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SalesManagement.orgResearch Note:Tablet PC Usage by SalesOrganizations Copyright 2012 The Sales Management Association.

Alpha Bravo Distribution (B)Dec 2010Sales Compensation Plan PoliciesResearch Note:Tablet PC Usage by SalesOrganizationsResearch OverviewThe Sales Management Association’s research on tablet PC usage among business-to-businesssales organizations was conducted in the first half of 2012. Target participants were sales andsales operations management within SMA’s membership and online community.Research objectives included understanding adoption trends among sales organizations,the impact of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) usage versus company-provisioned tablets,expected application usage among firms considering tablet deployment, and actualapplication usage by firms already deploying tablets.Summary Findings from Survey Data Companies are still in the early stages of deploying tablets in a programmatic fashion. At least one-third of tablets used in companies with programmatic tablet initiativesare BYOD devices. Perceived ROI for tablet usage in sales organizations is high, as is enthusiasm foradditional company-endorsed deployments in the sales organization. Sales forces are using tablets in ways different than they initially expected.Presentation and CRM applications are used less than expected; communication, webaccess, and social media applications are used more than expected. Copyright 2012 The Sales Management Association.Page 2

Alpha Bravo Distribution (B)Dec 2010Sales Compensation Plan Policies33 Copyright 2012 The Sales Management Association.Page 3

Alpha Bravo Distribution (B)Dec 2010Sales Compensation Plan Policies Copyright 2012 The Sales Management Association.Page 4

Alpha Bravo Distribution (B)Dec 2010Sales Compensation Plan Policies Copyright 2012 The Sales Management Association.Page 5

Alpha Bravo Distribution (B)Dec 2010AdditionalConclusions fromInterviewsSales CompensationPlanDepthPolicies Sales organizations are using tablets in fundamentally new ways, not merely asextensions of existing mobile devices like laptops or smartphones. As such, tabletsrepresent more of a quantum advance in mobility, as opposed to a merely incrementaladvance. Sales organizations must begin adapting communication and informationsharing to the new platform, but also experimenting and gaining experience withtablets. As new applications develop, slow-to-adapt firms run the risk of being caughtflat footed. Tablets’ low initial cost, extensible development resources, and ease of use can helplagging-adopters leapfrog ahead in using sales enabling technology. Tablet training for sales organizations should focus on practical use cases. As these arefast developing, training should be delivered in quickly, informally, and frequently. Tablet media favors economical information design; information assets intended forcustomers and salespeople must be optimized for the tablet’s format. Compellingdesign, even for mundane data, pays dividends. Firms must anticipate policy problems. This liability may be closer at hand than somerealize. As salespeople take advantage of tablets as communication devices, the demand forreal time data will increase. Sales Operations departments will see new demand forshorter measurement cycles, more adaptable reporting tools, and real-time updates.About the Research SMA conducted research through an online survey administered to qualifyingrespondents from SMA’s membership and online community. Respondents werequalified if they met eligibility requirements of working in sales or sales operationsmanagement in a firm with 20 or more salespeople. A total of 14% of retainedresponses did not meet these criteria but were deemed valid after subsequent inquiry(in most cases these respondents were transitioning into, or out of, an qualifying role). Survey results were followed up with a series of depth interviews with respondentswho indicated their interest in participating in follow-on interviews. These interviewsyielded deeper, qualitative insights into survey results, and are reflected in many ofthe summary findings and recommended actions described in this report. Sample demographics reflect a distribution of responses from firms of varyingsize, and from respondents in varying sales andsales operations leadership roles.Approximately one-third of respondents’ firms had annual revenues greater thanUS 1 billion; approximately one-quarter worked in firms with annual revenues lessthan US 50 million. Slightly more than 40% of respondents worked in corporate salessupport functions (Sales Operations or Corporate Learning and Development); slightlymore than half worked in sales leadership roles, either as senior-most sales leaders(25%) or as more junior sales management (26%). Copyright 2012 The Sales Management Association.Page 6

Alpha Bravo Distribution (B)Dec 2010Sales Compensation Plan Policies Copyright 2012 The Sales Management Association.Page 7

Sales Compensation Plan Policies Alpha Bravo Distribution (B) Dec 2010 Research Overview The Sales Management Association's research on tablet PC usage among business-to-business sales organizations was conducted in the first half of 2012. Target participants were sales and sales operations management within SMA's membership and online .