At the beginning of every football season, the great Green Bay Packers football coach, Vince Lombardi, would gather his players into a conference room. Walking into the room, he would hold up a ball and say “Gentlemen, this is a football.” There was a good reason for his approach.
Lombardi believed that to be great, you had to be great at fundamentals like blocking and tackling, so they were the primary focus of the Packers’ practices.
The same principle
The same principle applies to sales presentations. Salespeople who execute the fundamentals well put themselves in the best position to close sales. How can they distinguish themselves from the competition when what they’re offering is so similar? That’s the most critical question they can ask as they prepare to deliver a competitive sales presentation.
Setting themselves apart
Setting themselves apart from the competition is hard, especially in today’s tough market. How can they make the prospect see that their solution is the best choice while the competition claims similar capabilities?
Five presentations pointers
Here are five presentation points that may help salespeople stand out in the eyes of prospects. Share them with your salespeople:
- Focus on the prospects’ business problems. Your prospects are not interested in your firm’s history or your business experience. They are primarily interested in what you can do to help them solve their business problems. The best presentations propose a solution. A recent study shows that less than a quarter of sales presentations propose solutions to the prospects’ problems.
- Try to organize your message by asking yourself what three things you want prospects to remember at the end of your presentation. Make these points the focus of your presentation, using stories and illustrations to bring them to life. Clear messages will separate you from 90% of your competitors, who have no clearly identifiable points.
- Show passion for your product or service. Some salespeople fail to speak with real passion, especially during difficult times. Attitude drives behavior. We move in the direction of our thoughts. We behave as we believe. What we feel on the inside, we generally demonstrate on the outside. That’s why pessimists don’t last too long in sales. How you look and sound matters enormously for successful presentations.
- Involve prospects in your presentations. One of the best ways to ensure that you connect and bond with your prospects is to make your presentation interactive. Try to turn your presentation into a conversation. In conversations, you’re responding to your prospect’s concerns. Hidden objections may come out. You set yourself apart by letting your prospect see how you solve problems and how well you understand their business.
- Avoid making the presentation too long or too detailed. If the presentation is too long, the prospect may lose focus and get bored. How many times have you ever heard of a presentation that was too short? If too many facts are presented, the main point may be obscured. How many times have you sat through a presentation and wondered what it all meant.
Adapted from How To Win A Pitch (Persuasive Speaker Press, Atlanta, GA) by Joey Asher. Mr. Asher is an attorney and sales coach and consultant.
