How To Improve Your Sales Presentations
Sales is a conversation. Do not let anybody tell you anything else.
Yes, if you're running an E commerce business, and you are selling off a page, I'm not gonna get involved. It's a different strategy altogether.
But most certainly, if you're selling a service, or you're having to, you have to speak to people in order for there to be an exchange of money, then it is going to be down to a conversation, and with it being a conversation.
That means it has to be two way.
I've had people ask me, for a one to one meeting. Well, they did the one to one because they did all the talking. And at the end of it, they then say,
What do you think of my product or service?, that I've just spent the last 10 minutes speaking about?
And generally I say, Not interested. And the reason for that.
They haven't made me part of the discussion.
(You can watch the video or continue with the transcript below)
So let's continue with how you can improve your sales presentaions and get more sales.
Don't talk at people,
Invite them to share what they know about your product or service.
Ask them questions to uncover their knowledge, where their gaps are.
Establish where their pain points are, you know, you've got to make it about them.
If you, take the time out to make an appointment with someone to take up their time, you really need to make it about them.
Because time is precious. So you know, really focus on that.
Something else that you can do to get better at sales and staff presentations.
Do your research
Do you research before reaching out?
Or if you've got the appointment?
Do your research before you speak to them?
One thing I do, is a Sales Overview with business owners, and I purposely don't do any research. And the reason I don't do it is because I want them to see me looking at their product or service with a fresh set of eyes, without any preconceived ideas.
Obviously, if I was going to pitch them something, then I'd have done the research before but you know, at the initial kind of overview stage, I’m just gonna have a conversation and point a few things out to them.
So, if you are going to have an appointment with somebody that you've already pre planned, you know, you're gonna go and see them.
Do your research?
You know, how surprised people will be if you have done research, it's a classic one when you go for an interview, which I haven't done for many, many years, and they say,
“Well, what do you know about my company?” and you reply,
“you pay a decent wage”. That's not research!
They're looking for things like, Oh, well, you were established since 1842. And you have 4000 employees and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
So do your research.
How else can you get better at sales, and sales presentations?
Build rapport.
Now rapport isn't telling jokes.
Rapport isn't taking them cakes, as I've known people do, it's about finding common ground. And you can find common ground in anything.
Now I've been to see customers before and we’ve found common ground in the weather.
Because we have both agreed, it's pants.
You know, we found common ground in sports. You know, they might hate the football team that I support but even that is a bit of rapport.
But build up rapport, never dive straight into the “right, this is my product, it's time for you to buy it" or "this is my service, blah blah blah”.
Take time speaking to that person in front of you.
Most people that you speak to don't actually have a deep or meaningful conversation from one week to the next.
So if you take the time to make it about them, do your research if you need to, and spend some time building rapport?
Honestly, you're doing better than 90% of the people they've come across that week because people aren't having those conversations even with their families.
You know, if you're married, you partner will say “Oh, how's your day at work?” you reply “All right”, that's where it ends.
So someone like you who comes along and digs that little bit deeper and says yeah, I want to know a lot more about you, honestly, you open up the floodgates you really are because that person will then want to build rapport with you.
Define the decision maker.
How many times have done presentations to the wrong person?
After you have waffled on for 15 minutes your met with the standard answer
“Oh, I've got to speak to the board” obviously this can happen in a corporate setting.
The classic one I hear is
“I have to speak to the wife or speak to the husband”, which I do understand.
But the reality for everyone is your life is your life is your life and what you change in your life is going to change you, as well as having an added bonus of changing and helping others.
If your service can change someone’s life, then you owe it to them, to help them come to the right decision.
Defining the decision maker is something that you need to do to improve your presentations
For example when you're speaking to a client, you could ask them before you start the presentation,
“if you're happy with what we go through today, and you feel that this can benefit you. Are you happy to make a decision today”,
they'll either say, “yeah, no problem”, or “Gotta speak to me partner”. And that doesn't mean you stop and say “well bring your partner in”.
But at least you understand there might not be a decision today, but potentially if you make sure that you add some value. it may well push it over the line.
Sometimes that is a smokescreen. though, there's a saying in sales.
All buyers are Liars.
When you sell into the corporate world, that will make a lot of sense.
But look, we're all buyers. You know, when you go to buy a high ticket item, you know, the salesman says right, you're ready to buy, you're gonna haggle.
Truth is we're all liars when we want to be because we want to get the best deal for ourselves. So, you know, define your buyer.
Give first and sell second
That person in front of you?
What can you give them? And it's not about literally giving them a physical item.
