By Jeff Beals
There shall be no sales presentation until it’s time!
Too often sales pros launch into a well-rehearsed and finely polished demonstration of all they offer. You don’t want to do that, however, until you have determined exactly who the prospect is, what they value and how your products/services specifically deliver what they value.
Then, and only then, do you start to “sell.”
A sales presentation is your pitch. More specifically, the presentation is your formal chance to present how your company’s attributes are beneficial to the prospect. It’s a chance to show how you provide value and how you can solve a prospect’s unique problems. Sales presentations tend to occur after earlier preparatory sales work has been completed.
Pre-Meeting Detective Work
Ideally, sales pros complete much of their detective work (prospect research) before meeting in person. At the beginning of the meeting you are searching for answers while building rapport. The first in-person meeting is a chance to go deeper, learning things you can’t simply find through a Google search.
The presentation is another step in your quest to move a prospect through the selling process. Although the presentation is your chance to highlight yourself and your company, there is still plenty of opportunity to listen. That’s important, because you can never know enough about a prospect and listening strengthens relationships. Even as you’re presenting be alert for opportunities to stop and listen.
Words as Art
Not only does a good sales presentation show exactly how a product/service solves a prospective client’s problem, it also paints a picture. Your presentation should make it easy for prospects to imagine themselves using, enjoying and benefiting from whatever it is that you are selling.
While the word presentation implies that the seller is delivering a formal speech to the buyer, a sales presentation should not be one-sided. It must be customized and adapted to each prospect’s needs. As the late Zig Ziglar once said, “People do things for their reasons, not yours.”
Focus on what the prospect values during the presentation and take time to draw them in by asking clarifying questions and tying things back to what they told you during earlier communications.
Jeff Beals is a professional speaker and award-winning author, who helps professionals enjoy greater success through effective sales, marketing and personal branding techniques. He delivers energetic and humorous keynote speeches and workshops to audiences worldwide. To discuss booking a presentation, go to JeffBeals.com or email at info@jeffbeals.com or call us at (402) 637-9300.
Click here to subscribe to Jeff’s weekly articles!
Click here to see sample videos of Jeff speaking to live audiences!
