Selling Skills - The Importance of Product Knowledge

Have you ever been into a store to buythe same in your industry. It may be that you
something only to be disappointed when it is clearactually are reselling someone else's products and
none of the assistants can answer your questionsdo not manufacture, if this is the case why not
simply because they do not know the products? Ibook a day and visit their site? Take time to get
know I have, product knowledge or lack of itintimate knowledge of how your product is
makes a huge difference between those whoproduced and go and see it being done. This really
make the sales and those who miss out.adds credibility to your sales presentations and
In fact I would have to say that an insanelyyou will find lots of useful facts you can benefit
important element of any sales persons skill set isfrom.
their product knowledge. Without having a good2) Read the books - Now men in particular have a
understanding of what you are selling you arereputation for never reading manuals or
going to fail.instructions. They get that new piece of
With this in mind let us take a look at practicaltechnology home and just plug it in, as a result
ways in which we can build our understanding.they end up only using 80% of the features
1) Back to the floor - Now for me personally Ioffered and therefore miss out. Well let's move
have always sold a service based product (mainlyaway from talking about men to looking at
print related). Anytime I have joined a newourselves as sales professionals. Have you spent
business over the years I insist that they let metime studying the technical manuals of your
have two or three days actually working in theproducts and learning how they work? If not
production area. Even though I have a goodmake doing so a priority, if your products are
understanding of print I still need to know howhighly technical get someone who knows to show
my company operates it production area. I needyou how it works and take notes. It is important
insight into the quality systems, control processesto create a list of features and benefits as people
and shift patterns. Understanding of the machinesbuy benefits. What this means is that we attach a
we run and their potential and limitations is alsobenefit to each feature. For example if the new
important. By gaining this information first hand IZoomba Microwave Mark 2 operates at a very
can take that knowledge and weave it into mypowerful 3000 watts (feature), this means that it
sales pitch in certain knowledge that what I amcooks the food that much quicker saving you lots
saying is actually true. Why not take time to doof time (benefit).