The definition of knowledge is the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned. In other words, it's a salesperson's ability to turn information into something they can use. This information can come from many different places with the environment of selling.
In this context, selling knowledge typically refers to information that is primarily gained through experience. This is why knowledge is often said to be “created." You cannot just read about something and expect it to become knowledge. Just reading something is “information.” The key is to create selling knowledge is proactively using a knowledge framework as a guide. For experienced salespeople, information (when organized) becomes part of their knowledge framework or “tool bag”. Knowledge shared between two individuals can have various repercussions depending on the frame of reference of each person. This is especially true in selling situations. A key function of the salesperson and a sales manager is to share information and knowledge between organizations and make sure it is accurately understood, truthful, and well received.
Effective salespeople have efficient knowledge structures to help them categorize their information. The top-notch performers have more elaborate categorization “structures” that contain more detail of both customers and strategies to guide behavior. As a result, a salesperson's knowledge structure will influence the relationship between himself/herself and a customer/prospect. More importantly, a salesperson's complex knowledge category structure(s) will affect his/her ability to gather information from the environment, combine the new information with knowledge stored in memory, and then effectively adapt to the selling situation encountered. Therefore, knowledge in and of itself is useless, unless leveraged as a component of skill or ability (the other pillars of competency).
The primary knowledge components are:
- Buyer knowledge
- Self knowledge
- Solution knowledge
- Business knowledge
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Selling Knowledge