of AppExchange applications that sales groups add to their basic salesforce.com system.Noteworthy features: * Full access to your CRM data * Full access to your AppExchange extensions * Also supports RIM BlackBerry and the Palm Treo