The difference between a star salesman and a mediocre one is usually his or her knowledge—relevant information about customers, products, markets and competition. Deals are made or broken based on the salesperson’s subjective observations and insights into client needs. Yet, because such knowledge is transitory and unstructured, transferring it from person to person in a sales department is generally unreliable.
Bob Schmonsees spent more than 25 years in the software industry managing sales teams. He knows the key to competitive selling lies not in more information, but in the right information at the right time. Now his Falls Church, Va., start-up offers a unique software-based solution to sales effectiveness, WisdomWare Sales Coaching.

WisdomWare consultants, who have sales and marketing backgrounds themselves, the Sales Coaching package distills the first-hand knowledge and observations of experienced salespeople based on what’s worked for them in the past. The knowledge base is then automated to interface seamlessly with existing sales data repositories such as the MES.
“There is knowledge you never captured before, the kind of street smarts that can make employees more productive,” Schmonsees said. The objective, he added, “is to get people to execute the fundamentals better.”
Another unique aspect of WisdomWare is its ability to deliver “just in time” coaching similar to the help feature in office suite software. It

“There is so much information in a company, but typically it’s not structured at all,” Schmonsees said. “It is exchanged around the water cooler.”

Beyond SFA WisdomWare’s Sales Coaching tool addresses a need not met by most sales force automation (SFA) systems, the need for mission-critical knowledge in real time. Most SFA tools are limited in their functionality and flexibility, usually only ready to archive documents, perform scheduling, tracking or forecasting.
At the heart of traditional SFA is the marketing encyclopedia system (MES), an online repository of information such as policy manuals, sales literature, analyses, price lists and product descriptions. But while useful, the MES can exacerbate the problem of information overload. As the volume of information increases to tens of thousands of documents, user friendliness and ease of maintenance decline. The limitations of current search and navigation technology can make finding the right information quickly akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.
Schmonsees set out to build a knowledge-sharing system that captures and makes accessible mission-critical knowledge in four categories: what are the customer’s key business issues and needs, how can my company meet these needs, how do competitors stack up and what is the most effective sales pitch for this particular customer. Developed under the guidance of

provides quick answers to urgent requirements. Studies show that the “just in time” approach to coaching not only increases current effectiveness, but trains sales people for the future and reinforces past learning.
Said WisdomWare customer Gary Dickleman, vice president of Guru Inc., “Studies of computer interfaces and human factors always show that the design and flow of information is critical to how quickly people find, comprehend and retain information.” WisdomWare’s relational structure is designed to mimic the way people naturally organize and reorganize information, he said. Salespeople can even use the tool while prospecting on the telephone. A new module, the Sales Call Advisor, allows salespeople to tailor their call to the customer. Click on the prospect, the product of interest or potential competitors, and Sales Call Advisor accesses WisdomWare’s knowledge base to configure information and recommendations on customer needs and key value propositions.