Macworld - When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad in January, he pitched it mostly as a consumer device--a relaxation tool people would use to read books, play games, watch video and peruse family photos. But Michael Kanzleiter and his colleagues at Mercedes-Benz Financial saw something else: A better way to sell cars.
Traditionally, car salesmen trying to close a deal have had to drag customers off the showroom floor and back to the office to fill out loan applications and other paperwork. This summer, though, iPads were distributed to forty Mercedes-Benz dealerships throughout the country, letting dealers complete forms right next to the new cars--and, perhaps, minimizing chances that customers would get cold feet during the final moments of the vehicle-buying process.
"The car is where the emotions come up, and the customer is excited about it," Kanzleiter, senior marketing manager for Mercedes-Benz Financial in Farmington Hills, Michigan said of the pilot program. "The more you can have the process close to the car, the better it is."
Mercedes-Benz isn't alone in bringing the iPad into its business processes: during Apple's third-quarter earnings report, COO Tim Cook said that 50% of Fortune 100 companies are now using the device. But it's also clear that small businesses and entrepreneurs are finding innovative ways of using the Apple tablet to make their businesses and professional lives run more smoothly and profitably.
Paperless sales C. Lee Smith, president and CEO of Sales Development Services in Westerville, Ohio, sends his sales staff into the field with AdMall, a Web-based diagnostic tool that lets them survey clients about their local advertising needs and helps them create a business plan on the fly.
"The beauty of the iPad is that you skip a step in the process--you don't need paper, you don't need to go back and key it in," he said. "You can just tap and get the correct answers."
Furniture delivery Cleveland-based Arhaus Furniture will put iPads in the hands of its deliverymen in 14 states by November--and expects to save $100,000 a year in time and paper savings for its invoicing, signature-capture and credit-approval processes. Furniture deliverers will also be able to use the GoogleMaps app to ensure they're delivering furniture to the correct location.
"We looked at the traditional (electronic invoice) systems that were out there. For big burly guys who deliver furniture, they were kind of tiny. The iPad was just right," said John Roddy, Arhaus' Senior Vice President of Logistics. "They're excited about it, and a little hesitant. When they start looking at less paper carried around, the ability to help the customer in the home, it makes it exciting."
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