Your Product Is the Problem: Why Sales Training Fails When Your Arrow Is Dull

 Your Product Is the Problem: Why Sales Training Fails When Your Arrow Is Dull

Not all arrows are sharp enough to pierce the target. Instead of only blaming the archer, we must also examine the arrow. If the arrow reaches the target but fails to penetrate, the solution lies in sharpening the arrow—not just training the archer.

Let's apply this analogy to sales. A salesperson may meet the right prospect and apply all the right skills, but if the prospect does not see the value in the product, the real issue may not be skill—it may be the offering itself. In such cases, we must return to the boardroom and ask: How can we add more value? How should the product be positioned? Unless we strengthen what we offer, skilling the salesperson alone will only go so far.

It’s wiser to research our offerings before development begins. Gather customer views, opinions, and preferences early. There is little point in investing heavily without understanding the product’s real-world appeal. Too often, entrepreneurs fall in love with their idea, develop it in isolation, and later struggle to sell it.

If you are an entrepreneur developing a product, the time for homework is now—not later, when corrections become costly and reactive.

Real-World Example:

Imagine a tech startup creating a new project management app. The founder, a former project manager, builds a feature-rich tool tailored to her previous workflow. The sales team is skilled, identifies the right target—mid-sized tech companies—and delivers polished demos.

Yet, prospects keep saying, “It’s impressive, but we already use Trello and Asana. This doesn’t solve a new problem for us.”

Here, the arrow (the product) reached the target (the right buyer) but didn’t penetrate (no sale). Instead of retraining the sales team again, leadership revisits the product itself. They conduct customer interviews and discover that what companies actually need is not another project tool, but one that integrates seamlessly with their existing finance and HR software—a “bridge” app, not a replacement.

By sharpening the arrow—repurposing the product as an integration hub—they solve a real, unmet need. Sales then become natural, because the product now delivers clear, distinctive value.

The lesson? A sharp arrow in the hands of a good archer will always fly truer than a blunt one in the hands of a master. Start by making sure what you offer is worth buying—then ensure you know how to sell it.

 

M.L. Narendra Kumar