In today’s competitive building materials market, sales success hinges not only on product availability and pricing—but on the value and expertise your team provides. One of the most effective ways to empower sales teams is by equipping them with high-quality, informative content that helps customers make informed decisions. To ensure your teams can consistently produce this type of content, training becomes essential.
Here’s a structured guide to training your internal teams to excel at creating educational content that drives sales effectiveness.
- Establish Clear Content Objectives
Start by helping your teams understand why educational content is valuable. Set goals such as:
Supporting sales conversations with technical insights
Addressing common customer pain points or objections
Explaining product benefits in a clear, structured manner
Demonstrating the distributor’s expertise in specific material categories
When teams understand the strategic purpose behind content, they’re more invested in creating it thoughtfully.
- Define Your Target Audience
Training should emphasize who the content is for—contractors, architects, procurement officers, or project managers. Include insights like:
What their daily challenges are
What kind of information they typically seek
How they prefer to consume content (e.g., PDFs, blog articles, short videos)
Audience clarity leads to more tailored and impactful content creation.
- Provide a Framework for Effective Content Structure
Offer your teams a standardized format or template to follow when creating content. This might include:
A clear headline that addresses a specific need or question
A brief introduction establishing relevance
Bullet points or short paragraphs highlighting product advantages
A call-to-action for contacting a sales rep or downloading a spec sheet
This structure ensures consistency and ease of use across the sales organization.
- Train on Tone, Accuracy, and SEO Best Practices
Good educational content must be clear, accurate, and findable. Provide basic training on:
Using technical accuracy without overwhelming jargon
Writing in a professional yet accessible tone
Including keywords and phrases relevant to the building material industry for SEO purposes
This ensures content performs well both for customers and search engines.
- Encourage Cross-Department Collaboration
Encourage collaboration between product managers, marketing, and sales to gather insights and validate content accuracy. Create workflows where:
Subject matter experts provide input or review drafts
Sales teams share real-life questions or objections from the field
Marketing ensures content aligns with branding and style guidelines
Collaborative creation results in more relevant and high-quality material.
- Use Real-World Examples for Training
Incorporate examples of successful educational content into your training sessions. Highlight what made it effective:
Clear explanations of product benefits
Visuals that enhance understanding
Easy navigation for the sales team and end user
Breaking down strong examples gives teams a tangible reference point for future content creation.
- Integrate Tools That Streamline the Process
Train teams on content creation tools they’ll actually use. This could include:
Document templates or drag-and-drop builders
Content libraries that organize assets by product category
CRM integrations that allow reps to access content in real time
Reducing friction in the creation and distribution process improves adoption and output.
- Set Content Creation Goals and Timelines
Establish content creation as a measurable and recurring part of team performance. For example:
Assign a certain number of educational assets per quarter
Tie content themes to upcoming product launches or promotions
Include content quality and usage as part of team KPIs
This creates accountability and drives consistent results.
- Provide Feedback and Recognize Efforts
Offer structured feedback to help team members improve over time. You might:
Review submitted content and offer constructive input
Recognize top contributors in meetings or newsletters
Create a “Content of the Month” feature to showcase effective work
Positive reinforcement encourages ongoing participation and higher quality.
- Keep Training Continuous
The market evolves, and so should your content. Provide ongoing training to:
Update teams on new product innovations or regulations
Introduce new content platforms or tools
Share best practices from industry benchmarks or competitor analysis
Continual learning ensures your content stays relevant and competitive.
Conclusion
Training your team to create strong educational content is a long-term investment in your sales success. When executed properly, it allows your sales force to move beyond transactional selling and become a trusted resource to customers. By fostering collaboration, structure, and consistent upskilling, your content strategy will become a critical asset in driving informed decisions and long-term growth.
