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product knowledge Tagged Articles
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Product Knowledge - A True Story That Supports Its Importance
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| A fresh-faced young sales clerk gets a lesson in product knowledge using an unlikely prop - an athletic support. This true story played an integral role in the early training of a popular internet marketer. |
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Lesson #2: A Good Rebound Can Come from a Bad Misstep
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| During Johnson’s early business ventures, he was self-admittedly an inexperienced entrepreneur who failed to look at the context within which he found himself. For instance, one of his very first deals was in opening up an NBA franchise store. He thought he had the intimate product knowledge and experience to make it successful. But he had made one crucial mistake. |
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Why we should put the Trainer back into Sales Management
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| Up until 20 years ago, a key function of a sales manager’s role was the regular training of their sales people. What did this look like? Well, something like this: weekly 1 hour power training sessions for the sales team focusing on honing key skills, bi-monthly half day or 1 day sessions drilling down on account planning, strategy, market and product knowledge, and formal class room training usually employing external, expert training providers on a once or twice yearly basis to boost their teams to the next level. This was all supplemented by sales meetings and one-on-one coaching.
Many sales managers of yesteryear were good trainers. However, through my observations across many businesses, the training component has been replaced by compliance. |
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Product Training is Not Enough!
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| Many small business owners invest time and energy to ensure that their sales people are well versed in fully understanding the products the sell. Some even take the time to train their teams on how to differentiate their offerings to gain a competitive advantage. This is all good. |
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Motivation or Sales Process?
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| Many people are looking for a quick fix when it comes to..... |
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Top 5 Ways Business Acumen Adds to Your Bottom Line
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| Acumen is described as insight, good judgment and wisdom. Sales acumen combined with business acumen is being hyper aware of trends going on in the world and connecting the trends to your product/service and solutions. The salesperson of the future is moving beyond bonding and rapport; They are professional that know how to carry on a conversation at the 'C' suite. Today's decision maker expects a professional salesperson to understand the business of business.
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7-Sigma Selling
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| Selling a product or service is more than making presentations to prospects.
It's making presentations to the RIGHT prospects at the right time.
It's also about treating prospects right ON time.
"Prompt response to needs and requests" is ranked by prospects only 2nd to pricing. |
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What do your sales people really need to know and apply?
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| In today's market selling skills training does not equal product training or pressure tactics. If product training or pressure selling (the hard sell) are on the top of your sales training agenda or the only training you offer your sales people then you may want to rethink your sales training strategy.
What is expected of sales people today by way of skillful thought and action goes way beyond the product or the hard sell.
Let's first look at what clients want. This will then help us determine what sales people need to be able to do. |
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Can't Touch dis
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| Every so often I run into a challenge so daunting that there is no place to hide. I was recently hired to develop a fairly simplistic pilot program that could easily be exportable to other areas of the country. |
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Maximize Your Benefit of Your Software Demo
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| Visual software demo has been considered a highly effective way to deliver software information clearly and concisely. Create an effective software demo to maximize your benefit. |
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Sales Management Training Tips: How to Coach the Self Doubter
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| Meet Joe.
Joe is a successful district sales manager who could work in any industry and for any company. In fact, there are many Joe’s in all companies. Each month Joe is put to the test with different sales reps he must coach to success.
Joe has decided to start the year by building development plans with each of his reps. He is a strong believer that his role is to help them develop their skills and to ensure that the district achieve it’s sales numbers. With the economic downturn the marketplace is becoming increasingly more competitive. The company has had good growth over the last 5 years but there is an overall sense that the sales force is composed of many gatherers and there is a need for more hunters.
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Personal Branding - How To Do It In 5 Easy Steps
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| If you think of yourself as not being very different from other salespeople, please read this to learn 5 easy steps you can use to develop your personal brand.
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Sales Simplified - Discovery... The
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| Salespeople must be skilled at asking key questions on every call in order to find the solution that would best fit the needs of the customer/client. How do we do we do it effectively? |
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Interview Questions To Find The Peak Performing Sales Rep.
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| Use an interviewing process to narrow the field of candidates from 100 down to 4, but ask this one question to identify the candidate that will most likely become one of your peak performing sales people. |
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Trade Shows Versus “Afraid” Shows
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| What is your level of participation in your industry’s trade shows? Either you work for a company who writes the check and controls the exhibit, do you send a few representatives of your sales staff to “work the floor”, or do you send your sales staff to “attend” the show, learn and observe? Regardless, your team members will require a specific skill set in order to perform effectively at the show.
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Upselling
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| When used properly, upselling can be an effective, and unobtrusive technique to increase your average dollars per sale. |
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Upselling with Complementary Items
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| Increase "same customer" sales with creative packaging and upselling with complementary items. |
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“If you were put on trial as an expert,
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| “If you were put on trial as an expert, would there be any evidence to convict you?
The fourth characteristic of high performing salespeople is expertise. Expertise is the element of the law of authority. The law of authority says, “if you are perceived as an authority or expert, trust is enhanced.” We trust experts. We trust experts who testify in court. We trust doctors who have been trained well and are experienced in their field. How would you feel if, while seeing a doctor, who said to you, “You need an operation, I’ve never done this one before, but I think I can do it?”
