Persons who actually use the product can be an important source of information toward improved sales performance.37 They have likely researched your products and those of your competitors on the Web, observed its performance under actual working conditions, and can provide an objective assessment of the product’s strengths and weaknesses. Some companies collect testimonials from satisfied customers and make this persuasive information available to the sales staff. Patagonia customers include mountain bikers, backcountry skiers, sailors, paddlers, and fly fishermen. The company’s success lies in maintaining a close connection to persons who actually use their products.38

Salespeople employed by semiconductor manufacturer Intel Corporation are expected to take the company’s business customers from the conceptual stage of their purchase all the way to delivery of the finished product. The dialogue with the customer begins very early in the sales cycle when the customer needs help designing the end product.39 This approach requires the empowerment of the sales force with greater depth and breadth of product information.