SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Sales — tracks feedback from sales managers and executives. We run the poll question each Wednesday in our e-newsletter.
Last week, we asked: Do your long-standing team members have trouble selling new products?
- Yes, but only sometimes: 46.81%
- Yes, almost always: 27.66%
- No, almost never: 25.53%
Not surprised by the “Yes” result this week. Why? Because most long-standing team members have their sales processes established. When a product is rolled out, they continue to sell products they know; the new product becomes an “Oh, by the way” discussion after they are finished selling long-standing products.
While it might seem easy to blame such salespeople, the problem is typically caused by insufficient sales leadership and training when a product is rolled out. Product training is not enough — sales leaders need to teach their teams how to incorporate the new product into their established sales process. When properly trained, they can lead with this product and include it as part of a larger sale or more integrated solution.
Stephen Pia is the founder of COACH MEdia and a sales trainer and coach.