It’s more difficult than ever to locate buyers, so when you finally get in front of one, you want to make a positive connection.
Prospects are all different and so every presentation you make should be carefully prepared to win them over.
Preparation is key
Most presentations are won in preparation and not in the meeting with the prospect. The more you know about the prospect’s business, the more credible you will be during the presentation.
Try to uncover facts about what the prospect needs and not just about what your product or service can do for them. Facts about your prospect’s specific situation will always be more persuasive than facts about your product or service.
Use your time well
When you’re finally in front of a prospect, it’s important to use your time well. You want to address the prospect’s pain, especially the pain they want to relieve soon.
Try to tell a story that reflects how you’re going to eliminate or minimize their pain. Your goal is for the prospect to feel something that advances your proposal.
Explain the differences
Explain what makes your product or service different from the competition and find ways to make your prospect’s aware of the difference. Look for problem areas, then plan to do everything you can to solve them.
Assume the prospect may not even be aware of some of the issues that should be keeping them up at night. Salespeople who are able to identify a hidden trap before it turns into major a catastrophe are always in demand.
Engage their emotions
Try to plan the emotional content along with the information content. Your goal is for the prospect to feel something that advances your proposal.
Get them excited or move them to a place where they are experiencing pain or loss.
Engage the senses
Persuasive storytellers engage your senses with their body language, their tone and their eye contact. They recognize they can have all the persuasive arguments in the world, but if they’re not packaged and presented with passion and conviction, they probably won’t close the sale.
Involve the prospect
Try to find ways to get the prospect involved in the sale. Ask questions. Get feedback on major selling points.
Prospects want information and helpful ideas. Do everything you can to share everything you know.
Ask for the order
A persuasive presentation has a goal. Before you end the presentation, you either want to achieve that goal or understand what the next step toward achieving it will be.
Remember, if you don’t ask for the order, you won’t get it, no matter how persuasive your presentation has been.
Adapted from: “Presentations That Change Minds,” by Josh Gordon, president of Gordon Communication Strategies, a skill training and representation firm based in New York City.
