In writing for sales reps who don’t work directly for the manufacturer, I focused on product and sales training modules and technology modules.
Mobile Devices: An Evolving Need for Product Training
When I began writing product training for Samsung Mobile sales associates in 2009, the Android platform didn’t yet have a cutesy dessert name, and people were still confounded by their iPhone’s touchscreen. Most phones were still “dumb,” and their capabilities limited.
As phones grew smarter, the need for training grew too. Customers began caring less about call quality and unlimited minutes, and began craving more experiences, more engagement, and more personality from their mobile devices. Selling these devices demanded not only selling skills, but also enough technical knowledge to answer ever-savvier customers.
Product Training Modules
The backbone of the Samsung training plan was interactive, web-based modules. Insider Marketing and Samsung coordinated training modules for each new device release, with the greatest focus on the flagship Galaxy devices.
Each training module included:
- Product features
- Related services (e.g., music streaming, apps, and mobile payment)
- In-store demo suggestions
- Accessories to bundle
- Customer demographics/profiles
- Selling scenarios
- Competitive comparisons
- FAQs
- Knowledge checks and a final quiz
Though I can’t show proprietary training information on my site, I’ve written training or support content for every Galaxy S device (through Galaxy S7), every Galaxy Note device (through Galaxy Note7), and most Samsung wearables, including smartwatches, headphones, and Gear VR. I’ve also written about many Samsung services, including Samsung Pay and Smart Switch.
Why product training is a good investment
The copy created for training modules can be repurposed for use in live training, webinars, newsletters, playbooks, training apps, or anywhere else that you want to share information within your company or your sales team.
Technology Training Modules
Many of the sales reps I wrote for were men in their late teens and early 20s. While they grew up with mobile devices, there were often gaps in their knowledge.
For instance, a sales rep might answer dozens of questions about HD displays and be able to launch into that spiel in his sleep. But could that same rep identify an opportunity to tell a customer about Wi-Fi Direct? Could he answer a customer who wants to know the whys and hows behind a manufacturer’s claim?
To serve that need, I helped Samsung create an online academy that combined device training with technology training and that built incentives around gaining certification at Associate, Specialist, and Expert levels.
Each “Tech U” training module included:
- History and background on the topic
- In-store demo suggestions
- Use cases
- Selling scenarios
- FAQs
- Knowledge checks and a final quiz
Why technology training is a good investment
Technology training can be leveraged just like product training, to reach sales reps in different ways. But technology training can also be repurposed as part of your content marketing strategy: When you produce content that educates consumers on the latest technology, you position yourself as not just a company selling something, but as a trusted technology expert.
Note: B2B training is typically intended for internal, confidential use, and that’s why you won’t see the actual text of any of these projects in my portfolio. I’m happy to discuss these projects in more detail when we meet.