Sales support system

Abstract

To provide a sales support system capable of utilizing information on an exhibition for sales activities after the exhibition.SOLUTION: A sales support system 1 includes a recording unit 22 in which exhibited product information, exhibit location information, on-site data including conversations between an exhibitor and visitors to an exhibition, and on-site location information indicating a location of an explanation terminal 3 at a time when the on-site data is acquired are recorded, and a processing apparatus 21 capable of communicating with a sales terminal 4 operated by a salesperson. The processing apparatus 21 acquires product information of a target product from the sales terminal 4 operated by the salesperson, and identifies one or more pieces of on-site data recorded at a location close to a location at which an exhibited product matching a sales target is exhibited, based on the product information, the exhibited product information, and the on-site location information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sales support system. [Background technology]

[0002] Attempts have been made to collect information on exhibitions, such as in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-232511 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the inventor noticed that the information collected at exhibitions in this way is difficult to use effectively after the exhibition. Therefore, the inventor thought that if a system could be built that would take over communication information with customers at the exhibition, including the sense of presence, and improve the probability of receiving orders after the exhibition, the cost-effectiveness of exhibitions could be improved. The present invention provides a sales support system that can utilize exhibition information to help with sales after the exhibition. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A sales support system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: A sales support system that supports salespeople who sell products based on information obtained at an exhibition where a plurality of different types of products are exhibited and explained by an explainer, The sales support system includes: Exhibit product information indicating exhibit products to be exhibited at the exhibition; Display location information indicating where the exhibited product was displayed at the exhibition; On-site data including conversations between the exhibitor and the visitors, recorded on the terminal carried by the exhibitor, a recording unit in which presence position information indicating the position of the explanation terminal when the presence data was acquired is recorded; a processing device capable of communicating with a sales terminal operated by a salesperson, The processing device includes: Obtain product information for the target product from the sales terminal operated by the salesperson, Based on the product information, the exhibited product information, and the on-site location information, one or more on-site data recorded at a location close to the location where the exhibited product matching the sales target is exhibited is identified. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, a sales support system is provided that can utilize exhibition information to help with sales after the exhibition. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a sales support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the process executed by the sales support system when acquiring on-site data at an exhibition. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows products A, B, and C being displayed in an exhibition booth. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows how exhibitors and customers move around at an exhibition. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows the relationships between the time, on-site data, on-site location information, tag information, and topic points acquired when the situation changed as shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart executed by the sales support server when various information is output to the sales terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an example of a screen displayed on the display unit of the sales terminal. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is an example of a screen displayed on the display unit of the sales terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the description of components having the same reference numerals as components already described in the description of the embodiments will be omitted.

[0009] The process by which products displayed at an exhibition are purchased by a customer generally goes as follows. First, business owners who sell their own products, such as manufacturers or service providers, display their products at the exhibition to promote them. In this case, they may display multiple types of products that they handle. When exhibiting at such an exhibition, the business owner dispatches an explainer to the exhibition and has the explainer explain the products to customers who come to see them. The business owner then dispatches a sales representative to the customer and has the sales representative sign a sales contract with the customer for the displayed products.

[0010] However, even if a presenter creates an atmosphere at an exhibition where a customer is likely to purchase a displayed product, the salesperson may not be aware of the interaction between the presenter and the customer, resulting in the missed opportunity to conclude a sales contract. Alternatively, the interaction between the presenter and the customer at the exhibition may not be conveyed to the salesperson, preventing the salesperson from smoothly concluding a sales contract. In particular, the customer's enthusiasm during the conversation cannot be fully conveyed by the presenter to the salesperson through written or verbal explanations, but this information, including the sense of presence that includes the atmosphere at the time, can be very useful information for the salesperson.

[0011] In this way, in the past, the communication of information between the exhibition and the conclusion of a contract by a sales representative was insufficient, resulting in missed contract opportunities and often insufficient recovery of the costs of participating in the exhibition. Therefore, the sales support system of the present invention records the interactions between the exhibitor and the customer at the exhibition as on-site data such as audio data and video data that can convey a sense of realism, and transmits this data efficiently to the sales representative.

