7: Presentation Mastery
The majority of effort for most salesmen go into doing presentations - presenting the value of the product to one person or a group, to a low-level employee or an executive, live or over the phone. Regardless fo the specific details there is a single set of principles that applies to every form of sales presentation.
Engaging an Audience
As a salesman, you are enthusiastic about your products and you have a good sense of the value they will deliver to a prospective buyer. The buyer, however, does not know this, is not enthusiastic, and generally has little interest in hearing what you have to say. As such, it's critical to engage your audience.
This means getting their attention, right away. (EN: the author suggests "in the first sixty seconds" for a formal sales presentation, but my sense is it's much sooner in some instances.) If effect, you have to give them a reason to listen, and to want to pay attention. This doesn't mean overwhelming them with a sales pitch, or even entertaining them with corny jokes, but getting them involved in a discussion - two-way communication.
Connecting with an Audience
Connecting with people, getting them to "like" you, is critical to closing a sale and failing to do so. A prospect may accept a product that doesn't quite suit his needs if he has a good impression of the salesman, or reject a product that might be a perfect match if he doesn't.
Within the first minute of a speech, about a third of the audience has already decided whether they "like" you and will respond positively or negatively to what you have to say. Another third will come to the same conclusion with the next four minutes.
Avoiding Stereotypes
People are often influenced by things that are completely external to you or your presentation: the negative experiences they have had with other salesmen form a stereotype you must overcome. For example, the way that car salesmen make a beeline for customers the moment they step onto the lot might seem like showing eagerness to serve, but because it has happened so often, customers dread it.
Your only resource to overcome this is research and observation of other salesmen in your industry - discover the things that they are doing, and avoid doing them yourself.
There is the idea that if everyone else is doing something, it must be a good thing to do - but this is not necessarily so. What is necessarily so is that if everyone else is doing something, it becomes part of the sales stereotype, and following along puts you in the position of "just another" salesman, the same as all the others with whom the prospect has had (bad) experiences.
Use Third-Party Evidence
Another problem with sales presentations is the lack of third-party evidence of claims. While the salesman is focused on presenting the facts about his product, the audience is wondering why they should take his word - he is a salesman, after all, and will say anything to make a sale. Third-party evidence provides specific facts to back a general claim.
(EN: The value of testimonials has suffered greatly in recent years, largely because of the misuse of reviews and ratings on the Internet. People are more critical of what reviewers have to say, and are well aware that salesmen cherry-pick comments and present only the positive side of the story. I don't get the sense they are entirely invalidated, but are less effective than they had been in the past.)
Nonverbal Communication
The content of your presentation does have some weight, but it's largely the way in which you deliver the information that will tip the scale in your favor. And given that 93% of communication is nonverbal, much of what influences the audience is outside of the core message.
The author cites research that goes "as far back as the 1930s" that attributes the effectiveness of communication to body language (55%), voice quality (38%), and the content of the message (7%) - so while the content of the message has the least authority, it tends to be the area in which people spend a majority of their time. That's not to say the words don't matter, but that the other elements are very often neglected. The author mentions a specific source (Nido Qubein) as a reference for nonverbal communication.
Random Tips
One tip for presentation is to think of the way in which a kindergarten teacher reads to a group of children - which seems a bit dismissive, but it can be toned down to be appropriate to adults, but remains essentially the same: give out information in small chunks, show them the pictures, and make sure they understand one page before going to the next.
Also, be cautious of fast-talking. Not only does it feed the negative stereotypes and damage your credibility, assaulting the prospect with a non-stop patter leaves them feeling a bit overwhelmed, unable to keep up with what you're saying. Add a few pauses to give them time to catch up. Also, silence can be used for emphasis - there's a common tactic to pause in mid-sentence, before stating a particular word or phrase that you want to resound with the listeners.
While reading the words of famous speeches can give you a sense of how to speak eloquently and powerfully, it's also important to use media to watch and listen. Watch a video of a speaker you admire, with the volume off to observe their gestures and body language. Listen for the way they pace their speech, emphasize words, etc. There are many videos of famous speeches available online.
Client's Believability Scale
The author mentions the "client's believability scale" - a "stoplight" rating of red, yellow, and green that represents the degree to which the client believes a salesman to be credible.
In the worst of situations, you are in the "red zone," where a salesman has zero credibility with a client or prospect. Some salesmen will try to talk their way out of the red zone - but it's pointless. The other person isn't listening anyway. You have to stop the tape, get them to express their concerns, and address them before you can move forward.
In the yellow zone, the prospect is open but doubtful. To avoid slipping into the red, you have to be careful about what you say, and provide evidence in support of any claim you make. If you do so consistently, you will earn greater credibility.
The green zone indicates a high level of trust and credibility. The prospect will generally take you at your word unless/until you say something that is clearly questionable - it may be a grandiose claim that seems too good to be true, or a statement that conflicts with their existing beliefs.
