I disagree with the premise of this article. The idiot salesperson in the story is more a reflection of the software company and its strategies than the industry as a whole.

As a trainer of sales people and one who has built product training courses I can say this person is not the industry standard. In this case, the one apple does not spoil the bunch.

A salesperson?s talent does not necessarily lie in product knowledge. It is the ability to bring together a buyer and seller in a relationship that will benefit both entities. The salesperson identifies the buyer?s needs and ?pre-qualifies? the buyer beyond the initial needs (RFP). The next step is to introduce the buyer?s people to the product?s people and let them discover the details. This should include the user groups, the technical groups, etc. The technical resource should come into play only when needed; it is not an ?a priori? requisite.

Selling is not getting in front of a prospect and giving a PowerPoint demonstration. It is the ability to be invited to give the PowerPoint and knowing who to invite to the meeting.

Do not underestimate the ability of a greasy sales-monkey to sell a product they know nothing about.

My two cents,

David K Smith