Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

Product Knowledge for Sales and

Marketing Professionals:
Strategies for Effective Online Training

A TOTAL E-LEARNING SOLUTIONS COMPANY

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

Table of Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Product training for attaining business priorities ................................................................................................ 3
Product Training for Global Sales Force Challenges..................................................................................... 4
Expanding markets and sales territories............................................................................................5
Proliferation of products .....................................................................................................................5
Cultural and linguistic differences ......................................................................................................6
Ongoing dilemma about forgoing sales opportunity for training ........................................................ 6
Product Training Delivery Methods in Use ......................................................................................................... 6
Technologies used for product training..............................................................................................7
Ideal strategy for delivering product training....................................................................................................... 8
How to Develop Quick Online Product Training for Sales Professionals ..................................................... 10
Right Content ...................................................................................................................................11
Robust Instructional strategy ...........................................................................................................12
Appropriate Development Tools ......................................................................................................12
One-stop Delivery Platform..............................................................................................................13
Dos and Donts of Online Product Knowledge Training for Sales People .................................................. 13
What You Must Do ..........................................................................................................................13
What You Must Not Do ....................................................................................................................14
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................16

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

Introduction
This eBook explores the importance of Product Training for organizations in realizing their business
goals, in the face of changing business environment and market dynamics. It also delves into the
various challenges that organizations face with respect to delivering training in a changed scenario and
provides some strategic tips useful for organizations when developing their own product training
program for their sales and marketing professionals.
This eBook will be useful for organizations that are looking to use technology and introduce innovative
product training for their sales and marketing professionals as a means for improved performance.

Product training for attaining business priorities

Strategic planning is important for any organization and it invariably is influenced by the firms business
priorities. In a recent survey of over 700 organizations, Brandon Hall found that the top business
priorities of companies are as follows:
o

To gain market share

Deliver new products and services and

Expand to emerging markets.

Source: Brandon Hall

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

When you look closely at these business priorities you notice that each of these top business priorities
are actually inter-related.
How do you gain market share? You need to penetrate into unexplored markets with existing products
or by providing new products/services. For this, you need to constantly innovate on your products to
cater to the newer markets and stay ahead of competition.
The key for any organization to achieve its business objective is among other things - the PRODUCTS
it offers to its potential customers. When they have products, they need to sell them and to do that they
need Sales Personnel. Sales people need to be trained on the products so that they are able to
effectively sell them. That is where PRODUCT TRAINING becomes very important for organizations to
achieve their business priorities.

While product training is crucial for organizations to achieve their business priorities, can traditional
form of training through face to face classroom sessions be adequate, given the changing market
dynamics? Delivering product training in this fast paced technology-driven market to meet business
priorities is easier said than done. Lets review the challenges that companies face in delivering
product training for a global sales force.

Product Training for Global Sales Force Challenges

Product training has typically been delivered through classrooms across organizations. However,
relying only on instructor-led face to face classroom trainings may not be a viable option for training a
global sales force for the following reasons.

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

Expanding markets and sales territories

Companies have expanded globally and most of the big companies have their presence in other
countries apart from their country of origin. With globalization of operations in most companies, sales
territories have also expanded spanning many countries and sometimes continents. So, now we
have a sales team covering EMEA which includes Europe,
Middle East and Africa or NCSA which includes North

INCREASING
PRODUCT
PORTFOLIO

America, Canada and South America, NAM that includes

North American and Mexico and so on. Training employees
across the territories on companys products effectively and
quickly is the first challenge.

Proliferation of products
Next challenge is the sheer number of products that a sales person handles. Recently, a leading
manufacturer of laptops and tablet PCs launched 6 products under 8 different categories with
numerous versions under each product category. Imagine the complexities of having to remember and
recall the key features and benefits of these products effectively enough to make a sales pitch!
Training sales people in a manner that they are able to retain
vast amount of information is a huge challenge. They not only
have to learn about their products but also the markets and
competition. It is a challenge not only for the trainees but also
for those who are responsible for training them. An annual or

CULTURAL
SENSITIVITY

bi-annual training program is not adequate to reinforce key

aspects and market dynamics vis--vis products.

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

Cultural and linguistic differences

With the geographic spread of markets, sales people come
from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. They may not
have similar English language proficiency to fully comprehend
subject matter in that language. It may be necessary to
translate and localize training into the local languages. This
means time and cost which is another major challenge.

