Yesterday I spent the bulk of the day flying from Toronto to Puerto Vallarta so I can deliver a speech at a conference on Friday.
After making my way through customs I was quickly greeted by an employee of the company hosting the conference. He then introduced me to five other people in rapid-fire procession and everyone welcomed me to Mexico and asked about my flight. Then we were ushered out of the airport to our transportation.
While I appreciated the hospitality, I admit that I felt somewhat overwhelmed.
I had expected a single person to greet and drive me to the hotel so I wasn’t quite prepared for the flurry of introductions and subsequent conversations. As a result, my brain went into overload and I felt uncomfortable.
This is a frequent occurrence with many customers and prospects, too. And it happens for a variety of reasons.
The sales person offers too many options.
Some people belief that more is better so they always make sure to present several options to their customers and prospects. There is nothing wrong with a “good”, “better”, “best” approach but you need to be careful not to overwhelm people with too many choices; otherwise, they may back away from the buying decision altogether.
The seller races through his “pitch”.
Your customer likely doesn’t know your product(s) as well as you do and when you deliver a fast-paced presentation with little breathing room, you don’t give the other person time to process the information.
The sales rep uses unfamiliar terminology or jargon.
Let’s face it…every industry has their acronyms and terminology including SKU numbers. However, too many sales people use language that is unfamiliar to the other person. I discovered this a few weeks ago when my blog was hacked and few people were trying to help solve the issue. They all spoke a foreign language that left me bewildered.
The sales person does a data dump.
Okay, this is directed at you analytical individuals. Telling your prospect EVERYTHING there is to know about your solution is NOT effective, unless of course you are selling to another critical thinker. Once again, too much information overwhelms most people.
Overwhelming people with too much info, too quickly, complicates the issues and makes it more difficult for people to make that final buying decision.
Do yourself AND your customers and prospects a favour…look for ways to simplify the buying process for them. IT sounds easy but you may find it more challenging than you think.
Could your team use some improvement with this concept? Give me a call and we can discuss the best approach to take. 905-633-7750 or Kelley@Fearless-Selling.ca
B2B, B2C, Sales Conversations, Sales Presentationstags: case studies, creating compelling sales presentations, ditch the pitch, practice, practise, sales best practices, sales presentations, the power of stories
Apr
18
Everyone who sells a product or service is required to deliver a sales presentation from time to time. Whether it’s an informal presentation to one over coffee or a formal presentation to a group of decision makers, these sales presentations can make or break your ability to move the sales process forward and increase your sales.
Here are 7 strategies that will help you deliver a killer sales presentation, every single time.
1. Start with a brief summary of the other person’s situation.
Forget the details about your company, the awards you have won, the companies you have worked with; you can discuss them later. When you open a sales presentation with an executive summary that outlines your understanding of your prospect’s key issues, you will immediately capture their attention and separate yourself from your competition. It sounds easy; however, most of the sales presentations I have witnessed begin with an overview of the seller’s company which may be important to the seller but it is seldom very interesting to the buyer.
2. Keep it brief.
If you have been allotted 60 minutes set a goal of finishing in less than forty-five. No prospect is EVER going to complain that you didn’t use up your allotted time.
3. Focus on “must-have” information.
The vast majority of sales presentations include far too much detail, usually about aspects of the product/service that are irrelevant to the buyer. Improve your sales presentation by discussing ONLY the most important elements of your offering. Be prepared to talk about the “nice to have” aspects but only if requested and if time permits. Contrary to popular believe most prospects don’t want to know everything about your solution; they only want to know what’s relevant to their situation.
4. Use stories, cases studies and examples.
Weave stories into your presentations that demonstrate how people have benefited from your offering. Use case studies and example that are relevant to each prospect’s business.
5. Create a two-way dialogue.
The average sales presentation is a one-way flow of information with the seller doing all the talking. Make your presentation stand out by engaging people in a conversation. Instead of spending your allotted time talking, ask your prospect questions, opinions and perspectives. This actively engages them in the presentation, keeps their attention, and helps you differentiate yourself.
6. Conclude with a specific call to action.
Don’t make the fatal mistake of ending with something weak like, “If you have questions, feel free to give me a call.” Summon up the courage to tell the decision maker exactly what you want them to do.
7. Practice.
Perhaps the most vital element of delivering a killer sales presentation and yet often the most overlooked or neglected. The more important the sales opportunity, the more critical it is that you make the time to verbally rehearse your presentation. The goal is not to memorize it but to help you remember key points, anticipate potential objections and your responses, and to ensure the presentation flows properly.
Delivering a killer sales presentation will not only make you stand out from your competition, it will help you increase your sales, propel your business and feel more confident. Now, go and modify the next sales presentation you have scheduled and start making more sales!
Did You Know…
Kelley helps people master their sales conversations so they can win more business and increase their sales. He does this by conducting sales training workshops and delivering keynote speeches at conferences, sales meetings and other events. Book Kelley for your next event: 905-633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.
It’s been said that people love to buy but they hate being sold to.
A number of years ago I used to get together occasionally with a speaker colleague to trade stories and update each other. However, every time we got together I had the distinct feeling that I was being sold something. After a while I found myself being on guard when we met because I didn’t want to get trapped into making an unwanted decision. Eventually, I stopped getting together with him.
