Is product training damaging to sales?
Apr 24, 2023
"I want to do some sales training... but we are told to spend time and money on product training"
Orange Hat series - Sales Director Dilemmas #10
Don't worry you are not alone
It's not your fault as many companies are proud of what they do
Unfortunately this energy can get directed in the wrong way
They want to shout out about their offer thinking it's attractive and don't make the shift to the customer's perspective which is where the magic really happens
It's a tough habit to break as it's often quite deeply ingrained
So brief your team to use the training to equip them to sell
Let's use the VALUE Framework to consider what they can ask to get some of the info they need to do a good job selling with a customer focus
πΆ Validate - How to check fit for doing business
- What is our target market? Why?
- What is the problem we are solving?
- How important is it to them?
πΆ Align - How we to consider work together
- What roles are being affected? How?
- What pressure is this putting them under?
- How do they try to fix it?
πΆ Leverage - How to make a sales approach
- What questions should we ask to get them thinking?
- What insights can we offer to stimulate?
- How will they most likely respond?
πΆ Underpin - How to present, prove and agree
- What stories can we tell?
- What references have we got?
- How can we make them the hero?
πΆ Evolve - How to develop the business
- What can we do to ensure we deliver outcomes?
- What is our promise to them?
- How do we prevent ‘buyer remorse’?
If your team can use the opportunity to get this type of information they will be in a much better position to hold the discussions that customers want (and need) today
Focus on problems rather than product
Why 'Orange Hat'
The Six Thinking Hats is a method used to amplify creativity by making sure that a broad variety of viewpoints and thinking styles are represented.
It was developed by Dr. Edward de Bono
The six hats are:
βͺ White: the objective hat, which focuses on facts and logic
π΄ Red: the intuitive hat, focusing on emotion and instinct
β« Black: the cautious hat, used to predict negative outcomes
π Yellow: the optimistic hat, used to look for positive outcomes
πGreen: the creative hat, where ideas are abundant and criticism spare
π΅ Blue: the hat of control, used for managing the process
I've taken the liberty of addling a new one
πΆ Orange: the hat of applied sales thinking, used to address real life challenges and drive results today.
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