[0012] A sales support system according to an embodiment of the present invention supports salespeople who sell products based on information obtained at an exhibition where a plurality of different types of products are exhibited and explained by an explainer. Specifically, the sales support system collects sales information at the exhibition venue, processes the collected sales information in a sales support server so that it can be easily used by the salespeople, and outputs the processed sales information to the sales terminals of the salespeople.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a sales support system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the sales support system 1 includes a sales support server 2, an explanation terminal 3, and a sales terminal 4. The sales support server 2 is communicatively connected via a network 5 to the explanation terminal 3 used at the exhibition venue and the sales terminal 4 used by sales representatives. The sales support server 2 may also be communicatively connected to the explanation terminal 3 and the sales terminal 4 via the network 5. Note that the business owner who operates the sales support system 1 may be different from the business owner who exhibits and sells products at the exhibition.

[0014] The sales support server 2 has a processing device 21 and a recording unit 22. The processing device 21 includes a computer system (e.g., a System on a Chip (SoC)) including one or more processors and one or more memories, and an electronic circuit configured of active elements such as transistors and passive elements. The processor includes, for example, at least one of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Micro Processing Unit (MPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), and a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU). The memory includes a Read Only Memory (ROM) and a Random Access Memory (RAM). The processor may be configured to load a specified program from various programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM.

[0015] The recording unit 22 records various types of information such as exhibited product information, exhibit location information, on-site data, on-site location information, inquiry information, tag information, and hot topic information. Exhibited product information is information indicating the exhibited products exhibited at the exhibition. Exhibit location information is information indicating where the exhibited product was exhibited at the exhibition. Other information will be described later.

[0016] The explanation terminal 3 is a terminal carried by the explainer. The explanation terminal 3 is also a terminal used at exhibitions. The explanation terminal 3 is a portable electronic device such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. At exhibitions, exhibited products are presented to customers along with videos and various materials, so it is preferable that the explanation terminal 3 is equipped with a monitor and a speaker. It is also preferable that the explanation terminal 3 has a function to identify location information. Note that the explanation terminal 3 itself may not have a function to identify location information, and the explainer may carry an item whose location information can be identified separately from the explanation terminal 3. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the explanation terminal 3 itself has a function to identify location information and output the location information.

[0017] The explanation terminal 3 is equipped with a microphone and camera function for recording audio data and video data relating to interactions between the explainer and the customer. The explainer records and records this audio data and video data with the customer's consent. In the following explanation, data including at least one of the audio data and video data will be referred to as on-site data.

[0018] The sales terminal 4 is a terminal operated by a salesperson. The sales terminal 4 is an electronic device such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. When a salesperson inputs the product to be sold into the sales terminal 4, the sales terminal 4 retrieves related data from the sales support server 2 based on the input information and displays the retrieved data on the sales terminal 4.

[0019] <Acquisition of information at exhibitions> FIG. 2 is a flowchart executed by the sales support system 1 when acquiring on-site data at an exhibition. As shown in FIG. 2, when an exhibitor explains exhibited products to a customer at an exhibition, the exhibitor first obtains the customer's consent for audio and video recording and then executes an application for recording on-site data on the explanation terminal 3 (step S01). The explanation terminal 3 then adds a start timestamp (step S02), starts recording on-site data including the conversation between the exhibitor and the exhibition visitor, and the location information of the explanation terminal 3, and records these on the explanation terminal 3 (step S03). The location information of the explanation terminal 3 becomes on-site location information that indicates the location of the explanation terminal 3 at the time the on-site data was acquired. In this case, it is preferable to record the on-site data and on-site location information along with the acquisition time. The accuracy of the location information is preferably 10 to 50 cm.

