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In a lot of ways, extensive product knowledge is the basis of a sound sales engagement. The most effective sales reps act as educated, consultative resources for their prospects — and you can‘t sell from that position if you don’t know your offering inside and out.
Still, sales leaders often struggle when it comes to training their reps to know their solution cold and thoroughly. That‘s why we’ve compiled this handy guide to explain the what, how, and why of product knowledge and product training. Let's dive in.
Table of Contents
- Product Knowledge
- Types of Product Knowledge
- Product Knowledge Training Ideas
- How Product Knowledge Helps
- Turning Salespeople Into Product Experts
Product Knowledge
Product knowledge is a professional's understanding of their company's offering — their sense of its features, benefits, and ways it can suit customers' specific circumstances. Thorough product knowledge is key in sales, as it allows sales reps to articulate compelling, focused value propositions for individual prospects.
Let's consider an example. Imagine a sales professional working in edtech, selling an academic scheduling platform to a midsize community college. Which of the following (extremely high-level) value propositions sounds more compelling?
- “Our platform is easy to use and has been proven to help institutions see great results.”
- “Our platform is known for ease of use, suiting DRIs from deans to lower-level administrative staff with minimal onboarding — and at institutions of your size who also struggled with scheduling, implementation has led to an average of 60% fewer scheduling bottlenecks.”
I‘m going to go out on a limb and say you chose the second — probably because it projects more confidence and speaks to the prospect’s circumstances more specifically. “Confidence and specificity” stem directly from the fact that the proposition is backed by thorough product knowledge.
Without it, the rep would be stuck selling based on vague assurances and “take-my-word-for-it-ness” as opposed to trust, and sales is, in large part, the art of developing trust in a tight window.
You‘ll have a hard time getting there if you don’t know your product.
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Types of Product Knowledge
1. Price/ROI
Hard (or very hard-ish) figures can be huge when trying to get a prospect on board. Shocking as this might sound, most B2B purchases are made with the intention of delivering ROI, and a lot of prospects want to get down to brass tacks pretty quickly.
If you waffle on what they can expect to pay or can‘t give a convincing, accurate sense of the returns they’ll see, you're going to come off as underprepared and non-authoritative — two qualities that generally aren't associated with successful sales efforts.
2. Customizations:
Different prospects have different circumstances that often inform different needs for different features. In other words, prospects are unique — and the solutions you offer them should reflect that.
Having a sense of the various ways your offering can be customized to suit a prospect's situation is central to tailoring a specific, effective value proposition for them. Getting there starts with developing extensive product knowledge.
3. How to Use It
This one might be obvious, but it still bears mentioning. If you have no idea how your offering works, you can‘t really claim to have product knowledge. I mean, how can you run a demo if you don’t know what does what?
This point also covers content like case studies and other insight from existing customers. Have a pulse on how businesses similar to your prospect's have leveraged your solution and the results they saw.
That perspective can give your prospect a more concrete sense of the benefits they can expect, allowing you to frame a more convincing, meaningful value proposition.
4. Tools and Features
This one ties into the previous point. You should have a mental inventory of the various bells and whistles your solution offers, so you can speak to the ones that best suit your prospects' needs.
It might go without saying, but knowing how to answer basic technical questions like, "Can I go in the backend and customize the code?” or, “When would I need to use the source code?” is more or less a must when heading into a sales engagement.
5. Support Resources
Sales reps should know how to find answers to questions and support, for themselves and their prospects — for example, questions like “How can I contact support?” or “What’s the easiest way to find answers to my questions?”
Product Knowledge Training Ideas
- Have reps read customer testimonials.
- Conduct role-swap exercises.
- Have reps create mini-demo videos.
- Utilize a knowledge base or academy.
- Have reps use the product themselves.
- Have reps pitch to strangers.
- Gamify learning with interactive quizzes.
- Share customer feedback with your team.
- Conduct supervised deep dives with support.
- Have reps train with subject matter experts.
- Have reps attend industry conferences.
