In an information economy, knowledge is power. But what if you have too much knowledge? I was talking to a client recently that was lamenting there was so much information available on their corporate intranet that he could never find the content he really needed. He estimated he and his people in the field spend upwards of 2-3 hours PER WEEK searching for information. Often, they can’t find what they are looking for and call into the office for help in locating the specific bit of content – tying up even more resources.
His condition reminds me of the passage from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, “Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink”. Like that old sailor cast out of the vast ocean, field sales reps are often overwhelmed by the virtual sea of information or content available to them through their sales portals and corporate intranets. The sheer volume of it all makes it hard to find precise information or get a quick answer to a question. Knowledge management platforms and content management tools can help but they don’t address the root cause. Too many documents generated by too many different authors using too many different approaches and formats is what leads to too many hours wasted by the field.
To fix the flow of information, start at the end with what the sales force needs to drive sales and close the deal. Very often the exacting details a customer may require is buried amidst nice to know information. Chunking out the information into easy to find nuggets will help make the most of any technology in place to support the selling effort. Finally, eliminating unnecessary and redundant content will help you realize a better return on information.
Give your content and information wings by simplifying the numbers and structure of documents. Or else it will become the albatross around your neck.
