In the fast-evolving building materials industry, the success of a sales team increasingly depends on how well they understand the products, markets, and challenges their customers face. Educational content plays a vital role in equipping sales reps with the knowledge and confidence to convert leads, upsell effectively, and build lasting contractor relationships. Below is a step-by-step guide to creating impactful educational content that directly supports and empowers your sales team.
Step 1: Assess Sales Team Needs
Start by identifying the knowledge gaps and pain points experienced by your sales team. Conduct internal surveys, gather feedback during team meetings, and consult with sales managers to understand where reps struggle most—whether it’s with technical specifications, competitor comparisons, or handling objections. This will help prioritize content topics that have the greatest value.
Step 2: Align Content with Sales Goals and Buyer Journeys
Each piece of content should have a clear purpose that aligns with business objectives—like reducing sales cycles, increasing product knowledge, or supporting upselling. Also, consider where your customers are in the buyer journey: awareness, consideration, or decision. Educational content should cater to each of these stages, helping sales reps deliver timely, relevant information.
Step 3: Choose the Right Formats
Different topics demand different formats. Options include:
Product sheets and spec guides – For detailed technical data.
Short explainer videos – For visual learners and field reps.
Slide decks and presentations – For client-facing meetings.
FAQs and cheat sheets – For quick reference during calls.
Case studies – To share real-world success stories.
Internal wikis or knowledge bases – For on-demand access.
The key is to use a mix that fits your team’s workflow and learning preferences.
Step 4: Collaborate with Subject Matter Experts
Work closely with product managers, engineers, or marketing specialists to ensure accuracy and depth. Educational content should reflect current product capabilities, relevant use cases, and industry compliance standards. Collaboration also adds credibility and ensures alignment with the broader business strategy.
Step 5: Make Content Easily Accessible
Educational materials should be organized in a central, easy-to-navigate location—ideally within a CRM, learning management system (LMS), or shared cloud platform. Use clear labels and filters, such as product category, skill level, or content type. If sales reps can’t find what they need quickly, they won’t use it.
Step 6: Train Sales Reps on How to Use It
Don’t just drop content into a folder—train your team on how to use it. Host short workshops or webinars to walk through new materials. Demonstrate how content supports specific conversations, like overcoming objections or introducing new product lines. This ensures proper adoption and usage.
Step 7: Collect Feedback and Continuously Update
Sales environments evolve, and so should your content. Ask sales reps for ongoing feedback: Is the content helping? Is it outdated? What’s missing? Use this insight to refine, update, or expand your library regularly to keep it relevant and effective.
Step 8: Measure Impact
Track engagement metrics such as usage rates, time spent on pages, and feedback scores. More importantly, assess how educational content influences outcomes—does it shorten the sales cycle? Improve close rates? Increase upsell success? Use these KPIs to demonstrate ROI and guide future content investments.
Conclusion
Effective educational content isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic tool that strengthens sales performance, supports customer engagement, and drives revenue. By following a structured approach, distributors and building supply companies can ensure their sales teams are equipped with the knowledge, confidence, and resources needed to succeed in today’s competitive environment.
