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Sales 101: Product Knowledge
| Guest post by: Gordon O'Neill |
Article Overview: 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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Free Download - How to Sell to the Price Driven Customer By Gordon O'Neill |
Sales 101: Product Knowledge
Product knowledge is critical to success in sales. Having a sales strategy, sales technique, or even a proven sales method without product knowledge is like trying to build a house without a frame; it may look nice from the outside, it may have curb appeal and even appear to be welcoming; but, eventually it will collapse.
As critical as product knowledge is to sales success, it often gets ignored or disregarded even by the most seasoned salesperson.
Once a sales rep has a certain number of years under their belt, they can often be seen lumbering into work with the slow, bored, plodding confidence of an old stegosaurus or some weathered alpha-male Savannah cat. This sales rep has seen a few things; bosses, customers, and eager young pups have come and gone through the revolving door, and the only things they know to be constant and put faith in are sales, winning, and themselves. Their confidence is so bolstered by years of success and reaffirmation through achievement that they are utterly competent under any circumstance and will prevail, on the simple basis that they have so far.
In this sales climate, in this economy... is that enough?
If you looked at old stegosaurus' sales stats for 2010 the answer would be very clear.
In a world where the customer has access to unlimited information on the product they're (hopefully) about to purchase, you can no longer skate by. Your customers have likely spent a vast amount of time reading product reviews, consumer reports and surfing the web. They're spending their hard earned cash; they want to be armed with sufficient information to make an educated purchase.
If you seem unsure, they will pickup on it, if you don't directly answer their questions they will wonder if you really do in fact know what you're talking about.
Ask yourself this: if the customer knows more than you do, are they going to trust your guidance?
No!
If the customers think you led them on or lied to them, they will feel insulted, disrespected and overlooked. Now that doesn't exactly promote customer service does it?
It's called customer service for a reason, you are there to service the customer; show them their options, educate them and help them to select the right product.
More importantly, if they can't trust you as a source of information and they don't feel as though you are providing them with excellent service, are they likely to sign on your dotted line? Not a chance.
Product knowledge is never static. It's a constantly evolving repertoire that you must have ready at any instant. Product knowledge is often overlooked and ignored as a formality, because nobody bothers with the "fine print" anymore. In the age of Facebook, Twitter and Google we live in a world of fine print and guess what, your customer has access to the "fine print" at anytime. It's no longer hidden away in a mirage of indistinguishable verbiage.
It's irrelevant what industry you're in. Companies spend landslides of money generating product-knowledge training tools and materials for their employees, because they want to be absolutely sure you know what you're talking about. They create seminars and Internet courses, they even write literature. They do everything they can to fill your head with knowledge and create avenues for you to better yourself while grimly expecting you not to. They flood you this way because they know they have to; if there is information everywhere, you'll have to pick some of it up as you go, the same way that if you walk through a freshly painted business office you're bound to get a couple dashes of taupe number five on your elbow.
What is the mystical secret to product knowledge mastery? Open your eyes and ears and pay attention.
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Advanced Sales Tip
The “Hire Someone With Product Knowledge” Myth
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The Farce Called Sales Training
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Self Confidence
Dealing with Sales Objections: Competitors
True Sales Professionals Are Product Agnostic
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What should my sales team expect from a successful Sales Coach?
5 Ways to Handle Price Objection
You can't afford to let the knowledge leak out!
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Top 7 No’s that Derail the Sales Process
Article Tags: climate, economy, product knowledge, sales success, sales tips, salesperson
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About the Author: Gordon O'Neill RSS for Gordon's articles - Visit Gordon's website He is one of Canada's leading sales and marketing experts in the financial services, insurance, and commissioned sales fields. Through speaking engagements, Gordon has captivated thousands of sales professionals in these fields. Audiences find Gordon to be motivating, inspirational, and thought provoking. By drawing lessons from fascinating real-world examples, he educates and empowers decision makers. As a certified life coach and expert in neuro-linguistics programming, Gordon easily provides the necessary knowledge to make the best business decisions, utilizing his proven sales strategies. Gordon was born into business and started his sales career at a very young age. When he was only 18, he started a career in automotive sales at a large Chrysler dealership in Toronto, where he joined a team of more than 20 salespeople and quickly went from young upstart to top salesperson after just one month. Gordon maintained top status until moving into management. Gordon's unique career achievements include automotive sales and leasing, business management, financial services, insurance, tool and die making, construction, wholesale manufacturing, retail, and landscaping. His background has provided him with the rare opportunity to relate to many different business fields. Gordon also holds certifications in Project Management, Lean Management, and Six Sigma (Black Belt). Gordon's background and career experiences have moulded him into the sales expert that he is today, and he has helped transform the careers of many very successful salespeople. His book Sales Survival is coming out this fall. Sales Survival is a complete guide to a career in sales, including effective communication, sales techniques, customer retention, marketing strategies, and becoming the professional salesperson. Click here to visit Gordon's website   Sales Training Tip of the Day Focus on the Deal in Front of You A Unique Approach to Increase Sales Sales 101 Product Knowledge Create a Marketing Strategy to Attract Customers and Increase Sales Sales Techniques for the Telephone |
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Hello all...
- Hello everyone - this is just a short intro.
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I look forward to meeting you all and wish you the best of success.
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