[0020] When the presenter finishes the conversation with the customer, the presenter inputs inquiry information into the explanation terminal 3 as necessary (step S04). The inquiry information is text information that describes an outline of the conversation, such as the customer's name, the product the conversation was about, and the conclusion of the conversation. When the presenter finishes inputting the inquiry information and records it in the explanation terminal 3, he / she closes the app (step S05) and ends the acquisition of on-site data and on-site position information (step S06).

[0021] When the application is terminated, the application attaches an end timestamp to the presence data and terminates itself (step S07). In this way, the presentation terminal 3 records the presence data with the start timestamp and end timestamp attached, and information including the presence position information. The explanation terminal 3 then transmits the information acquired at the exhibition, such as on-site data and on-site location information recorded therein, manually or periodically by the explainer to the sales support server 2, and the processing device 21 records the received information in the recording unit 22.

[0022] The process of acquiring information at an exhibition will be explained in more detail using Figures 3 to 5. FIG. 3 shows an example of an exhibition booth where products A, B, and C are displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 3, location information is expressed as coordinates (X, Y). The space where product A is displayed is expressed as a range of coordinates (Xa1, Ya1) to (Xa2, Ya2). The space where product B is displayed is expressed as a range of coordinates (Xb1, Yb1) to (Xb2, Yb2). The space where product C is displayed is expressed as a range of coordinates (Xc1, Yc1) to (Xc2, Yc2). In other words, the exhibition location information, which indicates where the exhibited products were displayed in the exhibition, can be expressed as an area when the exhibition space is expressed in coordinates like this. Note that if the location is acquired using a position measurement means such as GPS (Global Positioning System), it is expressed in a coordinate system using longitude and latitude.

[0023] Figure 4 shows the movement of a presenter and a customer at an exhibition. As shown in Figure 4, the presenter and the customer move from the exhibition space for product A to the exhibition space for product B at time tb, and then move from there to the exhibition space for product C at time tc. Figure 5 shows the relationships between the time, on-site data, on-site location information, tag information, and topic points acquired when the situation changes as shown in Figure 4.

[0024] As shown in Figure 5, the presence data, presence location information, tag information, and topic points are recorded in association with time. The presence data is recorded as a single continuous piece of data from the time the start stamp is added until the time the end stamp is added. The presence location information is also recorded continuously at a predetermined time interval, such as one second, from the start to the end.

[0025] Here, when the on-site position information is compared with the exhibition position information, if the on-site position information is within the range of coordinates (Xa1, Ya1) to (Xa2, Ya2), it can be determined that the explanation terminal 3 was located in the exhibition space for product A. Therefore, since the on-site position information was located within the range of coordinates (Xa1, Ya1) to (Xa2, Ya2) from the start until time tb, it is determined that the explanation terminal 3 was located in the exhibition space for product A, and the explanation terminal 3 records A, which indicates product A, as tag information. Similarly, from time tb to time tc, the on-site location information was within the range of coordinates (Xb1, Yb1) to (Xb2, Yb2), so it was determined that the explanation terminal 3 was located in the exhibition space for product B, and the explanation terminal 3 recorded B, which indicates product B, as tag information. Similarly, since the on-site location information was located within the range of coordinates (Xc1, Yc1) to (Xc2, Yc2), it was determined that the explanation terminal 3 was located in the exhibition space for product C, and the explanation terminal 3 recorded C, which indicates product C, as tag information.

[0026] By recording the information together with the tag information in this way, it is possible to easily determine which product the on-site data relates to at what time.

[0027] The destination for recording the inquiry information, on-site data, and on-site position data may be configured so that the explanation terminal 3 records them as described above and then transmits them to the sales support server 2. Alternatively, the explanation terminal 3 may transfer the data acquired by the explanation terminal 3 to the sales support server 2 as needed, and the processing device 21 may record it in the recording unit 22. The step of creating tag information described in Fig. 5 may be executed by the explanation terminal 3, or may be configured to be executed by the sales support server 2 that has acquired the on-site data and on-site position information.

