Simply

[Al Geist]

Gene Kim-Eng wrote:

...many companies make their manuals available online for 
prospective buyers to access.  Sometimes everything a company
does supports sales in some way or another.

Stuart Burnfield wrote:

I remember reading something on the art of sales that said, "As soon as 
you've made the sale--stop selling!" That is, don't keep listing the 
virtues of the product and don't keep assuring the customer that they've 
made a great decision. Manuals should be written on the assumption that 
the sale has already been made, and now it's time to get to work.


Both of you are correct.
Back when I was between writing jobs and working as a sales rep, I had to
attend a three-week class on sales techniques. In addition to asking for the
sale (you'd be surprised how many sales reps don't ask for the sale), it was
stressed that once you've made the sale, stop selling, because you can
unmake the sale quicker than it took you to make the sale. Later, when I ran
a business computer sales/service center, I discovered that after sale
support is very important in the overall sales decision. A good set of
manuals (or Help) can make a sale, whereas a waste of wood could break it.
Downtime is expensive.

I also read in a business magazine several years ago about a person who
bought an envelope company that was on its last legs. He realized that all
his employees (from the janitor on up) in one way or another supported
sales. The technical writing staff and their output is as important to a
sale as the receptionist, design engineer, or sales representative. So, Gene
is correct in stating that everything a company does supports sales in some
way or another.

Al Geist
Technical Writing, Help, Marketing Collateral, Web Design and Award Winning
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