Reps Know Products, But…

CSO Insight’s recent Sales Optimization Report reveals that salespeople are knowledgeable about their products. However, there are clear weaknesses when it comes to effectively understanding buyers, cross-sell/up-sell, selling value and forecasting accuracy:

Meet or Exceed Expectations– Effectively present Features and Benefits = 67%
– Differentiate from Competition = 69%
– Align Solutions with Customer Needs = 68%
– Generate Accurate Bid/Proposal = 85%

Needs Improvement– Understanding Customer Buy Process = 40%
– Effectively Cross-sell/Up-sell = 47%
– Sell Value/Avoid Discounting = 42%
– Forecasting Accurately = 54%

This data shows that salespeople, for the most part, know their products, but are lacking in areas not typically emphasized in training across sales teams.