Equipping your sales reps with the latest and greatest updated version of your B2B sales app as quickly as possible is a top priority for a mobile business strategy. However, if not done carefully, it can also cause serious problems your company might struggle recovering from.
B2B sales apps are a great way to show off your products, train your sales reps and even interact with your customer base. But you’re not the only business on the block trying to do the same thing. You want to make sure your app is better than your competition’s app. Your B2B sales app needs to be on the cutting edge of cloud-based technology, secured to the fullest extent, and helps to increase sales rep productivity and profits for your company.
It needs to be the best! But does it need to be rushed?
Remember the Space Race?
The United States and the Soviet Union were competing for space exploration supremacy. Each country kept trying to outdo the other with launching new satellites, maned orbits around the Earth and, eventually, the race to put a man on the Moon. A lot more dangerous than pushing out the most updated sales app to your reps, but an example that complements the magnitude of risk/reward none the less.
On October 24, 1960, the “Nedelin catastrophe” was one of the most horrific accidents during the Space Race, and it could have been prevented. A prototype Soviet rocket called the R-16 was pushed to launch in time for the Bolshevik Revolution (November 7). The commanding officer, Mitrofan Nedelin, ordered unprepared tests of the rocket to ensure it would launch. These tests caused numerous safety precautions to be ignored due to the extreme scheduling pressure Nedelin placed on the workers.
During the night of October 24, a short circuit occurred during a test of the rocket and caused its engine to ignite. The rocket exploded killing hundreds of Soviet military and technical personal, including Nedelin. [Watch more on the Nedelin catastrophe]
Nedelin didn’t need to push up the rocket’s schedule just to make some anniversary. He should have taken the time and preparation needed for a successful launch.
Businesses need to think the same way when sending their B2B sales apps to market
While we aren’t saying there will be the type of catastrophe illustrated above, you get the point. Don’t push an update out just because the other guys did. If your the latest version of your app isn’t ready, the repercussions to your business could be huge.
If the app isn’t working properly, it will impact the ability of your sales reps to function in the field. This will hurt their image as a trusted B2B partner when standing in front of clients or prospects, and could impact sales before a corrected update is made. It will also damage your development team’s credibility in the eyes of their users.
The best way to avoid such catastrophes for your sales reps is create and stick to an app update cycle. Essentially, have your development team or app provider perform a competitive review of your B2B sales apps on a regular basis. Facebook updates its mobile app now every 1-2 months. If you determine an update needs to be altered, set achievable push dates without rushing your team and compromising the credibility of the app.
Taking your time and don’t rush your B2B sales app to your team. Taking those extra precautions could save your business big bucks and from being made the example of the mobile sales world.
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