EMEA, NAM
ASEAN
NCSA, BRICS

Ongoing dilemma about forgoing sales opportunity for training

With mounting pressures in the market, the last thing a sales person needs is time-consuming
classroom training. Even if we coax people to come into a classroom, it is physically impossible for
product managers to travel across the globe and train hundreds or even thousands of people. What is
required is just-in-time and a need-based training that traditional instructor-led classroom trainings fail
to provide.
In order to counter these challenges, organizations are turning towards technology to deliver training. In
the next section, lets examine the trends that have been seen in delivering product training in recent
times and what needs to be done to make it effective in achieving business priorities.

Instructor-led Classroom Training is not Adequate to Meet

Newer Challenges Faced by Organizations.

Product Training Delivery Methods in Use

Traditionally, product training was delivered either as a part of sales training program or as a classroom
training program. However, over the last few years more options are being explored to deliver product
training.

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

According to the survey done by trainingmag.com, more than 50% of training that is imparted in
midsize and large companies is technology based. It goes on, to show that using technology for
training is something you cant ignore as the number of employees in your company increases.
Technologies used for product training
Thanks to the demands of markets and growing competition, companies have begun to use technology
in one form or the other. Organizations today can communicate with their sales teams without having to
wait for traditional occasions such as sales meets, dealer-distributor conference or classroom training
programs. Here are some of the methods adopted by organizations to reach out to their global sales
force and extended stakeholders such as channel partners, distributors and customers.

Videos:

Some companies have started using videos on products and are uploading on to YouTube for the
benefit of not just their employees but customers in general. They are no doubt very beneficial but
cannot really function as standalone training material because of the limitations of the medium and lack
of interaction and feedback.

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

Webinars/Virtual classrooms:

Webinars and Virtual classrooms are better than videos, in that they are a bit more interactive when
compared to videos. Participants get to communicate via chat functionality provided by the medium.
However, while they may be fine for quick product updates and for refreshing existing knowledge, they
may not be able to replace a full-fledged training program.
Mobile learning

Mobile learning is another latest trend but as per the research by trainingmag.com, it is at its nascent
stage and need to go a long way before it is adopted as a norm in organizations. Nevertheless,
companies can start using it for quick information bytes and refresher courses that provide just in time
learning for their sales people.
eLearning

eLearning has taken a new dimension in the last couple of years. As per the research by
trainingmag.com, about 56% of those surveyed use rapid eLearning to train their employees. A few
years ago eLearning used for product training were static page turner type of courses which were not
as effective. However, thanks to the new and powerful authoring tools that have come up of late,
eLearning courses have become rather effective in delivering product training and are an useful
alternative for companies who need to reach their geographically widespread employees in limited time.
These are some of the formats that organizations are experimenting with in addition to the traditional
classroom training format. However, can these formats be sustained in isolation? What is the best
strategy for organizations which are looking to train a globally dispersed workforce? Before, we get on
to that, lets examine the essential requirements for a quick product training roll out.

Ideal strategy for delivering product training

Organizations can no longer make isolated attempts to provide product training choosing just one of the
many available formats. Each of the mediums used to deliver product knowledge is good in its own
way. However, given the market dynamics, no single effort can be successful in isolation. They need to
use a combination of the available media.

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

This has been reflected in the survey done by trainingmag.com: 56% currently use Rapid eLearning
and about 70% use virtual classroom/webcasting or video broadcasting for training their employees and
a fairly large group (73%) use LMS for their training requirements.
The survey clearly points out that many organizations are adopting a blended format using a multitude
of technologies as a strategy for training their employees. The same strategy can be applied for training
a globally dispersed sales force.

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

eLearning can be the base which has independent learning objects in the form of videos, animations
and podcasts which can be collated into comprehensive training modules based on target audiences.
The individual learning objects can also double up as independent resources, which can be made
available to sales people anytime - even on their mobile devices. Having seen the videos, animations or
podcasts in the context of a full-fledged course, employees are more likely to benefit from it when they
view it as a refresher.
On demand webinars or virtual classrooms, as a follow up to eLearning can serve as a reinforcement
strategy where knowledge gained in the classroom training programs can be revisited online from time
to time or when needed.
A learning management system can effectively integrate classroom trainings together with eLearning
modules, assessments, podcasts, resources, job-aids and social media tools under a single umbrella.
What it means is that the annual product training sessions can be followed up with an online
collaborative environment that engages sales people through Wikis, discussions and chats facilitating
peer to peer learning.
So, instead of using isolated efforts in the form of classroom trainings, webinars, videos, virtual
classrooms or mLearning modules, use an integrated approach that makes training available on a
continual basis.

