Sales
Presentations Are an Uphill Climb
By
Ken
Wax
Published in VARBusiness
Do
you have some salespeople who seem sharper and better organized
than others, yet fail to perform as well? You see they're
working hard setting up appointments; they're going out there
and making those calls. It's not for lack of knowledge; they've
taken the same sales training the others have. So what's up?
On
those sales calls, could something be going wrong? That's
possible, but these reps are articulate, bright and professional.
Yet, they're not your top achievers. What's going on here?
Could
it be that your best performers are doing something that makes
their sales calls more compelling? Figure out how these successful
salespeople are presenting material, and use that to formulate
a presentation method for your entire sales team.
The
word "presenting" is rather ho-hum. It conjures
up an image of talking while clicking through a slideshow
or turning pages of a brochure. But presenting is much more
than informing. It's the critical link. Let me explain.
Suppose
your rep arranges a meeting with a prospect; the right people
are in the room. Depending on the sales methodology your sales
force follows, we've already passed through several steps
to arrive at this spot in the sales process. You know what
your model looks like, with boxes or steps for qualifying,
getting the right people involved, handling concerns, closing
the sale, etc.
But
it's not just another step. Think about it: Everything depends
on what happens here.
Suppose
you're the world's best meeting setter-upper. Or maybe you're
incredible at making objections melt away. Perhaps you're
brilliant at closing the sale; turning desire into a signed
contract. Even if you're terrific at all three of these, everything
hinges on how you present. You must create desire.
It's
not enough to have the right people in the room. If your presentation
fails to excite them, or fails to differentiate your company,
the meeting is a waste. They'll be polite enough, of course.
But all you'll be getting will be a polite "thank you."
And don't expect to be invited back to waste their time again.
So
you won't be getting a chance to handle objections so masterfully,or
show your closing skills or any other phase taught in the
sales training methodology in which you invested time and
money.
Sales
process methodologies have their value. No question about
that. But in absence of a presentation methodology, each of
your salespeople is improvising at these pivotal moments in
the sales process. They may all have the same slideshow, but
each is presenting it in different ways. And you, their manager,
have no way of knowing what's taking place in those meetings.
Your
top achievers probably have a better way. In their meetings,
they present your unique advantages better, making them come
alive. Your other reps may be polite and professional, sure.
Just like your competitor's.
Presenting
skills can be learned. It's more than talking clearly. It's
understanding your presentation from that customer's point
of view, then making it connect to their real priorities,
pressures and distractions. This new perspective is one that
classic public speaking courses never taught. But it's crucial
to success in today's frantic business world.
The
lesson here is that a sales methodology is valuable, but it's
not enough. There's a moment of truth in every sales process,
and it is the presentation. If it creates enough desire, nothing
can stop the sale. But if your people fail here, it's an uphill
climb at best.
Ken
Wax is president of the consulting and training firm Total
Quality Selling Inc.
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