[0028] <Output on sales terminal 4> The data collected in this way is output to the sales terminal 4. Figure 6 is a flowchart executed by the sales support server 2 when various information is output to the sales terminal 4. As shown in FIG. 6, first, the sales support server 2 acquires product information of the target product from the sales terminal 4 operated by the salesperson (step S11). Next, the sales support server 2 identifies, from the displayed product information, a product that matches the product information acquired from the sales terminal 4 (step S12). Furthermore, based on the on-site location information, the sales support server 2 identifies one or more on-site data recorded at a location close to the location where the displayed product that matches the target product is displayed (step S13). The sales support server 2 outputs the identified on-site data to the sales terminal 4 (step S14). If the above-mentioned tag information is also recorded in the recording unit 22, the sales support server 2 identifies tag information that matches the target product and identifies on-site data associated with the identified tag information in step S13.

[0029] 7 and 8 are examples of screens displayed on the display unit of the sales terminal 4. As shown in Fig. 7, a salesperson enters the product to be sold in the input field 41. Here, it is assumed that the salesperson has entered product A. The sales terminal 4 transmits this "product A" as the target product to the sales support server 2.

[0030] 6, and the sales terminal 4 acquires one or more pieces of on-site data corresponding to product A. As shown in FIG. 8, the sales terminal 4 displays on a display unit such as a monitor a play button 42 for the on-site data, along with information such as when the on-site data was recorded and any inquiry information recorded in relation to the on-site data. In the illustrated example, when the play button 42 for the on-site data is pressed, a video is played in the video display field 43 in the upper right corner.

[0031] In the examples shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, talking points are recorded. Conversations between an exhibitor and a customer often include topics that are not directly related to the sale of the exhibited products, such as occasional greetings. For this reason, when a salesperson watches the on-site data, he or she may wish to focus on the key points of the conversation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the explanation terminal 3 is configured to also acquire talking points. When the sales terminal 4 plays back the on-site data, if the salesperson presses a talking point 44, the video jumps to the time indicated by that talking point.

[0032] Regarding the timing at which topic points are added on the explanation terminal 3, it is often the case that the presenter only notices the importance of a conversation after an important conversation has already progressed. For this reason, when topic point 44 is pressed on the sales terminal 4, the on-site data may be configured to be played back from a predetermined time, such as one minute, before the time the topic point was acquired.

[0033] In this way, the sales support system 1 of the present invention: A sales support system 1 that supports salespeople who sell products based on information obtained at an exhibition where a plurality of different types of products are exhibited and explained by an explainer, Sales Support System 1 is Exhibit product information indicating exhibit products to be exhibited at the exhibition; Exhibit location information indicating where the exhibited products were displayed at the exhibition; On-site data including conversations between the exhibitor and visitors to the exhibition, recorded on the exhibitor's terminal 3; a recording unit (22) in which on-site position information indicating the position of the explanation terminal (3) when the on-site data was acquired is recorded; a processing device 21 capable of communicating with a sales terminal 4 operated by a salesperson; The processing device 21 includes: Product information of the target product for sales is acquired from the sales terminal 4 operated by the salesperson, Based on the product information, the exhibited product information, and the on-site location information, one or more on-site data recorded at a location close to the location where the exhibited product matching the sales target is exhibited is identified.

[0034] Exhibition explanations are generally given by a different person than the salesperson. This is inconvenient for the salesperson, as they cannot get detailed information unless they ask the person directly. Also, since the salesperson does not talk to the visitors directly, they cannot obtain information that only someone who was there can know, such as the visitors' personalities or their level of interest. Furthermore, even if conversation data from an exhibition is simply recorded, it is difficult to identify conversations about the target products that salespeople are in charge of from the vast amount of conversation data.

[0035] Therefore, according to the present invention, a salesperson can input information about a product they are selling and obtain on-site data on conversations about exhibits that match that product. This on-site data includes conversations between the exhibitor and visitors, so it is possible to understand what conversations took place at the exhibition without having to directly ask the exhibitor. This allows the exhibition information to be used for sales after the exhibition, improving the success rate of orders after the exhibition and increasing the cost-effectiveness of the exhibition.

