Marauderz’s three steps to selling a Tablet wouldn’t be so funny if it wasn’t true:
1) Open Journal, Write ‘Hello’, Recognize ‘Hello’.
2) Convert model.
3) Tell customers they’re better off buying a normal notebook cause they’re cheaper and more powerful and that Ink is just a gimmick.
Don’t believe that last bit? Believe me I heard it before.
Yep, I’ve seen permutations of this too.
Maybe plastered on every Tablet sold at retail should be a bright yellow Post-it looking cheat sheet that runs through the benefits of a Tablet:
1. Do you ever need access to information on your computer while not at your desk? With a Tablet you can get to it–whether you’re standing up, walking down the hall, or sitting on the couch. Many Tablets will also give you access to the Internet while you’re walking around.
2. Have you ever had to carry a laptop around all day? Wouldn’t you like it to be lighter? Most Tablets are.
3. While taking notes in class or a meeting, do you ever need to draw a graph? Or do you ever want to circle something important, highlight key points, or draw arrows between them? With a Tablet you can.
4. Do you fill out forms? Imagine how more natural it would be with a pen.
5. Ever tried to share your digital photos by passing around your camera? Isn’t it awkward? The camera display is small and it just runs your expensive camera batteries down faster. Instead, upload your pictures to your Tablet PC and pass the Tablet PC around. Tablet-sized photos are large enough for grandparents to enjoy.
6. Have you ever thought email is too cold? It looks too formal? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to send or receive a handwritten Valentine’s note instead? With a Tablet you can.
7. Do you draw or would you like to learn to draw better? With a Tablet there’s no wasting paper. And have you ever found yourself erasing something you’ve drawn too hard and had to practically scratch a hole in the paper with an eraser to remove it? With a Tablet erasing doesn’t leave marks behind.
OK. I’ve gotten long winded here. There’s no way this can fit on a post-it sized sticker. 🙂 And to Microsoft’s credit, I’ve seen tri-fold flyers next to Tablets at CompUSA. So there is information like this available. However, maybe a condensed verision of it needs to be plastered on each Tablet so salespeople are more inclined to use it.
You’ve just written most of the spec for an outstanding demo program. Your seven questions (or problems that a TabletPC solves) are on stickies or a laminated card or the box or somewhere in the sales area. The prospect picks one and a stone-simple demo shows how terrific the TabletPC solution is.
I’ve tried two TabletPC demos. At the first store, they’d lost the stylus and the demo … well, they couldn’t. The salesman at the second store handed me the TabletPC and then helped a prospect with a camera.
Err.. my bad, in case it wasn’t already apparent. Step no. 2 is to convert the Tablet from Notebook to Slate format. 😛
Last time I looked for one in a shop they didn’t have any. I couldn’t afford one anyway, but I’d love to play 🙂