How to Develop Quick Online Product Training for Sales

Professionals
Product training is essential for sales people so that they are better equipped to seal deals when
interacting with customers. During classroom trainings, the product training curriculum can be all
comprehensive and is typically bundled with sales training. However, when designing product training
for online delivery, it is not the same.
In order that the product training be as effective during online delivery as during face to face
interactions, you need to have:
1. Right Content that is optimized for virtual delivery,
2. A robust Instructional Strategy that leverages the online medium and maximizes learning
3. A set of developmental tools that can quickly convert your learning strategy-treated content into
an e-learning course that can be translated quickly and launched in a matter of hours.
4. A one-stop delivery platform that can be accessed from anywhere and through any devices.
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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

Right Content
Product training content for sales people need to be made practical
and useful to the sales people. They need to be provided with
information that is applicable during their day to day job scenarios.
Any product training content for sales people should cover the
following:

Position of Product in the product portfolio

Target customer profiles

Features, advantages and benefits of products

Accessories, bundling and cross selling ideas

AMC information

Comparison with competing products

Tips for selling

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

Robust Instructional strategy

Online instructional strategy needs to be different from
classroom strategy for the simple reason that the medium is
different. When designing online product training courses,
one needs to remember that there is no physical instructor
to give an occasional tip and boost the morale of the sales
person. Therefore, online instructional strategy should be to,

Provide clear differentiation of different products in a product family

Elucidate product disclosures and product messaging

Explain complex terminology in simple terms that potential customer can understand

Address multiple learner profile sales personnel, channel partners, distributors and customers

Generate enthusiasm for follow-up learning

Build Confidence of the sales person while selling a product

Ensure that training curriculum is easily updatable and maintainable

Appropriate Development Tools

Developing online product training requires technology in terms of
rapid authoring tools for developing the courses. Criteria for
choosing the right tools should be as follows:

Should be easy for development

Should be easy to translate courses into multiple languages

Courses developed should be compatible with multi-devices like smart phones, IPads

Course should be SCORM-compliant for tracking on an LMS

Should be adequately interactive to engage sales people

Should have at least minimal animations to capture learner attention

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

One-stop Delivery Platform

Lastly, once the courses have been developed, you need to host it online such
that it is easily accessible for the sales personnel. There are many proprietary
learning management systems that can be used. Alternatively, organizations
can also use one of the many available open source LMSs that best caters to
their requirement. Essential features for an LMS that hosts online courses and
that includes product training courses, are as follows:

Easy user-interface with minimal steps to access a course

Handy tips and resources

Accessible through multiple devices

Dynamic and engaging content

Collaborative learning in the form of wikis, discussion forums etc

Switchable interface providing multi-language compatibility

Strong user-support team to manage the platform

Thus, in order to develop a quick online product training program, you need to ensure you have the
right content, robust instructional strategy, development tools and a powerful platform that brings to life
the courses for your global sales force, channel partners, distributors and even customers.

Dos and Donts of Online Product Knowledge Training for Sales

People
Developers need to make a careful analysis of the learning objectives that they need to achieve with
training. Courses will have to be based on the skills that learners need to develop to attain those
objectives.
Here are simple dos and donts that developers of product knowledge training for sales people need to
keep in mind to make their training successful.
What You Must Do
Identify and understand your learner's needs: It is important to understand the purpose of training. Is it
to give a quick overview of a new product launched or is it to help sales people improve their
productivity by increasing sales and develop content based on the learning objective. It also depends
on who the learner is - Is he a front line sales person directly dealing with customers or is he a sales
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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