More Random Tips
The author provides a list of tips for effective presentations:
- Create a memorable brand. The author speaks of his own "brand" as a motivational speaker, but changes are most companies have their own brands and salesmen should use them prominently and consistently.
- Command attention. The author speaks of developing a presence, rather than fading into the background
- Consider the perspective of the buyer and present accordingly, rather than using boilerplate information and canned sales scripts
- Be organized. An impromptu presentation is a bad presentation, and having sales sheets handy to answer questions quickly creates a positive impression
- Speak in terms of benefits. The wondrous capabilities of a product are less impressive than the benefit the prospect gets from owning it.
- Encourage discussion. Don't attempt to force the prospect into a passive role, where they grow bored listening to you yammer. If they ask questions and go off-script, it's a sign of interest.
- Get to the point. First, make sure you have one, and then get right down to it. Some salesmen ramble in search of a point, and never get there. Clients do not appreciate this.
- Be enthusiastic. As mentioned before, excitement is contagious, and if the salesman isn't jazzed, the client won't get there either.
Avoid Speeding
The author returns to the notion of "speed" in speaking: the ideal rate to enable a listener to absorb the information is 140 to 160 words per minute, and some people speak at a pace of over 200 words per minute - especially in sales, when the fear is that when you stop talking, it gives the prospect the opportunity to think of a reason not to buy.
(EN: He doesn't add much to this - but does provide a sample passage of text that a person might use as a "test" - to read it aloud and time themselves. However, that's not a particularly good exercise, as it gauges reading speed rather than speaking speed, and people speak faster when they are extemporaneous as opposed to when they are reading something.)
Memorize Your Closing Line
The author notes that some salesmen make a very efective presentation, then stop dead after describing the features and benefits of the product. They do not ask for the order.
The author suggests a simpel formula: "Based on [something], are you ready to [something]?" For example, "Based on what I've just shown you, are you ready to purchase this product?"
You can adapt it to various personality types (one example, you can say "based on what I've just shared with you" rather than "shown you") or slightly different actions (are you ready to sign the contract? Are you ready to proceed?)
The important thing is to have that line in mind - write it down if you have to - and make sure you recite it at the end of any conversation in which the customer must take action in order to proceed to the next step in the sales process.
Face-to-Face Presentations
Face-to-face presentations are "pretty simple" as long as you have prepared ahead of time: you have to have a solid knowledge of your product, and at least some information about the client with whom you'll be meeting in order to match the product to their specific needs and challenges. And really, that's all: going "over the top" with research will cause you to become entrenched and inflexible in your approach, and the extra effort seldom pays off.
(EN: Much of what follows are tips on etiquette and protocol. More detailed information can be found in other sources.)
As to getting there, aim to arrive on time. Have direction to their office, check the traffic, and get there at as close to the time of the appointment as possible. Arriving later sends a message that you are inattentive or consider their time to be unimportant. Arriving early may catch them unprepared to receive you.
Dress professionally - suit and tie - even if the client's office is business casual.
The author suggests a small gift for the receptionist, some chocolate (EN: My sense is this is a nice touch, but it is a little old-fashioned and probably not a wise idea, given the ethical sensitivity and the cultural hang-ups about food nowadays)
The author also subscribes to the notion that you should never take a seat in a waiting area, even if they offer, for the standard reason: standing is a passive-aggressive way to pressure the gatekeeper into putting you through, and people tend to relax overmuch and pay less attention to posture when seated.
There are some cues you can read about the person who is sent to greet you in a reception area: their posture and the way that they walk is telling. Of importance, provide a friendly but composed posture and let the other person initiate the greeting ritual - there is a subtle but important psychological element to being a visitor on someone else's "turf."
Be prepared for contingencies. Bring your own laptop, loaded with your presentation, and bring some handouts in case even that fails. Have four items ready: your "fast facts profile sheet," your testimonials sheet, and your "overcoming objections" sheet.
Bring a legal pad and a pen to write notes and questions - it might seem more efficient to do this on your laptop, but people tend to suspect that you're up to something else. Writing them down, in plain sight, demonstrates attentiveness.
In any conference room, avoid sitting at the head of the table - too aggressive. Instead, seek a location near the middle, where you can see, speak, and show things to everyone present. In time, you will learn their roles - who is the decision-maker, what people have influence- and can position yourself accordingly.
A suggested opening line: "Now that we're all here together, woud you do me a favor and share with me your specific needs and challenges?" It kicks off the discussion in the right direction - rather than boring them with a canned presentation, it gets them talking about what they need. Of importance is to ask brief questions and sit patiently and attentively through long answers - the more information you gather, the better you'll be able to match your product to their needs.
The goal of your first encounter is fact-finding. After that, you should put together a detailed proposal and bring it back to the client for a second meeting. Once the proposal has been tendered, you should begin working toward the conclusion - to close the deal.
Keep in mind that your engagement doesn't end the day you close the deal. The after-care is necessary to ensure they are satisfied with the purchase, and that they will continue to do business with you in future.