Increase Product Knowledge To Boost Sales

06 Jul Increase Product Knowledge To Boost Sales

One of the most effective ways to increase your sales and maximize profit is to ensure your sales staff has product knowledge. This makes it easier for them to close deals because they understand the product and the value the customer gains from it.
It is paramount for your sales personnel to have a clear and accurate understanding of your product and its features. Knowing the entire ecosystem surrounding your product arms your sales reps with the ammo they need to sell better. 
Customers respond better to a sales pitch when they trust that the rep has accurate information on the product. Additionally, the conversation flows better when the sales rep can answer all the customer’s questions.

Benefits of Product Knowledge

Speed up the Sales Cycle

When your sales reps know your product inside-out, they can see the value in it. This way, they’re motivated and excited to share the benefits with the customers. Additionally, the confidence they gain from their in-depth product knowledge enables them to tailor the product’s features and benefits to suit different types of customers.
Having extensive product knowledge makes it easier for your sales team to provide factual information and demonstrate the features to customers whenever objections arise. When your sales reps can answer customer questions immediately without consulting other departments, the sales cycle moves faster, resulting in more sales.

Boost Your Reps’ Credibility

As a customer, you would be extremely frustrated if the sales rep you were asking about a certain product were fumbling or unable to answer you. Superior knowledge of your product gives your staff credibility in the eyes of the customer. They are viewed as experts when they can skillfully handle questions and objections.
When customers feel like they are talking to an expert, it is easier to build trust. They know they are getting accurate information about the product, as opposed to a transparent half-baked attempt to sell. Relationship building is an essential part of the sales process, and it’s made a lot easier when the customer trusts the sales personnel.

Improve Communication

With a thorough understanding of the product, your sales reps can employ different techniques when presenting their pitch to the customers. They can adapt to any situation because the baseline is knowledge of the product. This gives them stronger communication skills. 
In most cases, sales reps find themselves talking rather than communicating. Your sales staff need to be trained to sell product benefits, not features. It’s all about meeting the customer’s needs, not getting the product off the shelf. When your sales reps can effectively demonstrate the value of your product to customers, there’s a dramatic increase in sales.

Boost Confidence and Enthusiasm

When your reps know all there is to know about your product, they’re more confident when making the sales pitch. Product knowledge empowers them to exceed the customers’ expectations and easily handle the sales process. Whatever question the customer has is answered tactfully.
Product knowledge also significantly boosts enthusiasm. When customers can tell that the salesperson is enthusiastic about a product, it is easier to believe that it is the best solution to their problem. The best way to boost enthusiasm is for reps to believe in the product. When they use the product and understand its features and benefits, it’s easier to make a compelling enthusiastic pitch.

Create the Ideal Customer Experience

The customer’s journey starts with the first interaction with the company’s rep. Product knowledge helps ensure a smooth transition from a prospect to a loyal customer.
Creating an exceptional customer experience sets you apart from your competitors, and this can be achieved through product training. With product knowledge, the sales reps can see things from the customer’s perspective. This way, everything from the pitch to the sale is tailored to meet the customer’s needs, and any hurdles that may arise are handled tactfully.

How to Gain Product Knowledge

It is essential to educate your sales teams on the entire ecosystem of your product. How is it made? What value does it give to the user? How should it be used? Here are a few simple practices to increase your sales staff’s product knowledge:

Use the Product

The simplest way to learn about a product is to use it. Having your sales team use the product and interact with it arms them with all the knowledge and experience they need to sell it.
Salespeople often get too excited about features and forget to sell the product’s benefits. Customers want to know why they should purchase your product and how it solves their problems. When your sales reps have used the product and are familiar with it, it’s easier for them to highlight the benefits using their first-hand experience.

Learn From Other Employees

You can increase product knowledge in your company by creating a culture of shared knowledge. Your sales reps should be free to seek feedback and information from other reps and even staff from other departments. If a rep does not know the answer to a question, there should be a clear communication channel with a resource person.
The product team should share as much information as possible about the product with your sales team. They are the experts and can help answer questions about product features that could help boost sales.

Engage With Relevant Industry Content

Use innovative means to augment your sales team’s learning process. Provide all of the relevant product learning materials needed to better understand the product. Provide this information through convenient media, such as interactive videos, articles, documents, and even product learning apps. The idea is to provide as much information in the most concise way possible.
It is also essential to keep up with any upgrades in the industry. Keep your team up-to-date on any new changes they should be aware of. This way, should the customer ask a question, your reps can give a detailed, thought-out answer.

Schedule Regular Product Training

Product knowledge is not static. Just because your team is already familiar with a product does not mean training is complete. The consumer today is very advanced, and there’s a need for change very often. New market trends are cropping up daily, and your sales team must be able to keep up with the fast-paced nature of the market.
Ensure your team’s product knowledge remains current by scheduling training sessions at least weekly. This time should be used to train them about any new features or solutions to problems that arise. Arming your team with knowledge of recent improvements to your product boosts sales because customers are always looking for a better product.

Monitor Customer Feedback

Customers trust online reviews and testimonials just as they would a personal recommendation, which is why you should pay attention to what is said about your company and your product. This way, you can spot issues and areas where customers lack information. You can then train your sales team on the issues to avoid further occurrence.
Read what consumers have to say about your competitors as well. You will learn the features they like the most and what they expect from your brand. You can use this information to greatly improve your sales team’s knowledge.

Bottom Line

Product knowledge is one of the essential skills that increase sales. When a knowledgeable salesperson is confident and enthusiastic, customers can pick up on that. Training your sales team to become product experts can only have a positive impact on your business.
Aktify can help you connect with your consumers through positive experiences. We activate sales prospects and deliver them as inbound phone calls to your sales team. Contact us today to find out more about our solutions.