Are you a sales manager looking to assess your reps’ knowledge and understanding of the product, customer, and market? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! We’ve all been there, which is why we’ve put together the top 10 questions every sales manager should ask their reps.
Testing your reps can be a bit intimidating for you and for them, but it’s an important part of the sales process. After all, you want to make sure that your reps are fully prepared and equipped to handle any questions or objections that may come their way.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into a list of questions that can help you test your reps’ knowledge of the product, customer, and market:
10 Questions Every Sales Manager Should Ask Their Reps Today!
- Can you explain the key features and benefits of our product?
- How does our product compare to our competitors?
- Can you give an example of a common pain point that our product can solve for a customer?
- How do you handle objections or concerns that a customer might have about our product?
- Can you describe the typical customer that would benefit most from our product?
- How do you identify the needs and wants of a potential customer?
- Can you provide an example of a recent market trend that may impact the way our product is sold?
- How do you stay up-to-date on industry developments and changes that might affect our sales strategy?
- Can you describe the competitive landscape for our product?
- How do you use customer feedback to improve our product or sales strategy?
What happens if reps don’t know the answer?
If your reps don’t know the answers to your questions it could be a bit of a red flag. But don’t panic just yet! Because uncovering gaps in information and wrong answers to questions is part of your job description as a sales manager! This is your opportunity to shine.
As a sales manager, it’s your job to help your reps stay informed about the product, customer and market so they can crush it in sales. If you notice some gaps in their knowledge, don’t be afraid to provide extra training materials, set up coaching sessions, or give them access to relevant information. By keeping your reps informed and confident, you’ll be able to boost their sales performance in no time.
And remember, don’t be judgemental when helping reps improve or reviewing their responses. The thing is, it’s really easy to get caught up in the moment and start judging reps for not knowing certain things. But if you want them to trust you and feel comfortable enough to ask for help, you’ve got to be supportive and understanding.
Think about it – if you’re constantly judging them, they’re not going to feel comfortable coming to you with questions or admitting when they don’t know something. And that’s not going to be good for anyone. So, try to approach things with a more open mind and a willingness to understand where reps are coming from. By doing this, you’ll create a much better learning environment and be able to help your reps shift their mindset in a more effective way.
What’s the best way to ask these questions?
While the tempation will undoubtedly be just to ping these questions over via Slack or Teams, the best way to ask these questions is by using Re-View, which allows sales managers to send questions to their reps and have them answer via recorded video. This takes the pressure off of the situation and allows reps to think through their answers more carefully, just like they would with a real customer on a zoom call.
The other benefit of using Re-View and having recorded answers is that you can share the best answers with the rest of the sales team, in order to upskill everyone on the correct responses. This will save you an enormous amount of time on having to relay the correct responses.
And there you have it! As a sales manager, it’s important to regularly check in with your reps to ensure they are knowledgeable about the product, customer, and market. By using tools like Re-view, you can easily ask questions and get a better understanding of what your reps know and where they may need additional support. Don’t forget to approach these check-ins with an open mind and a willingness to help your reps grow. With the right training and support, your team will be well on their way to success.