PC sales are falling. They've been falling since 2011, and the probability is that they won't increase again. The level of the decrease was around 3.2% for 2012. This was a distinct move from PCs and laptops to tablets and other mobile devices. It’s a consumer-led decrease, but B2B sales are also decelerating as businesses start to find efficiencies in new technology. So how do you sell computers in this new market?
In the short term, it's still going to be possible to sell computers as you do now, but in the medium term, the landscape is likely to change dramatically. You won't be able to rely on customers upgrading their entire PC inventory on a periodic basis.
Personal use of tablet and mobile technology is likely to exacerbate this move and bring change to small- and medium-sized businesses quicker than expected. So what do you need to do today?
#1 - Review your niche
You know your marketplace inside out. Look at it now and gauge how fast the adoption rate of new software and cloud services is. This is going to be different for each marketplace and geographic location. Some are early adopters, and others are more conservative, but you might find that markets that are more conservative are speeding their adoption rates. You'll need to review regularly.
#2 - Review your business
If you're passionate about evolving technologies then we live in exciting times. Look at your business from a strategic perspective. Have you seen a decline in PC sales yet? Now is the ideal time to sit down and work out exactly how your business can evolve to leverage the new wave of mobile technologies.
#3 - Support the clients who want to retain their PCs
Now and in the medium term is not the time to bail on clients that are not going to adopt early. You want to be in a position to nurture them, accept their repeat business, but also help them to understand that their longer-term IT strategy may not be PC based. Position yourself as the expert to help them with this move as the time comes.
#4 - Support the early adopters
Help your clients to innovate if that's what they want. Remain their go-to contact who provides solutions that help to run their business smoothly. You're helping them as well as helping yourself. This early knowledge of how to roll out a new technology infrastructure in a business setting will position you well for the future.
Just as it's not a good move to be locked into one vendor, it's also unhealthy for a business to restrict the types of solutions that it sells. Make sure you don't position yourself out of the market. Evolve and embrace the way the technology landscape is changing. It might not affect you this year, and it might not even affect you next year, but it will soon and it pays to be prepared.
To sell computers in this market it's more important than ever to nurture those client relationships—how do you intend to do this? Share your thoughts with us in the Comments section.
And to follow-through on the tips introduced in this short article, be sure to download your free copy of the special report on 7 IT Sales Secrets for Attracting High-Lifetime-Value Clients.
Creative Commons Image Source: flickr EvelynGiggles
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