“The ALZ Platinum 1700 is an outstanding product. It is equipped with the Xenol Power Booster and Sky-Top Infrared scanning system. Plus, our patented XLT cooling system has also been integrated into the existing refractory circulator.”
Huh?
Did you understand this?
Neither did I.
It’s not uncommon for sales people to use industry jargon or techno-babble during a sales conversation. This is akin to speaking in tongues or a foreign language because most people you deal with don’t speak this language. As a result, they won’t understand how they will benefit from the product you are recommending.
The best sales people discuss their products and services in terms that each customer will understand. Although this sounds easy, many sales people find it difficult to execute.
During a sales training workshop I conducted a participant stated that his customers NEEDED to hear the name of each features of his product. When asked why, he replied, “So they know why my products are better than my competitors.”
Reciting the names of your products or its features does not explain why they are different or better than your competitors. Explaining how they impact or affect your customer does.
Make it easy for your prospect to understand the value of your solution and avoid speaking in tongues.
When I was a kid I remember hearing someone say that the best way to tell if spaghetti was cooked was to throw a piece on the wall, and if it stuck, the pasta was cooked.
Some sales people use this approach when they sell.
They take their product catalogue, plunk it down in front of their customer, and begin to flip through the pages, hoping that something will catch the other person’s eye.
Others tell their prospects EVERYTHING there is to know about their product, service or offering to ensure that something will “stick” with the prospect.
This common approach is seldom effective.
When I worked in consumer electronics, I saw numerous sales people talk incessantly about the features of a particular product because they mistakenly believed that every customer NEEDED to know that information.
On a personal note, when we bought windows for our house, the sales person felt compelled to tell us information about his company that we had already researched and knew. And he continued his monologue even AFTER we told him we weren’t interested.
But most people don’t want this much detail.
They don’t have time.
They aren’t interested.
I once watched a video with Brian Tracy who said, “Every time you talk about something that is irrelevant to your customer, the more their desire to buy drops.”
You might feel that explaining everything your product or solution can do increases its value. However, the reality is that most people are only interested in a few benefits of your offering.
Here’s a suggestion for your next sales call, meeting or presentation…
Open by asking, “What’s the most important thing you need to know today?”
It doesn’t matter if you have done an accurate pre-meeting assessment of their needs or situation.
Find out if what you are about to present is relevant and on-point. If not, then modify your approach and make the necessary changes to ensure that your prospect’s most pressing questions get answered.
I’m sitting on a plane and the man next to me is creating a PowerPoint presentation. I’m not entirely sure what the purpose of his presentation is but the slides look dull and boring and laden with details and information.
Sure, he’s using bullet points and the occasional graphic but his slides aren’t interesting or visually appealing. Plus, his presentation is black on white (think overhead slide!) and he is also showing some revenue and expense figures similar to a balance sheet.
I resisted the compelling desire to lean over and say, “Dude, you really need to spice up that presentation.”
The vast majority of sales presentations I have watched, attended and been subjected to miss the mark, especially when people use PowerPoint.
Here are a few key things to keep in mind if you want to create a PowerPoint presentation that catches and keeps your prospect’s attention.
1. Limit slide content.
The general rule of thumb is 6 bullet points with no more than 6 words per point. I personally like to limit each slide to one key point and use it a talking point; however, I do create some bulleted slides in some of my sales presentations.
2. Include ONLY relevant content.
Forget about trying to explain every single product or service you offer or talking about the awards your company has won, who your clients are, or other self-aggrandizing information. As Sergeant Friday used to say, “Just the facts.”
3. Never, ever start with slides about your company.
That’s the most common approach and fastest way to lose someone’s attention. Instead, make your first slide about the prospect and your understanding of his or her potential problem or current situation.
4. Use the reveal feature.
Don’t show everything all at once because people will read ahead and tune you out. Use the animation feature to reveal each point as you present it. However, avoid using cutesy animations, sounds or character enhancements. Keep it simple.
5. Skip the corporate logo.
I know many of you will fight me on this issue; however, I firmly believe that your logo has little or no effect on a prospect or customer. The only exception to this rule is if your slides will be given to people who weren’t at the original presentation. My suggestion for this is to add a footer with your contact info to each slide and add a closing slide with your logo and contact details.
