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| Home - Industry Article - Nov 05 Issue |
Innovation: Getting the Right Information to Your Sales Team
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Continuous Knowledge Sharing
Once the knowledge is gained, it is important for companies to facilitate shared learning. This can happen by capturing the collective knowledge gained on an ongoing basis and distributing it in a useable fashion.
Making discussion forums and knowledge bases (KB) available makes it easy for reps to learn from peer and expert interactions. (Note: keys here: access to training material used pre-sales meeting; access to KB which can provide immediate answers to questions already answered; access to peers and also an expertise location and management capabilities which locates experts and allows them to answer questions - that are then organically captured in the knowledge bank.)
Existing knowledge is leveraged - the knowledge created pre-meeting; new knowledge is readily and organically captured & immediately re-usable.
But how do you get busy and often impatient sales reps to use yet another sales tool? One method is to allow them to continue using their standard email application, only route all emails through the knowledge base, so useful information is automatically captured without requiring human intervention.
Personalization is also a key component a successful eKnowledge initiative. An effective e-knowledge solution should allow for the delivery of specific information to individuals based on their role and proficiency assessment.
Overall, an eKnowledge platform needs to deliver the specific knowledge required to perform their role. This includes shared company knowledge captured from discussion forums and email threads. The objective is to provide specific knowledge that's readily consumable without inundating them with too much information.
A Home Entertainment Company Stands Out With Expert Sales Staff
Many companies are moving toward the alternative training model. For example, a leading consumer electronics retailer is using eKnowledge with measurable results. Product knowledge is a key differentiator for the company. The retailer prides itself in having the best-trained sales associates in the industry. Much of their advertising highlights their associates" knowledge and ability to demystify consumer electronics for their customers.
Thus, the company requires its sales associates in its 174 nationwide stores to be experts on the features of each new product, and the integration of those products with existing home and automobile consumer electronics.
Like all retailers, the company is keenly interested in maximizing associates" time on the selling floor. To assist in the efforts, they deployed an eKnowledge solution that organizes and presents content and serves as a central repository that stores and reuses learning material.
This process allows easy creation and maintenance of five-to eight-minute training modules, which are also combined with classroom training. The modules, allow employees to catch up on the latest surround-sound technology or the newest MP3 players when they have an opportunity that does not conflict with period of peak consumer activity. Quick tutorials help associates absorb complex technical information in short intervals that can be customized to the specific learning situation in the organization.
The result is a sales team that can focus extensive classroom time improving associates" people skills and basic selling techniques rather than preaching about the products. More time is now spent on role-playing and sales training, leaving the technical questions for a more convenient time.
More and more sales organizations are moving toward a combination of in-person classroom training and personalized eKnowledge to better prepare their reps. With this method, technical information is disseminated through just-in-time modules so that live sessions can focus on improving sales proficiency like negotiating skills, building customer rapport, and winning in competitive situations. By automatically capturing internal knowledge on a continual basis, reps can easily stay informed and get the information they need on a moment's notice, so they can get back to doing what they do best selling.
1 Research Institute of America
Massood Zarrabian joined OutStart as President and CEO in March of 2001 with more than twenty-five years of technology and management experience. Under his leadership, OutStart has grown from a newly funded software company with one product and a handful of customers to a leader in the e-learning applications market with strong revenues and thousands of customers. Prior to OutStart, he was president of the eService Division of Broadbase Software, a provider of eCRM solutions. Before that, as president and CEO of Servicesoft Technologies, a provider of intelligent e-service solutions, he directed the successful merger with Broadbase Software. Massood held executive positions with Lewtan Technologies Inc. and Cayenne Software, Inc. He has also held a number of senior management positions at Computervision Corporation. For article feedback email him at mzarrabian@outstart.com
 
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