We've all had that awkward moment when you find yourself cornered by a salesperson and realise you're going to need to justify not buying a product, very uncomfortable and a huge waste of time. To avoid this, potential buyers are loathe to start a conversation with sales for fear of being put in this situation. 

However, good salespeople are genuinely knowledgeable and become part of a discussion that helps deliver a solution that genuinely works for the client. 

The issue for buyers is that, until a vendor is contacted, they are often unsure which kind of sales process they will find themselves in. This means it is unhelpful to the buyer if your salespeople have little demonstrated expertise; the potential buyer has very little to go on to make them comfortable they won't be force-fed a service that is a bad fit by a salesperson that is inexpert and only interested in hitting this month's target.

Conversely, if your client-facing team are active commenting on current events and demonstrating their knowledge, it makes them far more credible as experts who not only can, but will help. This both helps the buyer reach out and sets the conversation off on the right footing.