How to give a successful sales presentation

As a sales trainer and observer, I have seen many sales presentations.

Inexperienced salespeople often tell customers everything they know about their product as if they were being tested in school. The problem is that customers don't want to hear everything. You lose interest. Then they buy from another provider.

The key is to focus on the customer, not the product.

Sell ​​the hole, not the drill

Unless you're selling a luxury product like a Rolex watch or a Ferrari, customers don't really want your product. They want what the product can do for them. That's why we say customers buy the hole, not the drill. So how does this apply to sales presentations?

The hook"

If you haven't been recommended or are advertising, you need to get your customers' attention. You do this with a “hanger.” Mention what your customers typically want, then offer to tell them how to get it.

Why do most people buy broadband cards? They want to call relatives in remote areas, enjoy entertainment via streaming services or work from home.

Ask your customer something like this: "Mr. Jones, how much does it cost you to call your daughter in Alaska? How about we reduce that cost to twenty-five dollars per month?"

Let’s say you sell speech analytics to a bank. Start by asking the contact center manager, "Are you concerned about compliance?" Then ask, "What percentage of calls do you monitor in an average month?" Then follow up by asking, “And how many non-compliant calls do you think you miss?”

Find out what they want

Now you have your customer's attention. You have to find out what he really wants. Look for your customer’s top three needs. Prepare your questions in advance. You should be able to identify their needs with three or four open-ended questions.

For the broadband scenario, you can ask, "How many people live in your house besides you?" Then follow up by asking, “What do you like to do with the Internet?” The final question then becomes: "Suppose you had the best internet connection in the world. What would you use it for?"

For the speech analysis scenario, you can ask the contact center manager: "How many contact center agents are there?" “What type of calls do they handle?” “How do you currently monitor compliance?” and “What would you investigate if you could listen to every single call?”

In both cases, your questions will provide insight into the current situation, the desired future situation, and the scope of the solution required.

Now is the time to tell the customer what you have to offer.

Keyhole surgery

In the past, surgeons often killed their patients. They made massive cuts into their bodies. The shock and trauma they caused were often more deadly than the problem they were trying to solve.

Inexperienced salespeople ruin just as many deals by telling customers more than they need to know about their products.

Before you begin the presentation, review the top three needs and confirm your understanding.

Tell the customer: “This is how you can satisfy their first need with our product.” Then tell or show the customer how to fulfill their first need with your product. At this point, ask the customer if they have any further questions. Remain calm and give the customer a moment to think and respond.

If they have doubts, it is better to address them openly so that we can talk about it.

Questions show interest and engagement. If a customer doesn't ask questions, they're probably not interested. In Asia it works a little differently. The questions may come later and from a third party.

Move on to the second need and repeat the process. Instead of asking the customer if they have any questions, ask them what they are thinking at this stage. Here too, give the customer time to think and respond.

Use the same approach to talk about the third need. Once you've shown them how your product meets their needs, you can ask them, "Did I meet your needs with our product?" Give your customer time to think and react.

The closure and objection handling phase is beyond the scope of this article.

Monitoring the “patient”

When you talk to customers, don't forget to watch them closely. Pay attention not only to the words they say, but also to how they feel.

How attentive are they? Is the customer listening or looking at their phone?

How would you describe the look on the customer's face? Does she seem interested? Does she seem friendly?

Does the customer ask questions? In most parts of the world, a customer who doesn't engage and doesn't ask questions is not a good sign.

When dealing with a customer with a poker face, pay attention to how carefully she listens to you. Does she take notes? If she wants to ask you detailed questions later through a third party, she will have to listen very carefully to you to do so.

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Are you presenting your products or services to customers? Do you present your ideas to your colleagues? Anyway, I hope this article makes you think. Tell me what you think. How do you present your products/services/ideas?