Sales presentations can be quite stressful, especially for those who have a “me, me, me” mentality. Throw in the residual effects of a recession and increased pressure from your boss to generate additional revenue, and the entire process becomes even more overwhelming. There’s no need to panic just yet—a simple evaluation and possible retooling of your own selling strategies only may be required. Before setting up your next meeting or calling a prospective client, try some of these techniques to create an effective presentation that positively impacts the bottom line.
1. ESTABLISH EMPATHY
Goal: l Address your customers’ problem areas.
As a salesperson, your primary duty is to understand your customers and speak directly to their core concerns. In other words, do your homework. According to Rosalie Marcus, The Promo Biz Coach (www.promobizcoach.com), the Internet is a great place to start.
“Before you call on a company, you can look and see if they have any trade shows coming up or if they’re hiring—that’s a good indication they can be a [promising] prospect for buying promotional products because they’re a growth industry,” she instructed. “If they’re launching a new product, that’s another great indication that they can be a good prospect for you.”
Proper research and assessment can lead to thought-provoking, targeted questions. Marcus offered the following examples:
• What are you doing to reward your best employees?
• Do you have a retirement program in place when people leave the company?
• How are you recruiting new hires?
• What are you doing to drive traffic to your trade show booth?
Also, study the industry as much as the player. For instance, if you’re selling to the promotional side, gear questions toward the company you’re calling on and grasp the concept of campaign goals versus product-pushing. “If you’re calling on a college, you’re going to be asking different questions than if you’re calling on a hospital,” Marcus noted.
2. EARN THEIR TRUST
Goal: Show customers who you are and what your company is about.
Of course, it’s preferable to get face time with a client because you can gauge their mood and pick up cues from them that would go unnoticed when selling online or from a distance. But salespeople constantly have to prepare for the unexpected, and this is where your own site can enhance relationships.
Potential (and even existing) clients want to know more about the person on the opposite end of their business dealings. “If you’re selling online, provide turnaround times. Furthermore, discuss any safety initiatives that you have in place so if a company is selling items for children and there are certain consumer product safety guidelines distributors should be adhering to, that should be on their website,” Marcus said. “I recommend every website have an FAQ page, and that helps a lot with distance selling. Talk about overruns and underruns and normal delivery times and product proofs—things like that. Also, any kind of guarantees you may have.”
3. LISTEN CLOSELY
Goal: Give the customers what they want by talking with them, not at them.
Marcus related a personal encounter she had with a salesperson. He established dialogue by insisting he could “get her toughest client who owed her money for six months to pay up immediately.” Fortunately, this wasn’t an issue for Marcus, so she was upfront with the caller and explained that she would not be a good prospect. The conversation didn’t stop there. After letting him rattle on about how great his service was, Marcus repeated: “I’m not a good prospect,” only to be told: “Well, if you would stop interrupting me, I can explain this.” Needless to say, that salesperson got to make his pitch to the dial tone.
Kris Wittenberg, president and CEO of SayNoMore! Promotions, Eagle, Colo., said salespeople commonly fall into the trap of talking too much and not listening enough. “If I were on the receiving end of a bad sales call, I would go on with my life and not really consider that product or service again—unless it was a proprietary one I really needed, and planned to continue the relationship. In this case, I would probably let the salesperson know where [he or she] fell short,” she remarked.
In addition, Wittenberg encouraged salespeople to follow the client’s lead. “It’s always important to read the client(s) and tailor the meeting to their demeanor, mood, the kind of day they’re having, etc.,” she said.
Knowledgeable salespeople also are leveraging their social media skills to engage others in a meaningful conversation, especially for distance selling. Marcus pointed to several sites like Facebook and Pinterest due to their photo-sharing abilities. “When you engage with your clients, that’s a big plus in the sale. Anytime you have photos of something that you’re selling, try to solicit comments about it,” she said.
“Engagement is the name of the game now with your clients because they can find out so much about you,” Marcus added. “So being on social media you need to have some kind of monitoring system in place to see what people are saying about you.”
4. BE ENGAGING
Goal: Design a presentation or make a pitch to get the attention you want.
When putting together a presentation, resist the urge to throw together pre-existing PowerPoint slides. Instead, create a presentation that tells a story with a definitive beginning, middle and end. Outlining your story before presenting the final draft can be helpful. Some people panic when they are forced to argue their case, so they often overcompensate by providing disjointed data. Be compelling, creative and speak in your authentic voice.