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I Want To Hold Your Hand
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| I talk with many sales people who have expressed frustration about their prospect’s current state of mind. We have all agreed that there are buyers out there, although fewer than in the past. They also aren’t acting like “buyers”. Prospects are faced with a degree of fear, either real or perceived, about the state of the economy. Although they have a real need, have the resources, and the job security to commit to a purchase, their interest quickly wanes.
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Realtors Only...Vocation, Vocation, Vocation
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| Over the past eight months I have been observing and consulting in the Real Estate industry. I have the utmost compassion for their state of affairs and the struggle that many have had during the ongoing downturn in the industry.
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Hiring the Right People for the Tangible, Intangible Jobs
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| With the marketplace and economy improving and one of the first areas they beef up (and cut) are marketing and sales. Hiring technical people is fairly easy you look at their education, advanced studies, design/development track record. Hiring sales people is more difficult - a lot more difficult. You're buying tangible and intangible features because he/she may be good but not right. Good at what they do but wrong for your organization, your corporate personality, your market/customers. The article won't deliver guaranteed results but it might help you make the right decision for your organization, your goals.
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Sales Training – How Top Salespeople Can Stuff Their Sales Funnel
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| Stuffing a turkey is optional; you can always cook stuffing on the side. Stuffing a sales professional’s sales pipeline is mandatory. Let’s look at the sales pipeline process. |
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Are You Making This "Kiss of Death" Sales Mistake?
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| Where are YOU making assumptions about your customers?
The 2 turkeys that were trying to sell me were making judgments on my age, looks, who was with me, who was driving my car, as well as the words I used. Except that they were WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING.
And you know this rule - because I'm sure you heard this from your mother:
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Self Confidence
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| Product knowledge and hard work. It has never failed me, quite the contrary, knowing this information has enriched my life. If you believe in yourself, you will be amazed how others will believe in you, and how easy it will transform into sales. |
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It Takes A Winner To Become A Champion
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| We’ve all heard “Champions are not born; they are made.” This is true for YOU were not born a champion; you were born to win.Research now shows that the talent; or lack of natural talent we were born with is irrelevant to great success. Moreover, scientific experts’ findings, across many fields, conclude that talent goes beyond intelligence or personal traits. The truth of the matter is that the same skills that make Tiger Woods great are what can make you a champion. |
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7 Foundations for Sales Greatness!
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| There are 7 key areas to develop when laying the foundation for your sales team. Build on these principles, and you will set your team up for greatness! |
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Field Sales Training Accompaniment
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| The purpose of the field sales visit is to review and analyse performance of the sales person – to observe performance, to catch them doing something right and to correct and retrain where needed. |
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Advanced Sales Tip
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| It doesn't matter what the product is because the real product is yourself! This is an important thing to learn. |
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The 7 steps to avoid the sales nightmare of no income
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| Everything you read is from people telling you how easy it is to earn big money in sales, how they made it big time. The truth is that 80% of sales people are on the treadmill, hanging in, on there month on month, selling in peaks and troughs, trying to keep there families well feed and watered and creating a great home and providing security for all your loved ones. Sales is tough and you may need to be a little mad, but hey, who said that life was easy. Get rid of those sales nightmares for good, I know it's far easier to talk about than actually doing it, somethings never change. |
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Build Rapport Quickly and Drive Up Your Closing Ratios!
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| If you truly want to have a thriving book of business, you need to understand people and have them connect with you. Study the traits of the four social styles (Analytical, Commander, Expressive, Stabilizer) |
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The "Use Seasoned Sales Professionals As Trainers" Myth
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| In some selling organizations, if formal sales training exists at all, it is often performed by seasoned sales representatives or top performers on the staff. Big mistake! |
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Sales 101: Product Knowledge
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| As critical as product knowledge is to sales success, it often gets ignored or disregarded even by the most seasoned salesperson. In this sales climate, in this economy... is that an option? I think we both know the answer to that.
Learn the importance of product knowledge and discover why you need to pay attention. |
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Principles of leadership
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| "And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. According as we hearkend unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses" Joshua 1:16-17 |
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What Business Are You In?
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| What business are you in? “The car business” would probably be your normal answer. I would invite you look deeper into that question. |
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Puppy Training for Salespeople?
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| Today’s sales training might take some lessons from how dogs learn new and acceptable behaviors. The early formative years are important, but it is still possible to teach an old dog new tricks.
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Do You Have The One Character Trait That Will Make You A Network Marketing Success?
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| Are you placing too much attention on mastering your product knowledge or presentation skills? There is one character trait that is often overlooked and could lead to the downfall of your network marketing business. This article explores that trait. |
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The Farce Called Sales Training
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| Most sales training isn't really sales training at all. Put an end to the lie that knocks salespeople off track and causes them to stop listening to the customer. Learn a simple way to make sure your sales training has proper focus. |
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The Farce Called Sales Training
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| Most sales training isn't really sales training at all. Put an end to the lie that knocks salespeople off track and causes them to stop listening to the customer. Learn a simple way to make sure your sales training has proper focus. |
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Secrets of Successful Sales
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| Being fascinated by success stories, I cherished a classical book that was reprinted recently. It is an autobiography by Frank Bettger who was one of the highest paid salesmen in the U.S. the book is titled: How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling.