A friend recently told me he stopped someone halfway through a sales call when the sales person switched from having a conversation to starting his sales pitch. The sales rep’s tone of voice and body language changed and it became apparent that he was primarily interested in closing the deal, even though it was just a preliminary meeting.
The goal is to continue moving the sales process forward and you achieve this by having a conversation and simply talking to them rather than “pitching” them. You can still deliver a formal presentation but it should be done in a conversational manner.
During your sales calls this week; pay close attention to the other person. If you notice any type of defensive behaviour, there’s a good chance that you have slipped in “pitch” mode.
B2B, B2C, Sales Conversations, Sales Presentations, Sales Successtags: ditch the pitch, high-value questions, increase your sales, practice, practise, sales presentations, Sales Thinker Radio, Todd Schick, Todd Youngblood, tough questions
Apr
08
A few days ago I was interviewed on Sales Thinker Radio by Todd Youngblood and Todd Schnick and the topic of our conversation was Ditch the Pitch.
During our conversation I suggested that sales people stop delivering canned and generic sales presentations because they are ineffective. One of the worst approaches you can use in a sales meeting is to immediately launch into your presentation. Unfortunately, many sales people still use this approach and it does little to help them grow their business and increase their sales.
I also went on to say that it is critical to rehearse your sales presentation several times beforehand especially if the prospect is one of high-value.
On the surface, these two strategies may seem to conflict with each other but they don’t. Here’s why…
The best sales call is one with a two-way dialogue. An open conversation between you and your prospect during which time you ask them tough, probing questions that make them think and that help you determine the extent of the their problem, the implications and the impact, and their level of commitment to solving the problem.
The challenge is that most sales people don’t ask difficult and challenging questions because they mistakenly think that prospects will be offended. Plus, they feel very uncomfortable asking questions of this nature.
Let’s face it, tough penetrating questions tend to be very direct in nature.
My suggestion during the interview was to also verbally practise asking those questions BEFORE meeting with your prospect. This helps you become more comfortable asking the questions and gets your brain and mouth working together. This process is also effective because you actually hear the questions and when you repeat them several times, they no longer sound as difficult to ask.
Once you gain the information you need, you launch your presentation but you only discuss the key aspects that relate to your prospect’s situation. That’s why you practise it beforehand. That practise helps you commit to memory the key points you want to make. When you practise a presentation several times, you can easily recall specific aspects and highlights.
Here’s an example…
A couple of weeks ago I met with a new prospect and although I had a presentation prepared I used that presentation as a guideline only. The presentation itself only took 15 minutes but the conversation lasted almost 90 minutes. And after that conversation, I had a much clearer picture of what my prospect was looking for.
If you are serious about increasing your sales it is critical to practise and rehearse…but please…don’t pitch!
BTW: Practise is spelled correctly: it is the Canadian spelling for the verb.
About Kelley
Kelley helps sales people master sales conversations so they can win more business and increase their sales. If you’re planning a sales meeting, conference or event and need an engaging & informative speaker, call him at: 905-633-7750 or Kelley@Fearless-Selling.ca. Here’s a quick video of a partial presentation: http://bit.ly/ef5P5l
B2B, B2C, First Impressions, Sales Conversations, Sales Mistakes, Sales Successtags: boring sales people, ditch the pitch, dull sales presentations, enage your prospect, how to differentiate yourself, stand out from the crowd
Feb
17
This blog post was prompted after reading a chapter in Gair Maxwell’s book, Nuts, Bolts and a Few Loose Screws. I recently met Gair at a conference where we were both speaking; his focus is branding and his book has a different look and feel than many books on the market.
In his book, Gair talked about Bland Brands and I immediately thought of the bland and dull sales presentations I have encountered over the years. I’m not talking about the sales person’s personality—although that can count, too.
I’m thinking more about their approach to sales conversations and presentations especially from a prospect or customer’s perspective.
Here is what makes sales people bland to prospects and customers.
- Starting a telephone prospecting call with, “Hi, how are you today?”
- Beginning a sales presentation by talking about your company, your products, your awards, etc.
- Focusing on your agenda (usually closing the sale) rather than your prospect’s situation.
- Failing to clearly demonstrate how your offering will help your customer.
- Reciting product features instead of discussing the benefits.
- Attempting to present every detail of the product even when several aspects of that product are irrelevant to the buyer.
- Neglecting to pay attention to the reaction or interest of the other person.
- Initiating follow-up calls and emails with, “I’m just touching base…”
- Failing to differentiate themselves from every other person selling a similar product or service.
- Delivering a sales presentation in a monotone voice.
- Failing to engage their prospect in a meaningful conversation
If you want to stand out from your competition and make your prospect sit up and take notice, add some spice to your sales calls, conversations and meetings.
Here is just one suggestion that will help you achieve that.
The next you are called on to deliver a sales presentation, start that presentation saying, “Mrs. Jones, in our call last week, you mentioned that these three problems are plaguing your distribution…is that still accurate?”
Before you dismiss this fundamental step, recognize that most people fail to open a sales presentation by acknowledging or reviewing the prospect’s situation and immediately launch into their “pitch.”
Don’t be blah, blah, blah, bland.
Are there other things that make sales people bland? I’d enjoy getting your perspective.