“A great sales presentation is one where it is clear that the presenter has done his or her own research on my company or needs,” Wittenberg stated. “I also love it when they have personalized it in some way for me or my company. ... And, of course, I always love a good leave behind (like a promotional product) that they have customized with our name or company logo.”
Powerful presentations become even more important when your client isn’t located close to your headquarters. Most of Wittenberg’s clients are long-distance, and she believes there are advantages to distance selling. Presenters can review what they’re going to say beforehand, they can keep their talking points in front of them and they can send links or images for review on the spot. On the flip side, the main disadvantage is the lack of personal relationship, which means extra effort is required.
Wittenberg bridges the gap between long-distance selling via email presentations, webinars and traveling. “I actually really love traveling, and I think it makes a good impression with our clients that I would actually travel to see them,” she said.
Marcus mentioned the growing popularity of videos for long-distance sales meetings. It is easier to establish a rapport through videos since they are both visual and conversational.
Marcus suggested keeping videos to one minute—1.5 minutes at the most. If you are able to get your point across in less time, then do so. “Don’t go on and on and on or you will lose people,” she warned. “And if you’re not a professional at videos, I would rely on the suppliers that already have the videos done and use them.”
Marcus also cautioned salespeople against information overload. In particular, don’t give customers information they already know or the conversation abruptly will end with a “so what.”
5. TALK FEATURES, SELL BENEFITS
Goal: Make customers care by showing them the value.
Product features are meaningless if salespeople fail to illustrate how they will benefit customers. Kathi Simonsen, president, Simonsen Sales & Marketing, Auburn, Calif., and author of “The Sales Ascent,” explained that features are the reasons why your product has value—why you’re proud to be associated with it and can talk to your prospect with confidence. However, there’s a catch: Not everyone cares about features.
“The features of your [product] are your strength to give your customers success, but you don’t sell them. Features are only interesting to [prospects and customers] when they are related to their felt needs. When they are, they become benefits,” Simonsen explained.
“There are millions of products sold each month that nobody really wants,” she said. “Every one of us buys things like vitamins and deodorant and televisions when we really don’t want them at all. They’re products with features—this additive, that fragrance, that remote control. And like I’ve said, we don’t really want them. But we buy them anyway.”
The question is: Why? Perhaps obvious, the answer is: XYZ value is of specific use to us. A decal might be a great way to spread a message, but not if your customer wants to accomplish this through T-shirts. Therefore, the size and imprint area of a sign will be met with indifference. Instead, talk available sizes and colors, imprint area for the shirt, fabrics, etc. Learn more about the end use of the shirt and go from there.
“Everybody’s listening to the same television or radio station, which is WIIFM (what’s in it for me),” Marcus noted.
6. SAVE TIME
Goal: Always stay on their good side.
Cold calls elicit conflicting opinions—people tend to be advocates or nonbelievers in this “old school” technique. Marcus personally doesn’t believe in making cold calls and views them as the most difficult way to get business (caller ID doesn’t help).
Still, sometimes they are necessary. If this is the case, first, ask the prospect if it’s a convenient time for him or her to speak. “Respect that because salespeople just launch into their spiel and they lose you right away because you may be working on a big project and maybe at another time you would be willing to listen,” Marcus said.
Second, if you’re leaving a message, make it benefit-oriented. “If you’re trying to sell to the safety director of the company, you could say something like: ‘Our company helped save 50 percent off workman’s comp claims and we increased productivity by 20 percent with the safety incentive program we set up. Would you be interested in hearing about how we can do something similar for you,” Marcus recommended.
Wittenberg shared Marcus’ opinions on cold calls. “I just think our industry is so competitive and our customers have so many people calling on them. If I do not have at least a warm lead, I won’t call on someone,” she said.
Finally, be respectful when following up. Wittenberg, a seasoned veteran, continues to improve upon this skill. Consistent follow-up results in more business. But she always remains mindful of time. “It is important that the follow up be strategic, creative, useful to the client/prospect and not annoying. Nobody likes a pest,” Wittenberg concluded.
Elise Hacking Carr is senior production editor for Print & Promo Marketing magazine, and managing editor for PRINTING United Journal.