Are you losing sales that you feel you deserve to win?
Are you confident that everyone on your sales team can deliver your company story well?
Are you making the fatal flaw that many sales managers make?
You invest in your sales professionals with product knowledge, with ways in which you compare to your competition, with territory management, with the technology the company uses, and then you say, “Go out and call on the C-Suite.”
But many sales managers fall short on training their sales professionals to create and deliver an engaging, clear, concise and prospect-friendly presentation.
After I delivered a keynote address at a sales conference, Jill, a national sales manager, said, “Patricia, I liked your speech. However, I really loved the way you delivered it. Can you teach our sales professionals to speak that way? It takes us a year to be in a position to deliver a one-hour sales presentation to a hospital board. It’s worth $9 million dollars a year if we win the business. However, we are losing sales, and it has nothing to do with our product or service. I keep hearing that the presentations from our competition are stronger than ours.”
Another client, Shelley, read one of my special reports and said, “We are a technology company. We hire only seasoned sales professionals with at least 10 years of experience. We naturally assumed they could tell our company story well until we had them deliver to senior management. We were horrified.”
Ditch the Standard Structure
Every sales manager needs to be confident their team can deliver compelling presentations. It often takes weeks before you get the next conversation. As a result, the goal is to burn vivid examples and key ideas into your prospects’ minds. You want to know they cannot forget what makes you different from your competition.
The structure of your sales presentation is the skeleton under the flesh of your words. This simple, eight-step process frees you to make a seamless argument leading to a conclusion.
The challenge is to design and deliver your presentation in a way to be remembered and repeated. What is the average structure?
“Hi, I am Fred Smith. Let me introduce you to my team: Tom, Dick and Harriett.
“Thank you for your time.
“We are from the ABC Company…
“This is what we do…
“This is how long we have been in business…
“This is what we are known for…
“These are the clients we do business with…
“We would like to work with you.”
That is a dreary, “who cares” presentation at its worst. At this point in history, especially with big ticket sales, we realize if we get an appointment to speak or deliver to senior level prospects, they already know about your company.
Let us consider a more effective structure. Take these eight steps to create one that’s focused on the potential client:
- Sincere compliment – I work on the premise that everyone is more interested in themselves and their company than they are in me. Begin with a comment about them that they are proud of and that shows you’ve done your homework:
“Congratulations on the success of your recent product launch.”
“Your latest advertising campaign is spectacular.”
“Your stock price is up three points while most of the market is down. Your strategy is on track.”
2. Introduction to their challenge or problem – This is not the time to mention your product or solution. A better approach is to say something about their current interest, challenge, or opportunity. Depending on which you pick, you must follow up:
“This is the right time to make a bold move and…
“Your board of directors has challenged you with…
“Your competition is increasing in…
3. Differentiate yourself from your competition – Everyone else thanks prospects for their time, so don’t. Instead, say, “Thank you for the opportunity to discuss how our company (be specific with your service or product) can help you accomplish your goals.”
“Minimize your risk in…
“Expand your markets in…
“Demonstrate how your technology will be able to…”
4. Thank and make heroes of your contacts – If you have a champion or have interacted with individuals who have helped prepare you for the meeting or taken you through the discovery process, it is appropriate to thank them now.
“Thank you, Mike and Theresa, for your generosity of time and knowledge to help us understand the ABC Company’s goals, commitments, and challenges.”
“Mike tells us that your vision is to… And that your priorities are…
“In the next 30 minutes (60 minutes, three hours), you will hear (learn, discover, see demonstrated) how our solution (company, technology, unique methodology) can help you achieve that goal.”
Top presenters never say, “I am going to talk about…” or “What I would like to do…”
5. Provide examples, experience, and social proof – Knowing about your product or service is not enough. Your prospect must understand how it could improve their business and how you are not just a salesperson but rather a trusted advisor. Tell stories and case histories about satisfied clients, using their words about their challenge, then how you solved it, and again, in the happy client’s words, the happy ending. Do this well, and it will be as if you are taking your happy customers and clients on your sales calls.
6. Review your key ideas – This can be accomplished with a rhetorical question or a simple statement based on your premise:
“How is ABC Company better off by doing business with us?
“As you heard, the way our company would approach helping you accomplish your goals…
“The way our technology would increase your efficiency…
“Just like the example of the ABC, the way our training would improve your associates…”
7. Head into the close with confidence, not a question – One mistake many of your competitors make is to close after they answer questions. Yes, you take all their questions.
“Based on what you have heard, what are your specific questions?”
After you answer their questions (and possibly objections), your goal is to drive the sale forward. Depending on the complexity of your offering or how many people are involved, you may want to say, “At this point, our most logical step is . . .”
“At this point, may I recommend we…
“At this point, most of our best clients elect to…”
8. Reinforce your key idea – Close on a high and let your last words linger. Make sure they’re yours. Your last words give you a great opportunity to reinforce what makes you the best choice. Good copywriters will tell you they often write the P.S. of a sales letter first, because it confirms the key idea in the letter. Your approach might sound something like this:
“Again, thank you for the opportunity to demonstrate how our approach could well be what you have been searching for. We look forward to our next meeting. In your discussions, remember the results of [other successful clients].
Remember, “157 profitable quarters.” Or ‘99% of the Fortune 500 do business with us.” Or “We are large enough to satisfy all your needs, yet small enough that you will always be a VIP client.”
Depending on the situation, you could also talk about how you “are nimbler than our competition,” “can get started as soon as you say ‘yes,’” or “are a one-stop shop.”
Most professionals are fairly smooth when they get into the body of their presentation. Few, however, know how to open and close effectively and memorably. Script your opening and close for specificity and brevity. If you asked one of your reps, “How are you going to open and close next week’s sales presentation?” the automatic response needs to be exactly what they will say.
Free Webinar on Persuasive Presentations
Patricia Fripp is presenting a free webinar entitled “Powerful, Persuasive Presentations: 5 Techniques That Lead to the Results You Want.” It is scheduled for Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. Eastern. Learn more and register to attend here.
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