A good salesperson can sell anything

A salesperson is eloquent and polite, he is strong in communication and intoxicating. He is empathetic, knows his market and the typical habits. He knows his product and the products of the competition.

It is true that a good salesperson must have important skills that can convince a customer. It is true that a salesperson must know his market and therefore also the competition. Do they then only need a few one-pagers about their own product that they need to understand in order to get started? Far too often, salespeople think so. This may be true to some extent for a product that is already perfectly placed in the market, i.e. if supply and demand have already aligned perfectly in terms of content and if the product is easy to explain and simple. In all other cases, this is not enough.

In my world with software and hardware for industry and logistics, potential customers are quickly interested when a product shows an approach to a concrete problem solution. In the first sales meeting, however, this interest must turn into a real understanding of the product and how the solution works. For the buyer, it is ultimately a matter of an evaluation with far-reaching consequences: How much money will the installation and operation of the presented product and solution cost? How complex will that be? How much time will it take to implement it? Do existing process steps and installations have to be adapted for this? Etc.

Competent answers to the customer's questions about the solution offered, are absolutely necessary to build trust. Of course, sales cannot explain a product in arbitrary detail, but on the other hand, it is also not a scaling solution if so-called pre-sales engineers always have to be consulted. It is also harmful if instead of a sale, a proof-of-concept project is started at the customer's premises. This ties up enormous resources and requires intensive cooperation from the customer. Unfortunately, the latter is often in short supply when implementing the PoC in everyday business and therefore requires polite, but firm and consistent asking and pushing by the salesperson. Very time-consuming and demotivating and frustrating in the long run.

A good and sustainable training of the sales staff beyond a superficial presentation of the features, the unique selling points and the pricing model is absolutely necessary! The handling of one's own software or hardware product in the sense of a live demonstration should be practiced and mastered blindly. It also underlines by the way that the product is simpler and more easy to use than perhaps initially expected, and that there is no reason for fear of contact with the product and first steps on their own.