Today's Tiny Laptops: Good Things Come in Small Packages

The day before a major presentation before a big customer, two employees for a major jan/san distributor go over their sales presentation for the following day. One salesperson modifies the graphics and text of the presentation on a large 17-inch laptop computer. When he’s finished, he burns the presentation onto a DVD and hands it to his colleague, who does a run-through of the actual presentation on a small, sleek 9-inch DVD player.

The aforementioned scene is still somewhat unique for jan/san distributor salespeople, but for those sales forces that are ahead of the game when it comes to an aggressive approach toward sales technology, it’s a reality. As DVD players and laptops become lighter and more portable, they are being used to augment a variety of jan/san presentations — both for sales and training.

Panasonic, Toshiba and Polaroid all have versions of the popular “ultraportable” DVD players that are now circulating among business presenters, but due to its inexpensive price tag, the Mintek MDP-1720 is currently the most popular model, according to CNET.com’s product rankings.

While small DVD players don’t have the same capabilities as laptop computers, many tech analysts predict that the two will converge to offer users a lightweight, small option that combines the best of both worlds.

“Smaller laptops have actually been around for several years,” says Nereus Dooley, president of the Milwaukee-based technology consulting firm DoubleBerry. “Apple and Sony both unveiled monitors that were around 10 inches when laptops first came out. People started wanting bigger screens, so manufacturers came out with larger models. Now, people want something that’s small and easy to carry, but bigger than a PDA (personal digital assistant), so the small laptops are making a comeback.”

Is Smaller Better?
Starting in 2000, technology vendors like Palm and Blackberry made PDAs popular by enticing business professionals with pocket-sized computers that had the power of a PC. Although PDAs are still great for scheduling and storing data, they’re not good for presentations, says Steve Mattern, senior systems analyst for Pro-Link, a Canton, Mass.-based buying and marketing group for distributors.

“If you’re talking about a sales presentation, then a laptop is still the way to go,” he says. “That’s how you’re going to impress customers with high-quality graphics. You’re not going to impress anyone by asking them to squint at a small screen on a PDA.”

Visibility was an even bigger problem when cathode ray tubes (CRT) were used to project images onto computer screens. Now, all laptops and PDAs use liquid crystal displays (LCD)that allow for sharper images and more pixels per square inch. Nevertheless, PDAs aren’t good for sales presentations, says Dooley.

“I suppose it might work for one-to-one presentations, but if you have more than that, then you really need a larger screen, like what’s available on a small laptop. You also have to consider the content of the presentation. Images will show up better than textual data,” he says.

For presentations where the laptop monitor is being viewed by a single client, Dooley recommends that all text be at least 16-point font size. For presentations that are projected onto a larger screen, he recommends using at least a 32-point font size.

As laptops decrease in size and join the ranks of the small DVD player, the design behind laptop keyboards will have to adjust, too. “A smaller laptop has its benefits, but if the keyboard is too small you have to peck away at the keys with a pencil,” says Dooley.

Convergence is Coming
Convergence is a big buzzword in the world of cell phones, which now have the ability to take pictures, play video and send text messages. Technology analysts say that it’s just a matter of time before technology convergence happens in the world of presentations — someday graphics, animation, projection, Wi-Fi and Internet applications will all be available via one device.

“I’m sure it won’t be long before hand-held computers and PDAs have the ability to project powerful graphics onto a screen for a high-quality presentation,” says Mattern. “Right now, we equip our salespeople with laptops, but I can see a time when the PDAs catch up as far as presentation quality goes.”

Although small DVD players are growing in popularity for presentations, they are still missing the powerful applications and data storage available with most smaller laptops, says Allen Rathey, executive director of the International Custodial Advisors Network (ICAN), Boise, Idaho. “A DVD player is good for a presentation but it’s not flexible in that it doesn’t allow you to access more data or graphics than what you have on the disc — whatever is on the DVD is all you have,” he says.

“I think we’re going to see more merging of these technologies so that the best information can be available to people in the field, whether that’s jan/san distributor salespeople who are out selling to customers or actual cleaners who are out on a cleaning site,” adds Rathey.

Also, animation could very well play a big role in impressing customers with high-powered digital graphics for product demonstrations in the near future.

“When technology vendors mention animation for product demonstrations, a lot of people think of cartoons,” says Rathey. “We’re not talking about cartoons; we’re talking about the kinds of 3D graphics that have been used recently in movies like Shrek. Actual product demonstrations will never go away, but high-quality graphical presentations have the ability to multiply and reinforce what a presenter is trying to get across. Instead of just doing a product demonstration and leaving, you can leave a DVD with a potential customer, which will reinforce the demonstration.”

Are We There Yet?
While companies in other industries might be ready to provide their sales teams with powerful, lightweight laptops for sales presentations, it’s a fact that those kinds of technology investments aren’t as common in the jan/san industry.

“The more powerful the sales tool, the more expensive it is, and the bigger the risk for the employer,” says Mattern. “We do technology surveys of our distributors and we see a lot of them complaining that their salespeople are only using their laptops for e-mail or surfing the Web. It’s a tool that should be used for tasks that are specific to sales. If the salesperson is using the laptop all the time in the office but never in the sales field, then it’s probably not worth the investment.”

One the other hand, Rathey says that hard-working salespeople in the jan/san industry can be trusted with costly technology investments, it will just take time for jan/san employers to feel more comfortable. “Handing out an expensive laptop to a salesperson can create some trepidation for a sales manager, but in the end, this job is about show and tell. You can start with a great DVD presentation on a small laptop and it will reinforce support for your product.”

ON SITE

ISSA Offers Dist. Classes Online
The International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) recently announced that it is now offering paid online classes for member ($55) and non-member ($69) distributors.

The online courses are available for entire companies or individuals, and are organized in three categories: Environmental, Occupational Health & Safety, and Human Resources. Some of the specific classes within the Environmental category, for example, are Asbestos Awareness, Industrial Spill Response, and Toxicology. All of the classes provide regulatory guidelines and legal education about the topic.

ICANN Cracks Down on Domain Theft
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a technical coordination body for the Internet. It was created in 1998 by a “broad coalition of the Internet’s business, technical, academic, and user communities to perform the technical functions that were previously performed under U.S. government contract.”

Currently, ICANN is putting significant effort toward preventing the theft of website domain names via the Internet Registrar, which moderates the transfer of domain names. To see user comments about stolen domains or the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy, visit ICANN’s forum: http://forum.icann.org.

Visit CLEANLINK^® BG
It’s best to have your own copy of Sanitary Maintenance’s annual Buyer’s Guide, but you can also access it on SM’s website.