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As a sales rep, you know better than anybody what your customers and prospects need to know. You've done your research. You know their issues, challenges and objectives. You know the value they could accrue by using your stuff. They just won't take the time to meet with you and listen! Well, maybe it's you that needs to listen up. Are they telling you to send your E-Rep?

When your customers and prospects start their research in anticipation of buying something, they go right to Google, right? Do they find you? Unfortunately, probably not. They only find you or your company when they specifically include you in their search. Do you want to rely on them to do that? Are you crazy???!!!

When you blow all the smoke away, knowledge is the only thing any of us has to sell any more. That's always been the case for a consulting-type business, but today, profitably selling even the most commoditized of commodities requires lots and lots of knowledge. It's all about finding and/or purchasing and/or packaging and/or shipping and/or installing and/or applying and/or maintaining and/or disposing of and/or... It's all about the intellectual content. It's the knowledge, stupid!

Technology has changed everything. It used to take multiple face-to-face sales calls to get a prospect up to speed on the potential value of our products and services. More importantly, those calls enabled us to acquire a broad, deep understanding of their issues, requirements and problems. Now, web 2.0 makes our info available 24/7. They don't need us to learn about us. AND, they now refuse to take the time to educate us regarding what they need.

I don't know enough. (Notice the first sentence is the same as last month???) The pace of change in the world of sales, sales management and consulting is such that my traditional process for learning simply can't keep up. I know you're in the same boat. Guess what? We can help each other.

I don't know enough. Not enough about my customers & prospects, or their customers, prospects, suppliers, partners and competitors. I don't know enough about the objectives, strategies, requirements, problems or people of any of those groups. I don't even know enough about how my own products and services - either alone or combined with other products and services - can address the issues of my customers and prospects. Eeesssssshhhhh...

(Guess what? You're in the same boat!)

When reviewing an opportunity, most sales manages will ask about the odds to close. When asked about odds to close, most sales reps have a ready answer. Most often, it's wrong; based on some mystical gut feel, but it sure does makes everyone feel better - like authentic planning, prioritizing and time management actually occurred.

There is always a danger in focusing on the tools used to get a job done. (We all know the cliché about the six-year old with a chain saw...) That said however, a robust CRM system just might be the most powerful tool a sales team can have.

A recent study conducted by CSO Insights indicated that poor sales knowledge management is hitting the top and bottom lines of companies in extremely negative ways. These included high sales rep turn over, longer sell cycles and lower win rates.