For a sales representative new to a particular product or industry, there is an exhilaration that comes with being green; opportunity abounds, and the only thing that can hold me back is my own ignorance.
But that’s a double-edged sword. Because if ignorance is my biggest obstacle, it’s also in my hands, as a sales rep, to make sure I climb the learning curve – scale the mountain, if you will – as quickly as possible.
There are numerous ways to learn about the products you sell and the industry in which you’re competing. For the purposes of this discussion, let’s assume that your company either doesn’t offer a comprehensive new hire training program, or it’s insufficient to meet your needs.
There are still many things you can do.
Company training program – Having just stated what we did about training programs, one thing to keep in mind is that a good place to start may nevertheless be exactly there. Indeed, maybe the program your company offered fell short in grounding you in the basics. But perhaps if you were to go back through the material in a self-paced way, holding yourself accountable for memorizing/internalizing the material, the repetition alone may do the trick.
Industry programs / certifications / publications / conferences – Most industries offer tools, programs and events designed to bring newcomers up to speed. Review industry websites, publications and other resources to see if, at a minimum, there are ways in which you can learn more. There may even be formal training programs or certifications that you can take advantage of to truly solidify your knowledge.
Company website and marketing collateral – Whether there is or isn’t industry information available for your use, your company almost certainly has a website and marketing collateral that provides terrific background on the products and services you are selling. Yes, this source of information is limited to the level of customer-facing detail the person behind the website chose to share, but the advantage here is that it will be presented in a way that gives you a head start on your elevator speeches and presentation approaches. After all, the company is clearly comfortable with presenting its products in this way, or they wouldn’t have published the information.
Intranet / contracts – Neither of these are necessarily exciting, but both can be helpful in providing the types of operational and/or technical details that will round out your knowledge. If your company uses a standard contract when it sells a new piece of business, for example, there is a wealth of knowledge about terms, applications, limitations and expectations in the small print. Likewise, the company intranet usually is a repository of reams of operational documents that can bring you up to speed on processes and procedures.
Colleague meetings – Take advantage of your “newness” and schedule meetings and phone conversations with colleagues, whether they’re in sales or not. Ask questions. Be curious. Find out how their particular area of responsibility complements yours, and ask how you can be most helpful to them.
Customer visits / trial and error – Even when you are still learning, one of the most useful things you can do is get out and meet with existing customers. Simply by sitting with them and asking questions about their history with your company and use of your product, you’ll be “forced” to come up to speed on the real-world issues and situations they describe, since you’ll want to be helpful to them. There is, of course, a certain level of fake-it-until-you-make-it involved here, but if you’re sincere and candid with your customers, they will not only understand, they’ll be appreciative that you took the time to meet with them.
Personal use – It depends on what you’re selling, of course, but first-hand experience actually using the widget or service can be irreplaceable.
Other resources – Remember that this information-driven world is full of possibilities, from competitor materials and blogs to industry textbooks and white papers. Search engines are a terrific way to quickly identify and assess the wealth of data available.
One final tip, regardless of the source of your educational information, is to keep notes for yourself in a place that you can do quick reviews during non-productive down time. Index cards are a favorite of many sales reps. Likewise, I knew one company-leading rep who would keep his notes on 81/2-by-11 pieces of paper, which he strategically placed in the back of his presentation binder. When he was sitting in a waiting room for a customer meeting, he’d take the opportunity to review his educational materials for a quick refresher.
You may have other ideas of your own. The most important thing to remember is that coming up to speed on your industry, your company and its products ultimately is in your control. Being in control, of course, means you can scale the mountain that much faster.
And the view from the mountaintop can be spectacular!
Mike
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