manager leading a team of front line sales persons? Learning requirements would depend on the
profile of learners.
Involve all stakeholders while developing the content:
It is good practice to involve all the stakeholders directly involved with the learning program. It could be
a sales manager, product manager or training manager. All of them need to provide key inputs that go
into learning modules from their individual perspectives. Ultimately, sales people should get a clear
picture of the key benefits they are going to get from the training program.
Focus on application of knowledge:
Identify the sales situations in which product knowledge is beneficial and use the scenarios in the
learning program. This makes learning interesting and engaging to learners. Since it is easy for them to
identify with real-life scenarios, they understand the concept better and learning becomes more
effective.
Design short learning modules:
Sales people are busy chasing deadlines. So, create eLearning courses by dividing them into short
modules so that sales people can access them independently. If there are several products in a product
line that need to be covered, cover each product in a separate module. Similarly, if there are several
features to be explained in a particular product, create a separate module for each feature. This will
enable sales people to access the courses when they have some free time between client meets or
while waiting to board a flight.
Ensure product information can be updated easily:
Information about products could change periodically. New features might be added or there may be
changes in the prices. Make it easy to update product information without having to redesign the entire
course.
A course in product training will be effective if it is successful in guiding learners to obtain the
knowledge and skills essential to attain their job goals.
What You Must Not Do
Here are some of the practices that should be avoided while designing online product training courses
for sales people.
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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

Information overload:
Don't overload your learners with information in the learning module that they will never need.
Distinguish between need to know and nice to know information. Extra information can be included as
separate resource but not as a part of the course.
Too much focus on features:
During product trainings, we tend to focus too much on product features. However, from sales peoples
point of view, they need to focus on customers needs to be able to convince prospects. Therefore, they
would be more interested to learn how a particular product will satisfy their customers needs.
Therefore, it is important for eLearning developers to focus on key benefits that products provide
customers.
Dry, theoretical and technical:
Sales people do not require detailed information about a products design components or its functions.
Information that is relevant to them and to their customers is all that they need. Therefore, it is best to
avoid dry, technical and theoretical information about products in the course. Relevant information can
be made available at a central place, which can be accessed if required.
Text heavy content:
Too much text on the screen makes it difficult for learners to assimilate the information. Instead, use
info-graphics and visuals aids to de-clutter the GUI and facilitate better knowledge transfer. Click-on
tabs and Roll-overs can be used to make the course more interactive while re-organizing the content
for better learner experience.
Product knowledge in isolation:
When providing product knowledge training for sales people, never talk about a product in isolation. If
you want the sales staff to retain the knowledge, you need to create a context with real-life scenarios
and situations. With stories that they can relate to, sales people find it easier to remember the details
and apply the knowledge during sales meetings.
In short, product training for sales people should contain information that is relevant, useful and userfriendly. It should keep the context and requirements of sales people in mind.

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

Conclusion
Product training for sales people should help in increasing sales revenues. It should also help them
understand how their products help in meeting customers' requirements. A customer-centric and
learner-centric approach is required while developing product-training course for sales people. This will
prove to be helpful for them in meeting their sales objectives.
Organizations can no longer afford to provide annual or bi-annual product training for their sales and
marketing personnel and assume that their sales people are well-equipped to meet competition. If
organizations have to achieve their business initiatives, they need to constantly relook at their training
strategy in general and product training strategy in particular and take stock of its relevance to the
changing business environment.
An integrated approach towards product training, where classroom training is ably backed up with
eLearning modules, webinars, webcasts, virtual classrooms and collaborative learning experience
managed through a vibrant learning management platform is an absolute necessity.

About CommLab India

CommLab India specializes in custom eLearning design & development, translation of courses, and
learning management system integration. CommLab India is a one-stop custom eLearning solutions
provider for 50 organizations in 7 countries. The company started in 2000 with its head office in
Hyderabad, India, and has an office in the US as well.
Our exclusive focus is on providing the following services:

Custom Courseware development for product, processes and HR training

Customizable Catalogue Courses

Translation and Localization

Webinars for Sales Training

CommLab India LLP

No. 45, I & II Floors, Sarvasukhi Colony, West Marredpally, Secunderabad - 500026, INDIA.
Telephone: +91-40-27803080, 27803060, Fax: +91-40-27716308,
URL: http://www.commlabindia.com/

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Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing Professionals: Strategies for Effective Online Training

CommLab India helps you meet your training needs through highly interactive and
effective e-learning solutions.
View Samples

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Telephone: +91-40-27803080, 27803060, Fax: +91-40-27716308,
URL : www.commlabindia.com l Contact Us

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