SalesMotivation.net

By Brian Lambert

There is no doubt that “sales training” is a big business, but what people have to realize is the fact that “product knowledge training” is not the same thing as sales training. Over 2/3rds of all training conducting in the United States is product training. People spend weeks on learning how a software program works and it is (unfortunately) counted as sales training — when it is not. It’s product knowledge (or solution knowledge) training.

If an organization feels like it really must teach “knowledge,” then what about knowledge of one’s self (i.e, your goals, strengths and weaknesses)? Or a knowledge of the buyer (the organization structure, their competitors, their vision)? Or what about teaching important legal, environmental and ethical aspects of business or how businesses work? Companies do not spend enough time on this because they do not have the knowledge they need to discuss it in relation to the most important aspect of any sale – the customer. Everyone talks about “talking to the executive level.” This is how you do that – through relevant knowledge. Not by teaching salespeople the features and functions of a software tool or solution knowledge in general. If a company cannot articulate the relevant business knowledge, buyer knowledge, and salesperson knowledge in relation to their solution, they will not attain the level of effectiveness they seek.

Sales Management and corporate executives should therefore seek to understand how selling effectiveness is built upon understanding the components of knowledge, skills, and abilities that will most likely lead to the best behaviors and outputs of a salesperson within a given territory or market. Every buying organization is unique and every territory is unique (selling in the U.S is different then selling in Greece, etc). What allows a salesperson to customize and personalize their approach within that constantly changing landscape is “competency.” Competency is defined by our organization as the knowledge, skills, and abilities that lead to the right behaviors in a selling situation.