Strategic product training and sales coaching programs turn “sales people” into product experts, improving the customer experience and boosting your bottom line.
Have you ever worked with a salesperson on a significant purchase, only to realize they didn’t really understand much about what they were selling you? How did it make you feel about completing your purchase? We’ll guess: significantly less confident, at best.
Unfortunately, this is an all-to-common scenario. It’s also one of the biggest contributors to lost sales across industries. In this day and age, most consumers that walk into a store or dealership have already been online and done some product research. Maybe from an influencer, owner group, or company website. This means by the time they arrive at the store, they are already midway down the purchase funnel. What they need then is a true product expert to reassure them about their purchase and get them to the closing table.
Developing product experts within your staff
High sales competency is the key to increasing conversions. However, getting staff to that level can be a real challenge for many businesses. This is due to a variety of factors, including time constraints, lack of training resources, and high employee turnover.
That’s where product training programs come in. Product training (or sales coaching, as we like to call it) is one of the most effective ways to maximize the effectiveness of sales staff (or any staff for that matter). Having highly trained staff ultimately boosts any business’s bottom line. By utilizing seasoned product experts, real-world teaching curriculums, and hands-on, on-product demonstrations, sales staff gain confidence and knowledge to be true specialists. They also develop brand love from the experiences they take away from the training.
Product Training Increases Sales – By the Numbers
The numbers don’t lie—sales training works! According to Sales Performance International, companies that invest in sales training see a 57% higher effectiveness in closing sales compared to those that don’t. What’s more, 78% of buyers say their sales experience is a major factor in their final purchasing decision (LinkedIn State of Sales).
Still skeptical? Here are five of the biggest benefits your business can experience from staff product training
- Increased brand loyalty. No secrets here: sales staff will always gravitate to selling the products they are most comfortable with. This is regardless of whether they may be of higher quality or a better fit for the customer. By giving them a customized experience on the products they sell, like we did at our recent Florida Sea-Doo Dealer Training Tour, attendees leave energized to be promoters of your brand. Providing a free lunch didn’t hurt either.
- Boosted profits. Product training increases sales. Employees with a deeper understanding of your product line will naturally have a better ability to communicate value, upsell, cross sell, and promote accessories and post-purchase revenue streams like extended warranties. This is especially true for staff who have personal experience using the product themselves, who will authentically push that “must-have” accessory.
- Higher closing rates and shorter sales cycles. Employees who can quickly and accurately answer all a customer’s questions and navigate any concerns or reservations always make it to the closing table faster. This increases efficiency within the business and ensures a quick and seamless journey through the sales funnel for customers.
- Better customer satisfaction. High customer satisfaction is directly linked to a positive purchasing experience. Having a highly knowledgeable staff plays a big role in this. Additionally, post -purchase satisfaction is enhanced when customers have been properly educated on how to use and maintain their new purchase, which is also aided by having well-trained staff.
- Better employee retention. Staff training can be a great team building exercise, as well as increasing moral within your ranks. It’s also been linked to helping with staff retention. HR Dive estimates that companies who offer ongoing training enjoy 30-50% higher employee retention rates.
LOOK Marketing has decades of experience providing practical product training and brand coaching for many types of businesses. We’d love to put our experience and expertise to work for you.
