Last week The Sales Cooke read a blog that discussed the 7 Foundations for Selling Greatness by Doyle Slaton. This was a great blog. It accurately conveys the key components of great sales people.
Below are the 7 key areas to develop according to Doyle.
1. Product Knowledge
2. Industry Expertise
3. Business Acumen
4. Strategic Planning
5. Networking & Community Involvement
6. Marketing
7. Sales Skill
The Sales Cooke posted comments on Doyle Slaton’s website. My opinion is that product knowledge is probably the least important component of selling success. Most companies invest in having technical experts within their organizations. It has been my experience that finding a knowledgeable resource within a company, regardless the size, can always be accomplished. As a sales professional, I do not need to be the expert resource. I need to be the expert at finding the most effective expert resource for my client.
I am emphasizing this because too many organizations think that product expertise is how deals are developed and won. Nothing is further from the truth. Deals are developed and won when the sales people build trust with their clients, know what the clients needs and pain are and the sales person can connect the client to a solution that adds value. In reality, emphasizing product knowledge becomes one of those things sales people use to advocate and tell when they screwed up the selling process and didn’t do a good job of learning and qualifying.
Solution and value are not based in heavy product knowledge. Your clients are not experts, do not want to become experts, and do not need all the details associated with your products. What they do need to know is where the experts are and how good they are at servicing the client and solving issues. Bring the experts along and give your clients a glimpse of their greatness. It also shows a team component to the selling process–things that most clients like to see. As far as the product knowledge issue, this about covers it.
I commend Doyle Slaton for developing this list. With the exception of my ‘rant’ on product knowledge, this is a great list for developing sales professionals and a professional sales team.