Potential customers want to know something about the company standing behind the product that will be purchased. Having company knowledge is very important to buyers who purchase expensive or industrial products that require much servicing. Customers who buy products that may have to be returned in the future or intangible items like investments or consulting services also want to know information about the company. Company reputation and credibility are very important to the sale–sometimes more important than the individual product being purchased. For this reason, a list of information items should be researched and learned by new sales professionals when hired by a selling organization.
✔The company’s standing in the industry.
✔The history and past performance of the company.
✔The size of the company and the growth that has taken place in the last several years.
✔The various products or services that are sold by the company.
✔The reputation of the company’s service department and sales personnel.
✔The location of service facilities and distribution offices.
✔The various policies of the company like discounts, credit, delivery, exchanges, financing, and order procedures.
Most large selling organizations have training programs established for newly-hired sales professionals to educate them with all the crucial information about the company. Some companies publish written information that goes into great detail about the history of the company, the mission statement of the company, and the philosophy of the company’s operations. If an organization doesn’t have anything formally set up, then the sales manager should spend some time and educate the new sales professional with key and pertinent information. With so many companies selling the same product, a good sales professional needs to know the company well enough to help establish credibility in the sales presentation.