|
Selling is easier when you back up your words with
strong visual proof.
No matter what your business is, you will enhance your
level of success by developing a well-organized sales
presentation. A good sales presentation involves two
primary elements:
(1) The pre-planned sales talk.
(2) A carefully conceived and organized visual
presentation that documents, confirms, supports, and
strengthens the oral.
Your visual aid can take a variety of forms. It may be
a multi-page flip-over type with elaborate charts and
graphs, extensive artwork, color photos, and other
attention getting devices. It may be a computer driven
multi-media event or a simple on-line presentation from a
laptop. Or, it can be a basic set of 8 1/2 X 11 loose-leaf
pages that can be arranged to fit diverse selling
situations.
Presentations, whether professionally designed or home
made, are a vital component of your selling process. Why?
Confucius put it this way: "In all things, success
depends upon previous preparation, and without such
preparation there is sure to be failure." First
prepare. Then sell.
Here are ten tips for selling better with prepared
presentations.
1.Plan Ahead. Advance preparation is nine-tenths of the
sale. Be sure you are organized and equipped to talk,
show, and sell. Know all you can about your prospect
before you make the presentation. Tailor your
products/services benefits to solve your prospects’
problems and fill their needs and desires.
2.Make A Great First Impression. A clean uncluttered
sales presentation, like an artist’s creation, is a
mirror-image of your character, personality, and attitude.
3.Be Clear. Be Logical. Be Brief. Don’t be brief at
the expense of being misunderstood. Clarity starts with
you. Clear answers to your prospects overriding
question... What can you do for me?...will lead to
understanding and sales.
4.Maintain Control. Never sit between two buyers.
Don’t let the prospect read ahead or thumb through your
visual aids until you’re ready for him to. Ask the
prospect to instruct his secretary to hold all calls
during your presentation. (It takes guts to sell.)
5.Seek Change of Pace. Put bounce in your voice. Change
pace, tempo, and volume. Ask lots of questions. Get verbal
confirmation of agreement at each stage of the
presentation.
6.Prepare For Interruptions. Don’t be flustered or
thrown off balance. Expect interruptions and use them to
summarize key sales points.
7.Involve The Prospect. Give the prospect something to
feel, handle, manipulate, examine. Let the prospect
mentally take possession of your product or service.
8.Gauge Your Progress. Progress should be measured in
terms of understanding. No understanding...no sale. The
more the prospect agrees with you, the more progress you
are making.
9.Give A Complete Sales Talk Every Time. Your
presentation must perform four important functions: (A)
Win the prospects attention, (B) hold his interest, (C)
persuade and convince him of the rightness of your
proposition, and (D) prove that a buying decision is a
logical step for him to take.
10.Seek A Buying Action...Expect To Close. A good
presentation naturally leads to a buying decision. Make it
easy for the customer to buy. If your prospect was
properly qualified and your sales presentation on target,
you will find the selling process goes quickly and easily.
|
