Using Product Knowledge Effectively

Product knowledge is one of the most misunderstood topics in selling.  Business leaders often barrage their sales teams with information about their products in the hope that it will increase sales.  It never does.  Many have asked, “how much product knowledge does a sales person need to be successful?”  Those who pose the question are looking for an answer that reads like a checklist.  Sales people need to know this, this, this, this but not that. 

However, there is a problem with knowing a lot about a product.  It does not translate into sales.  Allow me to explain.  I have rarely been in a company where those who create the product, who know it inside and out, can convince anyone to buy it.  Why?   

There is an astounding amount of scientific research that has disclosed that information alone rarely persuades a person to act.  What moves people is not mere information, but how that information is presented.  Likewise, product knowledge alone will rarely motivate prospects to purchase.  What matters is how that product knowledge is presented.  Therein lies the key to understanding how to use product knowledge effectively.

Meaningful product knowledge is not how much you know about a product, but how skilled you are in sharing that information in ways that are relevant to your prospects.  This is why effectively conveying product knowledge demands that sales people clearly connect the dots between the value the product will deliver and their prospects’ needs. 

So ask yourself, does what you communicate about your product sound more like a bunch of dull facts or meaningful insights that clearly reveal the deep value that your product will provide?