1. Have reps read customer testimonials.
A ground-level sense of how your solution works is central to thorough product knowledge. Your reps need a practical understanding of how customers actually leverage your product and the results that they see.
That‘s why having reps read testimonials is so valuable when conducting product training. Reps should be well-acquainted with how and why customers use your product, and there’s no better way to get there than having those reps read firsthand accounts from users.
This training method allows reps to familiarize themselves with the nuances of how your product functions, get a sense of the ideal results it can produce, and develop the empathy required to solve for future prospects.
2. Conduct role-swap exercises.
Raviraj Hegde, SVP of Growth & Sales at Donorbox, says, "To help sales reps develop strong product knowledge, I would recommend a hands-on, interactive approach. Start with a role-swap exercise, where sales reps act as customers.
“This will help them experience the product firsthand, not from the sales perspective, but as a user. By understanding the actual pain points, advantages, and real-world applications of the product, sales reps can elevate their pitch and make it more relatable.”
3. Have reps create mini-demo videos.
Hegde also says, “Sales reps should be encouraged to create mini-demo videos, where they explain the product as if they were pitching to a client. Doing this helps them internalize the product's value proposition in a practical way. Also, these videos can be critiqued and used for peer learning.”
4. Utilize a knowledge base or academy.
Knowledge bases and online academies are resources generally used to accommodate customer needs — resources that let users actively troubleshoot, bounce ideas, and ultimately learn how to leverage a product more effectively — but their utility also extends to sales reps.
Having reps study key knowledge base articles or complete courses from an online academy are straightforward, accessible ways to get them acquainted with how your product functions, along with familiarizing them with the educational resources customers have at their disposal.
5. Have reps use the product themselves.
Bartosz Wrobel, CEO of Gorrion, says, "In my experience, the most effective way to enhance product knowledge is through direct, hands-on use of the product. At Gorrion, we've implemented a policy where every sales team member becomes an expert user of our software solutions. They actively engage with our tools, exploring features and even participating in internal projects using our products.
"I've observed that this method consistently yields positive results. When sales reps have personally experienced the benefits and nuances of a product, they can discuss it with authentic enthusiasm and in-depth understanding.
6. Have reps pitch to strangers.
Jenna Slater, Head of Sales at Anagram, "I have my reps pitch to strangers at every opportunity, so they can practice simplifying the value, as if they were talking to a five-year-old. Practicing the product pitch so that anyone can grasp the purpose and pain you are solving helps reps sharpen their brevity and clarity skills when talking with real prospects.
“Pitch to your Uber driver, your local bartender, your 13-year-old cousin! This exercise makes it fun and easy to grow your sales skills and move past any nerves you might face when first jumping on sales calls.”
7. Gamify learning with interactive quizzes.
Paul Sher, CEO of FuseBase, says, "Interactive quizzes have been instrumental in helping our FuseBase sales reps retain product knowledge. We've developed a series of engaging, gamified quizzes that cover different aspects of our AI automation platform, which reps can access anytime via their mobile devices.
“This approach has not only made learning more enjoyable, but it has also improved our team's ability to articulate our product's value proposition, resulting in a 15% increase in demo-to-close rates.”
8. Share customer feedback with your team.
Jessica Bane, Director of Business Operations at GoPromotional, says, "Sharing real customer feedback with your sales team can significantly enhance their product knowledge. Regularly holding team meetings where customer experiences, both positive and negative, are discussed will provide your reps with insights that go beyond product specifications.
“This method helps them understand how the product performs in real-world scenarios, what challenges customers face, and which features they find most valuable.”
9. Conduct supervised deep dives with support.
Mike Sadowski, Founder & CEO of Brand24, says, "When it comes to developing product knowledge, I've found that sometimes you need to throw your reps into the deep end — but with a lifeguard nearby.
"In my experience, one of the most effective methods we‘ve used is what I call ’supervised deep dives.' We pair a new rep with an experienced teammate and put them on a real client call. The twist? The new rep takes the lead in explaining the product.