6. Use vivid graphics.
There are plenty of great low-cost websites where you can get eye-popping graphics that will stand out. Avoid using the standard pieces of clip art and images that are included with MS Office.
7. Use PowerPoint as a guideline for your presentation.
I like using PowerPoint in a face-to-face sales meeting because I use each slide as a talking point. But, I don’t use it as my presentation. If everything went wrong and I couldn’t use PowerPoint I would be okay.
8. Lastly, take time to rehearse.
I NEVER deliver a sales presentation without running through it at least once beforehand. The more important the sales opportunity, the more times I practise. I have consistently found that the more time I invest in this step, the more successful my meeting turns out..
PowerPoint is a very easy piece of software to use. Unfortunately, too sales many people use it incorrectly and end up subjecting their prospects and customers to dull, boring sales presentations.
Here’s a thought…
As you review the presentation, ask yourself if you would find the presentation catchy and interesting if YOU were on the receiving end. If not, you need to make some changes.
BTW: If you live the GTA and would like to learn how improve your productivity when creating PowerPoint presentations give my business partner a call. She can show you how to create a more effective presentation in MUCH less time. On average, she can cut your development time by at least 30%. Check her out.
Could your team use some help improving their sales presentations? I might be able to help. Call me and we can discuss a program that will help you achieve your objectives. 905-633-7750 or Kelley@Fearless-Selling.ca.
Last Friday I had the good fortune of speaking at a conference in Puerto Vallarta. As it turned out there were only two English speaking presenters at the entire conference so our speeches were translated via simultaneous interpretation. This meant that we needed to ensure our presentations could be easily translated and understood by the audience.
This sounds like an easy task; however, I have learned that phrases, slang and idioms that are common in North America don’t always translate effectively into another language.
So, how does this applies to sales?
Too often sales people use jargon, technical terms, acronyms, and other language that sounds foreign to their prospect or customer.
When I worked in consumer electronics, sales people constantly referred to product numbers when talking to customers. Because they worked with the products every day, they were familiar with the SKU numbers but their customers were not.
When you deliver a sales presentation (formal or informal) it is critical that you ensure that your presentation doesn’t get lost in translation. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing the other person’s attention, or worse, alienating them.
Before every sales call or meeting you need to consider the person(s) you’re speaking with, their level of knowledge and expertise, and their position. Then you need to adapt your approach accordingly.
Unfortunately, most people don’t think about the presentation from their prospect’s perspective. They forget that the other person may not understand the terminology. They don’t realize that their prospect may not be familiar with common acronyms or other jargon.
Take the time to simplify your approach before every sales call, appointment or meeting. Eliminate jargon, acronyms and other language that may sound foreign to the other person.
Make it easy for your customer or prospect to understand you and your presentation won’t get lost in translation.
Looking for a speaker for an upcoming meeting? I deliver keynote presentations and training workshops for any size group. Call me and we can discuss your specific objectives. 905-633-7750 or Kelley@Fearless-Selling.ca
However, most sales people don’t take the time to reflect on their sales calls, meetings or presentations. However, a few moments of quiet reflection immediately afterwards can reap huge rewards.
Here are three questions to ask yourself after every sales call, presentation, or meeting.
What went well?
It is important to evaluate the positive aspects of your sales calls. Reflect on your last call and identify the things you did well. This can include creating a compelling opening, building rapport, asking the right questions, or gaining agreement for the next steps.
What did I miss or forget to do?
Even though I have been teaching sales for more than 15 years I still miss or forget to do certain things during a sales call. When you ask this question you can identify patterns in your approach that cost you sales.
What can I improve?
It’s one thing to analyze your current results. However, if you want to improve your results you need to identify EXACTLY what you will do differently in future sales calls. Determine one or two specific action steps you need to take based on your answers to the previous question.
On the surface it sounds simple. However, most sales people seldom take the time to analyze their performance.
Here’s a key that will make a difference…
Record your answers and review them periodically.
When I first started conducting sales training workshops, I would ask myself these three questions at the end of every program and I jotted down my responses. Several months later, I reviewed every answer and noticed several patterns especially for the second question.
I was somewhat surprised by the trend I noticed but this information gave me the insight I needed to improve the quality and impact of my sales training workshops.
When you take the time to regularly analyze your sales performance, you will quickly see patterns, especially if you record your thoughts and observations.
You can then take action to correct bad habits which will lead to an improvement in your results.
