Often certifications requirements and vendor training courses are seen as a chore or a tick in the box to achieve a certain program level or certification. But hopefully, this blog will change your mind and help you to change your sales reps mind and embrace the opportunity to learn more and keep ahead of your customers.

According to Megan Heuer of Sirius Decisions “67% of the buyers journey is now done digitally”1. This means that executives and buyers have access to far more information, and the opportunity to research what they need, so they are considerably more informed when they have that discussion with their sales rep. This means that our sales teams need to be better equipped and more knowledgeable than ever.

Polycom continuously develops and updates our online training to keep the content fresh and up to date, including an overview of the latest products and solutions and the customer use cases for them. Selling successful business outcomes is the new buzz phrase and equipping our sales teams with right story and the ability to tell it is crucial.

Although online training is not sufficient on its own, it lays the foundational knowledge that gives the context for the sales person to build on. Online resources and case studies supplement the learning and enable sales reps to build their own stories.

Training is constantly evolving and it is important that sales reps refresh their skills to take advantage of new strategies, content and enablement tools that are added each time the training is refreshed. Examples of new content for 2015 include solutions and business outcome selling and story-telling, how to leverage the latest marketing campaigns and buying personas. As best practices and market opinions evolve, staying informed of the latest information and tools will enable sales reps to satisfy customer needs throughout the sales cycle.

It is a misconception to believe that completing a certification training course is just to tick a box, or that it is just about products. Partners should maximize the free resources a vendor supplies to take full advantage of the knowledge shared, resulting in the best trained and successful sales force out there, driving successful customer business outcomes.

Check out the courses available from Polycom University or the topics discussed in the Partner Expert webinar series. Look out for invitations to roundtables, webinars or local workshops, or topics that interest you from the Polycom Community. There are many opportunities to gain knowledge, add new skills and keep up to date.

Related Content:

Source: 1Three Myths of the “67 Percent” Statistic. July 3, 2013 | By Megan Heuer

Polycom Community: The View: Top 5 Ways Video impacts Learning. By Cara Daly

Polycom Community, The View: 3 reasons why the International Forum for women for e-Learning was spot on. By Marci Powell