46 Ph i lade lph ia Smar tCEO February 2012 www.smar tceo .com

WHAT PRODUCTS AND/OR SERVICES DOES YOUR COMPANY PROVIDE?Our initiative at Wheelhouse is to eliminate conventional paradigms through

the development of intuitive, easy-to-use industry specific and global technology products. We’ve recently developed a first-of-its-kind iPad application that significantly enhances and standardizes the sales process. Its core capability drives results and can be applied in any industry. SALESBAG™ is available as a standalone or enterprise application to allow salespeople to plan, present and follow up more effectively and efficiently. Put simply, the result is that people will sell more and spend more time on revenue-increasing activities than on paperwork.

WHAT TRENDS IN TECHNOLOGY ARE YOU NOTICING?Consumers are pushing technology on corporations versus the other way

around. This is a sea-change for most IT departments. The extreme adoption rates for smartphone and tablet technologies are not being matched by innovation at a vast majority of companies. Most big companies’ processes for innovation are measured, planned and sluggish. Consumers, on the other hand, are demanding new applications and communication strategies through their devices now. Companies that can meet the needs of the consumer’s technology demands will gain a distinct competitive advantage going forward. This environment is ripe for small companies to emerge rapidly and compete with the larger but slower competitors.

HOW HAS NEW TECHNOLOGY INFLUENCED YOUR INDUSTRY?Many big companies are scrambling to make their web-based applications run on

mobile devices. While this is necessary, it often ignores the fact that people will use a mobile device much differently than a laptop or desktop computer connected to the web. Companies are struggling to define and measure how the use of mobile devices is improving results. Most CEOs we talk to say that they’re in the dark when it comes to how mobile computing is changing the way they do business. On the other hand, a few big companies are enabling employees and clients to work differently and more effectively. We think that these companies are closer to their employees and clients, and will subsequently grow quicker than their counterparts who are focused on how their technologies should be deployed internally.

WHAT UP-AND-COMING TECHNOLOGIES EXCITE YOU?We’re excited, like everyone else, about the overwhelming prevalence of tablet

devices in both consumer and supplier hands. We believe that for the first time, a device exists which will make it easier for people to present ideas while mobile. The power and simplicity of these devices will enable even the “technologically challenged” to be more productive. Consumers are flocking to these devices, which will push service companies to adopt better methods for connecting with consumers.

HOW CAN THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES HELP A BUSINESS OWNER?We think business owners can leverage the power of mobile computing,

specifically tablet devices, to expand efficiencies with both internal clients and external clients. Business meetings can be more efficient and productive when

agendas can be shared ahead of time, goals set, ideas and decisions shared and follow-ups created and tracked in a collaborative application. Customer-focused employees can create more effective presentations, perform more accurate analysis, and share educational material through tablet devices. The key to success will be the development and adoption of business applications for tablets that leverage what we’ve learned through consumer-oriented applications on these devices. Business owners should think about how this mounting technology can advance the way they execute internally and connect with their customers.

HOW DOES THIS TECHNOLOGY DIFFER FROM WHAT CEOS CURRENTLY USE?Nearly all companies execute meetings the same way they did 50 years ago, with

the exception of email invitations versus phone calls. Invitations go out, people meet, they talk, and then something (and often times nothing) happens. Managers often question what was talked about, what was the goal, what were the follow-up tasks that came out of the meetings and were they executed on? Participants are frequently ignorant as to what the goal of the meeting was and what the follow up activities are. It’s hard to get back to the agenda and material discussed in the meetings, resulting in long and meandering email threads. We believe tablet devices and applications like ours will make it easier to hold more valuable meetings, in a fraction of the time, with better results.

HOW IS TECHNOLOGY CONTRIBUTING TO YOUR COMPANY’S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE?

We’re avid users of tablet and mobile technology. We’ve saved a great deal of money in printing and copying material for meetings and sales calls, and we can help our customers do the same – more than offsetting the cost of our applications. Using tablet devices has enabled us to ensure that no customer-related task falls through the cracks, and as a result our customers see us as the most professional and efficient service provider. We get to spend more time with them and less time doing paperwork or taking notes. At the end of the day, adopting mobile technology has allowed us to be a resource of knowledge for our customers who are looking to do the same.

WHAT LONG-TERM ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE ANOTHER CEO REGARDING TECHNOLOGY?

I believe in three tenets of leveraging technology:1. Use technology to improve existing and proven processes. Technology often

cannot create processes that don’t exist, but can improve on those that do.2. Test your assumptions for using new technology. Run trials while investing

small, and then invest big when a technology works.3. Stay ahead of your internal and external customers. If you wait for your customers and employees to demand new technology, you will almost certainly be losing customers and employees to competitors who already

have it.

Wheelhouse Analytics LLC

Frank J. CoatesFounder and CEOWheelhouse Analytics LLCwww.wheelhouseanalytics.com and www.isalesbag.com 200 N. High Street, Suite 202West Chester, PA 19382

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