But what can you give them in terms of knowledge in terms of reassurance in terms of trust factors, in terms of understanding, before you then go into the sales pitch?
You know, the amount of times I used to work for Yellow Pages, I'm sorry, somebody had to work there, please don't throw tomatoes at the screen.
I would spend probably an hour talking about the customer, their business, some of the things they could do themselves to get more business to their business.
And then for the last half an hour I’d say “oh, by the way, Yellow Pages"
Well, for me, it was about giving them that extra bit of knowledge, which, if I put any of it in place, it would have made a difference.
A lot of them didn't put anything in place!
Ask Questions. And Listen.
Questions, are so powerful. And if you think about the questions, you're going to ask somebody, and you think about the questions that you can ask somebody which relate to the benefit that your product or service can give them, then you're in a better place.
It isn't trickery, you know, this isn't like some sales Jedi Knight thing.
This is about you understanding, okay, can I really help this person with what I'm offering?
You know, and what I'd say to you is if you are struggling to think of the kind of questions that you should be asking your prospects, get in touch, we can have a little roleplay or, and maybe go through some of the questions that I feel you could ask to uncover more needs.
But the other thing as well is to listen, you know, the amount of times that you'll hear something by listening by listening properly, which will allow you to think on your feet and
Change what you say,
change delivery of the price,
change the whole proposal.
You've got to listen. We all get these phone cold calls.
They normally start with
“Hey, Mr. Nigel. I'm phoning you just two minutes. I want to do a quick call about a survey”.
And then they launch into the pitch.
They don't say “Hey, Mr. Nigel, Have you got time? Hey, Mr. Nigel, I'm doing a survey. Is that okay?”
They say “Hey, Mr. Nigel, I'm doing survey you take no more than two minutes”, and then they start.
At that point i normally drop the call?
Because they haven't asked me a question then listened for the response.
They've just thought, Oh, I've got to get this information out as quickly as possible. And that's the other thing I'll say…
Slow down.
I too have been guilty of talking fast. Being too quick.
Pace yourself.
By slowing down it gives you time to think it gives you time to interpret the information that's coming back to you so that you can then deliver your response in a more eloquent way.
So slow down. It's not a race to the end.
A sales conversation or sales presentation. Shouldn't be oh god I've got to get this done in half an hour.
If that's the case then you need to rearrange, but slow down and take the time out when you deliver the price Shut up. Slow down.
You know I've had students in the past used to deliver a price and carry on talking. And they wondered why they never got the deal because if you say
“hey 500 pounds by the way isn’t the weather beautiful out there today and I'm going on the school run and blah, blah, blah…
Guess what?
The person who you told that price too they've forgotten about the price they're listening to everything else that you're saying so slow down.
Approach Them On Their Level.
Use simple language, don't use acronyms don't use industry words.
I was speaking to somebody recently who had failed pitching a website to a prospect.
So I asked him what he said, he replied..
“Yeah, I told him, You could do JavaScript and Flash” and proceeded to list all these other wonderful technological terms that only someone in this world would understand. I stopped him and said, that's too complicated.
You know, not being funny but the moment. you say to me, Oh, I do html5 And JavaScript, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, I'm thinking I don't understand.
But if you say to me, I can help you build a website that will generate you lots of visitors. So you make lots of money, guess what I get that I understand that, approach people at their level.
You're Selling To A Person,
You're selling to another human being treat them like a human, not like a cash machine.
Treat them like a human being if that, means sometimes walking away.
If that means sometimes saying, you know, something, this thing I'm offering this deal I'm offering isn't right for this person. Live your life like that.
You know, I've turned away countless business owners who their prices weren't right.
If you're selling something for 10 pounds.
You can't afford to work with me. And you know, it's not being arrogant. It's just that you can't afford to work with me because for you to get your money back.
You got to do a hell of a lot of sales, especially if you're not doing any sales at the moment. I'm good. but I ain't Moses!!
If you're selling a product of 100 pounds plus 50 pounds, because then there's, there's something we can do about that. But 10 pounds, no good.
But you know, you're selling to a person. Treat them like that. If you feel that something's not right for them, don't give it to them.
It's not about getting the sale at all costs. It's about doing as much good as you can in the world. That's how I've always lived my life when it comes to sales. And I'm sure that some of you will appreciate that and be the same so that is it.
How to get better at sales and sales presentations. Let's reiterate,
Make it about them.
Do your research before reaching out
Build rapport.
Define your buyer
Contribute first and sell second.
Ask questions and listen.
Approach them on their level.
Remember you're selling to a person
Stop procrastinating and just do it.
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