“Sure, it's nerve-wracking for them at first, but this rapidly accelerates learning. There's nothing quite like the pressure of a live situation to sharpen focus and retention. The experienced teammate is there to step in if needed, but we encourage them to let the new rep swim as much as possible.”
10. Have reps train with subject matter experts.
Mike Szczesny, Owner & Vice President of EDCO Awards & Specialties, says,"I recommend setting up regular product training sessions where reps can ask questions and engage with subject matter experts.
"Supplementing this with access to product collateral, demo environments, and online learning resources gives reps the tools to independently build expertise. But knowledge alone isn't enough — reps need to learn how to apply that knowledge through role-playing exercises and by shadowing top performers.
“With the right balance of formal training and experiential learning, sales reps can gain the product mastery needed to have informed conversations with prospects and drive deals. The goal is to move beyond superficial knowledge to true comprehension that transforms reps into trusted advisors.”
11. Have reps attend industry conferences.
Erin Acheson, VP of Business Intelligence at ZeroEyes, says, "Your team should attend conferences and listen in on technical sessions regularly. Even if they're not directly relevant, they provide context to gain industry knowledge as a whole.
“Familiarizing reps with industry jargon, trends, and pain points helps them connect with prospects on a much deeper level. Let your team touch and feel their products. Watch products being used in real time so you can observe the user process, understand use cases better, and walk them through potential roadblocks.”
Free Sales Training Template
Use this template to set up a 30/60/90 day sales training and onboarding plan.
- 30/60/90 Day Goals
- People to Meet
- Feedback/Review Process
- And More!
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How Product Knowledge Helps
It bolsters your credibility with buyers.
Want to hear something that exactly zero prospects have ever thought before?
“Gee! I sure wish this sales rep knew less and was struggling to answer my questions about their offering.”
As a salesperson, you need to act as a thoughtful, well-informed, consultative resource for your prospects — and you can‘t be any of those things if you don’t have extensive product knowledge.
If you can‘t speak to your offering’s key features and benefits thoroughly and authoritatively, you won't be credible.
If you‘re not credible, you can’t be compelling.
If you‘re not compelling, your prospect isn’t going to listen.
If your prospect isn‘t listening, they’re already lost.
It helps you articulate your competitive advantage and value proposition.
The most effective value propositions have some novelty and oomph to them — and "novelty and oomph" are byproducts of you understanding your competitive advantage.
What makes your product or service distinct from the other options on the market?
That wasn‘t rhetorical. I actually want you to think about what sets your offering apart, right now. If you lack extensive product knowledge, you’re not going to be able to answer that question convincingly.
Vague statements about how cool and helpful your solution is don‘t do anything to distinguish you from the 1,000 other products that serve the same purpose. You need thoughtfulness and specificity to sell effectively. If you don’t have product knowledge, you can't have either.
Your product knowledge will frame how you articulate the “why” behind your product, relative to your competition — and in most cases, your “why” makes or breaks a sale.
It allows you to really solve for the customer.
Do you remember roughly seven or eight paragraphs ago when I said, “As a salesperson, you need to act as a thoughtful, well-informed, consultative resource for prospects — and you can't be any of those things if you don't have extensive product knowledge.”
I'd like to reiterate that statement in this section.
We're living in the era of the empowered buyer, so as you can assume, you need to do what you can to empower your buyers if you want to be convincing.
Their needs, interests, and preferences should be your first priorities. If you don‘t have extensive product knowledge, you won’t know how your offering aligns or doesn't align with those key elements — having that understanding will dictate the degree to which you can actually solve for the customer.
Turning Salespeople Into Product Experts
Knowing a product inside and out is a key indicator of a top-performing sales rep. With product knowledge training, your sales reps are empowered to answer questions and objections during their sales process.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in September 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
Free Sales Training Template
Use this template to set up a 30/60/90 day sales training and onboarding plan.
- 30/60/90 Day Goals
- People to Meet
- Feedback/Review Process
- And More!
Download Free
All fields are required.
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