[0036] In reality, a salesperson may also act as an exhibitor. However, it is not always the case that the salesperson will explain the products they are responsible for or the products at the exhibition to customers. In this case, the situation of "secondhand information" as described above arises. Furthermore, even if the exhibitor and the salesperson are the same person, the present invention may use the audio data (on-site information) that was explained at the exhibition to be listened to again during sales activities.

[0037] In addition, in the sales support system 1 of the present invention, The processing device 21 includes: Acquire the product information of the target product from the sales terminal 4, Identifying display product information that matches the product information; Identifying one or more on-site data recorded at a position close to the position where the identified exhibited product is exhibited based on the exhibition position information and the on-site position information; The one or more pieces of identified on-site data are output to the sales terminal 4.

[0038] Furthermore, in the sales support system 1 of the present invention, The recording unit 22 includes: The on-site data and the on-site position information are recorded in association with each other via time information when they were acquired, tag information that specifies which exhibited product the presence data at that time relates to based on the presence location information and the exhibition location information is recorded in association with the presence data; The processing device 21 includes: The product information of the target product is acquired from a sales terminal 4 operated by a salesperson, The system is configured to output to the sales terminal 4 on-site data to which tag information indicating exhibited product information that matches the product information is attached. According to this configuration, the on-site data relating to the target product can be easily identified via the tag information.

[0039] Furthermore, in the sales support system 1 of the present invention, The display location information indicates the display area of ​​each display product, The processing device 21 is configured to record on-site data acquired within the exhibition area of ​​a particular exhibited product in association with the exhibited product. Alternatively, instead of this configuration, the coordinates (Xa, Ya), (Xb, Yb) where the product is placed may be recorded as display position information, and it may be calculated whether the display position information (X, Y) is closer to either (Xa, Ya) or (Xb, Yb), and the on-site data recorded at the same time as the display position information (X, Y) may be associated with the closer displayed product.

[0040] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the present embodiments. The present embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1. Sales support system 2. Sales support server 3. Explanation terminal 4 Sales terminal 5. Network 21 Processing equipment 22 Recording section 41 Input field 42 Play button 43 Video display column 44 Hot Topics

Claims

1. A sales support system that supports salespeople who sell products based on information obtained at an exhibition where a plurality of different types of products are exhibited and explained by an explainer, The sales support system includes: Exhibit product information indicating exhibit products to be exhibited at the exhibition; Display location information indicating where the exhibited product was displayed at the exhibition; On-site data including conversations between the exhibitor and the visitors, recorded on the terminal carried by the exhibitor, a recording unit in which presence position information indicating the position of the explanation terminal when the presence data was acquired is recorded; a processing device capable of communicating with a sales terminal operated by a salesperson, The processing device includes: Acquire product information for the target product from the sales terminal operated by the salesperson, A sales support system that identifies one or more on-site data recorded at a location close to the location where the exhibited product that matches the sales target is displayed based on the product information, the exhibited product information, and the on-site location information.

2. The processing device includes: Acquire the product information of the target product from the sales terminal; Identifying the display product information that matches the product information; Identifying one or more pieces of on-site data recorded at a position close to the position where the identified exhibited product is exhibited based on the exhibit position information and the on-site position information; The sales support system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more pieces of on-site data identified are output to the sales terminal.

3. The recording unit includes: The on-site data and the on-site position information are recorded in association with each other via time information when they were acquired, tag information that specifies which of the exhibited products the presence data at that time relates to based on the presence location information and the exhibition location information is recorded in association with the presence data; The processing device includes: Acquire the product information of the target product from a sales terminal operated by a salesperson; 2. The sales support system according to claim 1, wherein the on-site data to which the tag information indicating the exhibited product information that matches the product information is attached is output to the sales terminal.

4. The display position information indicates a display area of ​​each of the display products, 2. The sales support system according to claim 1, wherein the processing device records the on-site data acquired within the exhibition area of ​​a specific exhibited product in association with the exhibited product.

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