The best sales people will tell you that selling is all about finding a perfect fit between your product or service and your customer’s needs. But an incredible number of sales are lost just because the seller did not know his or her product’s attributes well enough, or just wasn’t able to communicate them effectively.
Knowing what you are selling is absolutely critical, more so for you as a business owner or manager. This is particularly true when you are selling products with technical specifications. After all, you are the person your customers, partners or colleagues will turn to when they need information. But equally important, there are some absolute basics every person in your organization who is in contact with a customer should know:
- What do your products/services do, and what can’t they do for a customer?
- What can your competition’s product/service do, and what can’t they do?
- What is your USP (unique selling proposition)?
- What sets you apart from all your competitors?
- How effectively are you able to communicate this USP to your customers?
- What is your competitions' USP?
To you these may appear like questions everyone in your office could easily answer, however, in many cases employees knowledge is not as deep as it should be. Having a handy checklist like the one above will ensure that all bases are covered.
Here are a few reasons why customer-facing employees need to be fully conversant with your products and services:
1. Knowledge begets confidence
When you’re called upon to talk about something you know well, you are more confident and therefore you project this confidence to the listener, or in this case the customer. You have to know the ins and outs of your product and transfer this knowledge to your employees as well, so they are equipped to face customers. A confident salesperson will tend to close the deal faster.
When you’re called upon to talk about something you know well, you are more confident and therefore you project this confidence to the listener, or in this case the customer. You have to know the ins and outs of your product and transfer this knowledge to your employees as well, so they are equipped to face customers. A confident salesperson will tend to close the deal faster.
2. Knowledge builds trust
A salesperson who is unsure about his product’s finer details can never inspire trust in a customer and without trust, there is no hope of building a relationship. A good salesperson should know not only about his or her product, but also the competitive offerings. A clear understanding of what your product does or does not do, as well as what your nearest competitor’s equivalent offering does or does not do is important. Only then will you or your employees be able to help overcome doubts or objections in the customer’s mind.
A salesperson who is unsure about his product’s finer details can never inspire trust in a customer and without trust, there is no hope of building a relationship. A good salesperson should know not only about his or her product, but also the competitive offerings. A clear understanding of what your product does or does not do, as well as what your nearest competitor’s equivalent offering does or does not do is important. Only then will you or your employees be able to help overcome doubts or objections in the customer’s mind.
3. Helps meet the customers' needs
In today's complex environment, customers may not be looking for cookie-cutter solutions or products. Therefore, it is important to know every detail about what you are selling to ensure a true fit with customer needs. For example, which of your business offerings can be adapted to meet their need? To what extent can your offerings be customised? Flexibility is a competitive advantage in the modern world.
In today's complex environment, customers may not be looking for cookie-cutter solutions or products. Therefore, it is important to know every detail about what you are selling to ensure a true fit with customer needs. For example, which of your business offerings can be adapted to meet their need? To what extent can your offerings be customised? Flexibility is a competitive advantage in the modern world.
The image of salespeople who 'wing it' and say whatever the customer wants to hear is both dated and untrue. A good salesperson, with great product knowledge, will not only be able to identify a product to meet the customer’s need, they will have the authority and expertise that will earn the customer’s trust, and deservedly so. This leads to loyal customers and happy business owners.
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