“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin
Yes, it is possible to sell more to customers through product knowledge – in fact, it is an essential skill for every person in a company. Through an understanding of the products and services of the company, especially for the service staff, they would be better equipped to present the benefits and features of the products more accurately, confidently, and a lot more persuasively. The truth is that customers are more likely to respond to a company and its representatives who seem enthusiastic, passionate, and confident about the products and services, and who seem eager to share and pass on benefits to the customers. As a customer, you would know that you would be more believing of a sales person who not only displayed self-confidence, but also was confident about the products she or he was selling. It is possible to build confidence and sell more to customers through product and service knowledge.
The idea is not always to sell more to customers, but rather about being honest with them even about the shortcomings of the products. Being honest and open will ensure that they remain open-minded – rather than being sold something for the sake of it, they would respect a company that gave them complete information. Through proper product knowledge, company representatives would be able to let customers know whether a product or service is right for them and in doing so would gain the trust of customers. When trust builds in the mind of customers, they are more inclined to return with more business for the company, or at least provide glowing testimonials and referrals – which usually translate to more business.
With technology ruling and digital communication being the preferred mode, customers today know the importance of both. The customers of today are smart, knowledgeable, digitally connected, and have large digital social networks, which means that they would gain as much information as they need about products and companies before they even decide to approach companies. This also means that customers are better equipped to ask tough questions – which may not be part of FAQs or any other information that the company may have disseminated. Companies must often as the question as to whether their service staff is equipped to handle such ‘bouncers’. It would be a lot easier to convince and sell more to customers through product knowledge – thorough and in-depth knowledge. When customer-facing staff is able to exhibit such knowledge, they would be able to make a personal connection with customers by providing a trustworthy experience for them.
Experts say that product knowledge is perhaps the most important and critical tool to sell more to customers. Through this knowledge, service staff would be able to inspire trust, respect, and dependability in the mind of customers – and we know that customers tend to buy more and stay longer with companies they trust. Customers need to know that the company will care for them and solve their problems in the future too – confident and self-assured company representatives would enable customers to be at ease. A knowledgeable and highly trained team would know how to manage proactively any negativity, and would have ready and effective answers for customers who may ask ‘hard hitting’ questions. They would be able to provide customers with precise, intelligent, and effective answers through product knowledge. Customer-facing staff with limited product knowledge would become flustered and defensive over such questions and difficult ‘requests’, and may completely ignore the problem / question. In doing so, they would be sure to irritate customers, who would view this behaviour as disrespect and an attempt on the part of the company to hide something. This in turn would lead to distrust and ultimately the customer moving away.
With so many options and choices both in terms of companies and products, customers are in a position of power. Customers now make buying decisions based on how much trust and affinity they can have in a company, and not just on product quality and range. This means that in order to sell more to customers, company representatives must be able to appear as trustworthy and genuine sources of information – information that should be including and beyond the data customers may gather about the company and its products from various sources. When customers hear something ‘familiar’ and more related to whatever they already know, their trust would instantly rise and they would be more open to discussion, which could lead to a decision to buy. Therefore, to sell more to customers the most current and up to date product knowledge is essential.
As mentioned, with so many companies and product lines, customers tend to believe that all products would be similar. In order to appear unique and distinctive, companies must do whatever it takes, which would create a lasting impression on customers. In-depth product knowledge is essential to elevate the customer’s buying experience. The knowledge would enable the customer-facing employee to educate the customer and display the commitment of the company to satisfy the needs and interests of the customer first. With so many companies pushing information and products towards customers, the companies that display genuine desire to help and connect with customers, would win.
The reason that companies can sell more to customers through product knowledge is that such knowledge brings power. The power to convince, negotiate, and build trust – proves indispensable to the success of any company. Product knowledge makes communication a lot easier and more forceful – a thorough understanding of products allows the customer-facing staff to apply varying techniques to present the product, depending on the customer before them. Stronger communication skills empower the company representative to adapt their style of presentation, speech, and body language to have a greater and longer lasting impact on the customer.
It is possible to sell more to customers through in-depth product knowledge since it helps the salesperson to feel confident and therefore a lot more enthusiastic about the product. Their enthusiasm and excitement brimming over would be ‘infectious’ and the customer would be sure to want to know more and even buy. This confidence in addition, lends credibility and authority to the salesperson, and customers love to do business with companies that exude such attributes. With amped up confidence, trustworthiness, and credibility the company representatives will have very little problem in overcoming any objections and doubts that customers may have, especially with regard to products sold by the company’s competitors.
In order to keep customer-facing staff up to date on information, they must receive regular product training geared towards product knowledge and the ability to disseminate that knowledge to existing and prospective customers. As a customer, you would know that a bright, upbeat, knowledgeable, and confident company representative would have a better effect on you, as compared to a sullen, diffident, and moronic sounding one. Companies must ensure that every employee understands the importance of proper communication and product knowledge. Communication is not talking – it is the ability to convince someone of the efficacy and truth about the subject under discussion.
We know that the products and or services alone do not sway the customer of today, when making a buying decision. What matters is the experience that comes with these products – every company has at least one competitor in the market, and it therefore, is imperative for a company to ensure that it stands out such that customers never go to another player to have their needs met. Demonstrating robust product knowledge creates an impression of power and wisdom, which in turn would instil trust and faith in the customers – making it a lot easier to sell more and consistently to them. Where does your company stand with knowing its products and services?