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Successful Sales
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| Being fascinated by success stories, I cherished a classical book that was reprinted recently. It is an autobiography by Frank Bettger who was one of the highest paid salesmen in the U.S. the book is titled: How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling.
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Buyers Tricks
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| Buyers are really nice people. That is a broad statement but I truely believe that buyers are nice people after work, but during office hours they can be... well... difficult. Sometimes they will trick you into getting a better deal, watch out for these tricks. If you are a buyer, do not read this article. :-) |
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Other product knowledge Related Articles
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My Customer Knows More Than I Do!
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| Product Knowledge is Important. Keep repeating that. Product Knowledge is Important. You don't want to learn that your cusotmer knows more about your product than you do. |
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Knowledge And The Intellectural Capital Of The Organization
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| In the new economy of the millennium, knowledge has emerged as an asset to be valued, developed and managed. The quest for knowledge is not new: in the fourth century BC, Aristotle noted "All men by nature desire knowledge." Now, 25 centuries later, knowledge drives the global economy. No longer is knowledge considered only an individual's personal wisdom; knowledge is a component of the intellectual capital of organizations (Stewart 1997). |
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The Value Of Knowledge To The Organization
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| Since knowledge is an intangible asset, it is difficult to assign a value to it. Its amorphous nature exacerbates this difficulty. Lew Platt, former CEO of Hewlett Packard, has acknowledged the dilemma: "If HP know what HP knows, we would be three times as profitable." Intellectual capital is collective knowledge, but who collects it and who disseminates it? Successful and competitive organizations are rich in knowledge, but whose knowledge is it and and who assigns value to it? Values assigned to knowledge may differ. For example, knowledge May have one value for the organization, another for shareholders, yet another for current and potential partners, and still one more for individuals within the organization. |
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Sales Training London A Geek Tragedy Is This You in the Sale
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| Never sell using product knowledge. Never sell using features and benefits. Using your product knowledge in the sale will get you killed.
Controversial I know, but features and benefits using to sell will cost you dear in sales revenues and personal commission. Ever wondered why you get "I need to think it over" or "Send me a proposal" and then you can't ever get hold of the prospect again? This article shows you what you're doing to abdicate control to your prospect and give away any power you had in the sale.
It makes depressing reading so be prepared to go for a stiff drink afterwards to recover from the horror of how much money you're leaving behind. I left £56 million and £16.8 million in commission because I didn't know any better. I'm taking away your excuse to lose money so you might not want to read it. |
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Expertise
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| As consultant and trainer I always teach the value of being an expert. There’s no doubt that as an expert it’s just as important to be an expert in not just product knowledge, but in your subject matter as well. This knowledge helps your confident in front of a customer or audience. It also gives you the ability to ask excellent and relevant questions. You can quote famous people and books to position yourself as an expert, but you can’t fake expertise very long. |
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PRODUCTS COME IN MANY FORMS, THERE IS NO NORM!
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| Information masters who possess a great deal of knowledge when it comes to their craft fully comprehend that product creation is only half the battle. It is imperative that one figures out how to present all of their material in a clean looking fashion so that they can come up with a product that is user-friendly. The bottom line is that you must develop something that buyers will want to purchase or you will not make any money. If the appearance of a product is worth a thousand words, it can also be worth 1000 dollars if it is put into the right hands of a product creation specialist. Since there are so many ways to present your product, the words below will merely focus on a few of the many methods available.
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A Death Sentence for Sales People - Failing to Know Your Customer
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| # Many a savvy salesman has lost a sale because he failed to know his customer. You may have infinite product knowledge, a slick sales pitch, and a phenomenal product - but, if you don't know who needs your product and why they need it - you'll be about as effective as a death row pardon at two minutes past midnight. |
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Sales 101: Product Knowledge
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| As critical as product knowledge is to sales success, it often gets ignored or disregarded even by the most seasoned salesperson. In this sales climate, in this economy... is that an option? I think we both know the answer to that.
Learn the importance of product knowledge and discover why you need to pay attention. |
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Knowledge Is Not Power – It’s What You Do With That Knowledge, That’s What Really Counts
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| That’s right. Knowledge is not power. Nope. This is one of the biggest lies out there. Try this instead: “It is the implementation of knowledge that is the real power”.
You see it isn’t what you know that matters, it’s what you do that counts. Knowledge alone won’t fix a thing. It’s what you do with that knowledge; that’s what will make the difference.
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Sales People Need More Than Product Knowledge
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| Companies invest time and energy to ensure that their sales force is well versed in product knowledge, and this is important. However, many don't invest the same amount of time helping their team maximize this product knowledge through sales training and sales process skills. As a sales leader, if you truly desire the best performance, you need both. |
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