Mobile Data Collection Integrator Lands Beer Wholesaler Project

Matt Miller wasn't taking any chances. Miller is president of MobileDemand, an original supplier of tablet computers and integrator specializing in mobile data collection/printing solutions for beverage wholesalers. While attending his first meeting of the Iowa Wholesale Beer Distributors Association (IWBDA), he went to a networking reception filled with prospective clients. He knew this would be a great opportunity to talk about his company, but he also knew nothing is more effective that demonstrating how a product works. So, he walked into the reception carrying his company's premier product – a tablet PC called the xTablet. His strategy worked.

At the reception, Miller met a beer wholesaler who needed a full-screen computer to run its new sales force automation software from AB Mobility (a software package available from Anheuser-Busch). The wholesaler was using old handhelds (referred to as bricks) running basic inventory/order taking software. It also was using printers that were larger & slower than many of the newer models available today. It needed computers and printers that could handle the day-to-day beating these units undergo from being used by delivery drivers. In addition, the company was using some 6-year-old tablet PCs that, like the handhelds, had older operating systems and slow processor speeds. "Anheuser-Busch wholesalers are expected to elevate their sales by using advanced generation selling techniques such as PowerPoint presentations, videos, commercials, and Excel spreadsheets," Miller explains. "The customer's previous systems couldn't handle that type of functionality."