Boost product knowledge to increase sales

What is the importance of getting your staff upskilled and increasing their product knowledge so that they see the value in your products?

Product knowledge is one of the keys to increasing sales and maximising profits. Having excellent product knowledge not only gives your professional sales staff more credibility, but also makes it easier for them to close a sale.

Unless your staff learn as much as they can about the products in your lineup, it would be difficult for them to see the value in those products and why customers would need them. Staff would be more motivated to sell a product when they know and understand its value and how it could benefit the customer. When your staff know a product inside-out and believe in it, they cannot help but be excited and want to tell customers about it. Moreover, their extensive product knowledge would give them the confidence to tailor how they present the product’s features, advantages and benefits to address the specific needs of different types of customers.

If your staff know everything there is to know about your product, as well as comparable products in the marketplace, it would also be easier for them to provide facts and demonstrate particular features in response to any objections a customer might have.

Superior product knowledge makes your staff believe in your products, gives them more credibility in the eyes of customers, allows them to confidently tailor their product demonstrations, helps them handle objections more easily and therefore close more sales. Getting your staff upskilled and increasing their product knowledge can only have a positive impact on your bottomline.

Your staff must know basic information such as the models, styles and colours available; servicing, repair and warranty details; distribution and delivery, if applicable; how and where the product was made; and their prices. More importantly, they need to understand the value of your products, how to use them, and be able to effectively demonstrate them to customers.

Unless staff take the initiative to learn about the products themselves, you as the business owner or manager must help them increase their product knowledge so you can maximise your sales and gross profits. You can do this by:

• making sure staff read all of the available product information
• allowing staff to use the products so they can try the features for themselves and work out how your products meet customers’ needs
• maximising supplier representatives as a knowledge resource on the products they should know best – ensure that supplier representatives who call on your stores are increasing your staff’s product knowledge by sharing stories about how to sell the products
• conducting regular training sessions, including role playing

As the owner or manager, practice what you preach and have excellent product knowledge yourself. That way, you would be able to identify whether there are any gaps in your staff’s knowledge about your product lineup.

Key Business Advisors regularly runs training programs customised for your business. Visit www.keyba.com.au or call 1300 4 ADVICE to find out more about KBA’s customised sales training programs.