Creating a Powerful Sales Presentation


The quality of your sales presentation will often determine whether a prospect buys from you or one of your competitors. However, experience has taught me that most presentations lack pizzazz and are seldom compelling enough to motivate the other person to make a buying decision. Here are seven strategies that will help you create a presentation that will differentiate you from your competition.

1. Make the presentation relevant to your prospect. One of the most common mistakes people make when discussing their product or service is to use a generic presentation. They say the same thing in every presentation and hope that something in their presentation will appeal to the prospective customer. I have been victim to this approach more times than I care to remember having been subjected to many "canned" PowerPoint presentations.

The discussion of your product or service must be adapted to each person; modify it to include specific points that are unique to that particular customer. If you use PowerPoint, place the company's logo on your slides and describe how the key slides relate to their situation. Show exactly how your product or service solves their specific problem. This means that it is critical to ask your prospect probing questions before you start talking about your company.

2. Create a connection between your product/service and the prospect. In a presentation to a prospective client, I prepared a sample of the product they would eventually use in their program. After a preliminary discussion, I handed my prospect the item his team would be using on a daily basis - instead of telling him about the item I placed it in his hands. He could then see exactly what the finished product would look like and was able to examine it in detail. He was able to ask questions and see how his team would use it in their environment.

Also, remember to discuss the benefits of your products, not the features. Tell your customer what they will get by using your product versus your competitors.

3. Get to the point. Today's business people are far too busy to listen to long-winded discussions. Know what your key points are and learn how to make them quickly. I remember talking to a sales person who rambled at great length about his product. After viewing his product and learning how much it would cost I was prepared to move ahead with my purchase. Unfortunately, he continued talking and he almost talked himself out of the sale. Make sure you know what key points you want to discuss and practice verbalizing them before you meet with your prospect.

4. Be animated. The majority of sales presentations I have heard have been boring and unimaginative. If you really want to stand out from the crowd make sure you demonstrate enthusiasm and energy. Use voice more effectively and vary your modulation. A common mistake made when people talk about a product with which they are very familiar is to speak in a monotone voice. This causes the other person to quickly lose interest in your presentation. I recommend using a voice recorder to tape your presentation. This will allow you to hear exactly what you sound like as you discuss your product. I must profess to being completely humiliated when I first used this tactic. As a professional speaker, I thought all my presentations were interesting and dynamic - I soon learned that my stand-up delivery skills were much better than my telephone presentation skills.

5. Use showmanship. In the book, The Sales Advantage, an example is given how a vending sales person lays a heavy sheet of paper on the floor and asks his prospect, "If I could show you how that space could make you some money, would you be interested?" Consider the impact of this approach compared to the typical approach of saying something like, "We can help you make more money." What can you do to incorporate some form of showmanship into your presentation?

6. Use a physical demonstration. A friend of mine sells sales training and he often uses the whiteboard or flipchart in the prospect's boardroom during his presentation. Instead of telling his client what he will do, he stands up and delivers a short presentation. He writes down facts and figures, draws pictures, and records certain comments and statements from the discussion. This approach never fails to help his prospect make a decision.

7. Lastly, believe in your product/service. Without doubt, this is the most critical component of any presentation. When you discuss solutions, do you become more animated and energetic? Does your voice display excitement? Does your body language exhibit your enthusiasm? If not, you need to change your approach. After all, if you can't get excited about your product, how can you expect your customer to become motivated enough to buy?

Copyright 2004, Kelley Robertson

Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales and motivate their employees. He is also the author of "Stop, Ask & Listen - Proven sales techniques to turn browsers into buyers." Visit his website at www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com">www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com and receive a FREE copy of "100 Ways to Increase Your Sales" by subscribing to his 59-Second Tip, a free weekly e-zine.


