The Virtual Handshake

I've been working for the past few weeks with sales trainers Alice Kemper and Nancy Bleeke on the launch of their new product, Sharpenz, which launched today. (Congrats, ladies!!!)

As disclosure: yes, they're clients; no, this post isn't part of my consulting engagement with them - I just think they have a really cool product some of you might be interested in, plus it's plain good business to promote your clients, even when they're not paying you to do so, right?

As a student of entrepreneurship, I'm always fascinated when someone comes up with a truly innovative product in what you might otherwise think is an already saturated market segment. You'd think, for example, that sales training would be a pretty mature field. Sure, there are always new perspectives and techniques being developed, because the nature of buying and selling is constantly changing. But what about the delivery mechanism? What's left to innovate there?

And then I saw Sharpenz.

The concept is simple enough, but I've still never seen anything quite like it.

I'll explain the basics, but if you've got a couple of minutes, you really should check out the videos from Nancy and Alice and hear it in their own words. Those links open in a new window so you can watch & listen as you continue reading, if you like.

Sharpenz sales boosters are electronically delivered half-hour sales training modules that sales managers (or other team members they delegate it to) can prepare to deliver in 10-20 minutes. The sales boosters are interactive and highly engaging, not just a lecture. They also include achievement plans for assessing the results and follow-up discussion, so you have ongoing learning, not just a one-time boost.

What's especially innovative about Sharpenz is the delivery mechanism. Rather than buying some big, huge monolithic training program for thousands of dollars, the sales boosters are purchasable as single modules, or you can pre-purchase a block, but you don't have to select them until you're ready to use them. This allows you to pick the right content at the right time for your team.

And at a list price of $67 for a single sales booster and discounts on larger blocks, it's something you can probably just expense (at least until you decide you want to use them in all your meetings).

But enough about the product - there's plenty more info at Sharpenz.com and if you're interested, the best thing to do is just to try Sharpenz free - a complete sales booster for you to use at your next meeting.

Let's talk about the launch.

1. Through November 15, Sharpenz is being offered at 50% off - that's less than $35 each for single boosters and less than $25 each on a block of 10 or more.
2. If you're willing to help spread the word, Sharpenz will give you a free additional sales booster of your choice as a token of their appreciation. Some ways to help include:
   • Blog about Sharpenz.
   • Publish a guest post on your blog or article in your newsletter (sales training content, not a pitch for Sharpenz). See samples here and on Nancy's blog, Sales Productivity Insider.
   • Interview Nancy or Alice for your podcast, vidcast, radio show, etc.
   • Make an introduction to a journalist or social media publisher who interviews Nancy or Alice.
   • Write a testimonial Sharpenz can use in their marketing.
   • Produce a testimonial video like the one below.

It's been a pleasure working with Alice and Nancy, and if you're involved in sales in any way, I hope you'll take the opportunity to check Sharpenz out a little more closely and help spread the word if you like what you see.