MORE RESOURCES:

Dean Foods Company to Webcast Investor Presentation From Barclays 2010 Back to ...
MarketWatch (press release)
DALLAS, TX, Sep 02, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Dean Foods Company (NYSE:DF) today announced it will host a live webcast of its presentation at the ...
DEAN FOODS COMPANY TO WEBCAST INVESTOR PRESENTATION FROM BARCLAYS 2010 BACK TO ...MarketWatch
Dean Foods Company to Webcast Investor Presentation From Barclays 2010 Back to ...Marketwire (press release)

all 6 news articles »


Pioneer Natural Resources to Present At Barclays Capital CEO Energy-Power ...
MarketWatch (press release)
Any interested person may listen to the live presentation and view the presentation slides during the conference, or hear an archived version afterwards, ...
GulfMark to Present at the Barclays Capital CEO Energy-Power ConferencePR Newswire (press release)

all 43 news articles »


Honeywell to Present at the Gabelli & Company Sixteenth Annual Aircraft ...
MarketWatch (press release)
A real-time audio webcast of the presentation and related presentation materials will be posted to http://www.honeywell.com/investor prior to the ...
Parker to Present at Gabelli Aircraft Supplier Conference September 8 at 8:00 ...PR Newswire (press release)
Woodward to Speak at Gabelli 16th Annual Aircraft Supplier ConferenceTrading Markets (press release)

all 29 news articles »


Baldor Electric Company to Present at Longbow Research Industrial Conference
MarketWatch (press release)
A live webcast of the presentation will be available on the Baldor's website at www.baldor.com. Baldor Electric Company markets, designs, and manufactures ...
Eaton to Participate in Longbow Research's Industrial Manufacturing ...MarketWatch (press release)
Timken to Present at Longbow Industrial Manufacturing and Technology Investor ...PR Newswire (press release)

all 31 news articles »


Honing Your Webinar Presentation Skills: The Latest in Professional Development
TechRepublic
... The Virtual Presenter's Handbook, will share practical, actionable ideas to hone your Webinar presentation skills and accelerate your career. ...

and more »


The Guardian

Take a Tour of Apple's Music Presentation
GeekSugar.com (blog)
Take a gander at this photo gallery of the presentation and some up close looks at the products! Like this? Be the first! Please login or register to like ...
Where have you gone, iPod Classic? NowhereUSA Today
Apple Confirms iPhone 3G Performance Fix in iOS 4.1Cult of Mac (blog)
Looking up Steve's sleeve on the eve of Apple's eventHollywood Reporter
eWeek -Boosh Articles (press release) (blog) -PC Magazine
all 3,283 news articles »


ImmunoGen, Inc. Announces Webcast of Presentations at Multiple Investor ...
MarketWatch (press release)
The live webcast of each presentation can be accessed through the "Investor Information" section of the Company's website, www.immunogen.com; ...
ImmunoGen, Inc. Announces Webcast of Presentations at Multiple Investor ...BioMedReports (subscription)

all 5 news articles »


Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to Speak at the Keefe Bruyette & Woods Insurance ...
PR Newswire (press release)
A replay of this webcast will be available at the same URL within 24 hours following Mr. Gallagher's presentation and remain archived at the same link for ...
Genworth Financial Chief Financial Officer Patrick B. Kelleher to Speak at ...PR Newswire (press release)
ProAssurance to Present at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Insurance ConferenceInsurance News Net (press release)
Allied World to Present at the Keefe, Bruyette & Woods 2010 Insurance ConferencePR Newswire (press release)
Insurance News Net (press release) -Insurance News Net (press release)
all 54 news articles »



Technitrol to Present at CL King Best Ideas Conference
MarketWatch (press release)
The presentation is scheduled to begin at 2:15 pm Eastern Time. Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Drew Moyer will review ...
SFN Group, Inc. to Present at CL King's 8th Annual Best Ideas ConferencePR Newswire (press release)
Kelly Services(R) Presents at CL King's Best Ideas Conference 2010MarketWatch (press release)

all 38 news articles »

Google News

Eitforum.com ©