CHAPTER 10
Elements of a Great Sales Presentation
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. BUILDINGA TRUSTING, LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP
A. If buyer sees 5 to 10 salespeople per day, may see over 40,000 salespeople over
their career
B. Truthfully showing and telling about your product shows you are a person
with integrity and character.
II. AN OVERVIEW OF THE PRESENTATION SECTION OF THE SALES PROCESS
A. The main goal of your presentation is to provide information and knowledge to the
prospect/customer.
B. Purpose of the presentation
1. Provide knowledge via the features, advantages, and benefits of your product,
marketing plan, and business proposal.
2. Allow buyer to develop positive personal attitudes toward your product.
4. Convert a need into a want and then into the belief that your product can fulfill
a certain need.
5. Convince the buyer that not only is your product the best, but also that you are
the best source to buy from.
6. When this occurs, he is in the conviction stage.
III. THREE ESSENTIAL STEPS WITHIN THE PRESENTATION
A. Three steps
1. Fully discuss the features, advantages, and benefits of your product.
3. Explain your business proposition (value/cost comparison).
B. Remember your FABS!
1. Extremely important to emphasize benefits throughout the presentation
2. Feature: Characteristic of the product; tangible or intangible characteristic.
3. Advantage: describes how the feature will help the buyer; describes how the
feature enables the benefit.
4. Benefit: favorable result the buyer receives from the product or service; solves
a need
5. Best practices for FABS
a. Should be logical
b. Use specific language
c. Convey knowledge versus information
d. Integrate a trial close
e. Generate credibility by incorporating proof statements
C. The SELL Sequence and Trial Close: The FAB + Trial Close
1. Use of a question (i.e. trial close) to induce feedback is also a persuasive
communication technique
2. Serves as an excellent method to ensure the customer understands the benefits
3. Often uses an open-ended question
IV. THE SALES PRESENTATION MIX
A. Persuasive Communication
1. Factors that help you be a better communicator:
a. Using questions.
b. Being empathetic.
c. Keeping the message simple.
d. Creating mutual trust.
e. Listening.
f. Having a positive attitude and enthusiasm.
g. Being believable.
2. Logical reasoning based on:
a. Major premise
b. Minor premise
c. Conclusion
3. Persuasion through suggestion – Types of suggestions:
a. Suggestive propositions – suggest the prospect should act now.
b. Prestige suggestions – name the famous or respected people or companies
that use your product.
c. Autosuggestions – attempt to have the buyer sell himself by imagining
himself using the product.
d. Direct suggestions – suggest that the prospect buy your product.
e. Indirect suggestions – make it seem as if the purchase of your product is
the buyer’s idea.
f. Counter-suggestions – get the buyer to express why he needs the product
and will probably also compel him to defend his purchase decision.
4. Make the presentation fun – have the right mental attitude.
5. Communicate your personal value – “Show ‘em that you love ‘em.”
6. Build trust – be honest and do what you say you will do.
7. Use body language – Send green signals.
8. Control the presentation – direct the conversation.
9. Be a diplomat.
10. Use a please dialogue: Make the conversation interesting.
B. Participation is essential to success – Four ways to induce participation:
1. Questions.
3. Visuals.
4. Demonstrations.
C. Proof statements build believability.
1. Past sales help predict the future.
2. The guarantee.
3. Testimonials.
5. Independent research results – For a proof statement referring to an independent
research result to be effective, it should contain:
a. A restatement of the benefit before proving it.
b. The proof source and relevant facts or figures about the product.
c. Expansion of the benefits.
D. The visual presentation – show and tell – Visuals:
1. Increase retention.
2. Reinforce messages.
3. Reduce misunderstanding.
5. Show your buyer that you are a professional.
V. VISUAL AIDS HELP TELL THE STORY
A. Examples:
1. Slides
2. The product
3. Charts and graphics
4. Letters of testimony
B. A checklist for visuals
1. Potential objectives of visuals
a. Reinforce a benefit
b. Provide an interpretation of important data and analysis
2. Best practices for developing a visual
a. Remember the use of visuals
b. Headlines
c. Data
d. Bullet points
e. Clip art and photographs
VI. DRAMATIZATION IMPROVES YOUR CHANCES – Dramatics – presenting the product in
a striking manner.
VII. DEMONSTRATIONS – PROVE IT!
A. Sales demonstration checklist:
1. Is the demonstration needed or appropriate?
2. Have I developed a specific demonstration objective?
3. Have I properly planned and organized the demonstration?
4. Have I rehearsed to the point that the demonstration flows smoothly and
appears to be natural?
5. What is the probability that the demonstration will go as planned?
6. What is the probability that the demonstration will backfire?
7. Does my demonstration present my product in an ethical and professional
manner?
B. Use participation in your demonstration.
1. Let the prospect do something simple.
3. Let the prospect do what he would frequently do.
4. Ask the prospect questions throughout the demonstration.
C. Reasons for using visual aids, dramatics, and demonstrations.
1. Captures attention and interest.
2. Creates two-way communication.
3. Involves the prospect through participation.
5. Increases a salesperson’s persuasive powers by obtaining positive
commitments on a product’s single feature, advantage, or benefit.
D. Guidelines for using visual aids, dramatics, and demonstrations:
1. Rehearse them!
2. Customize them to fit each individual customer.
3. Make them simple, clear, and straightforward.
4. Control the demonstration.
5. Make the demonstration true to life.
6. Encourage prospect participation.
7. Incorporate trial closes after showing or demonstrating a major feature,
advantage, or benefit in order to determine if it is believed or important to the
prospect.
VIII. TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP! – Provide visually attractive information in a dramatic manner.
A. Video conference
B. Provide salespeople with opportunities to interact over video, share screens, and provide
more interactive conversations across the world
1. Practice using video technology
2. Place yourself in viewer’s shoes
3. Contingency plan
5. Environment
6. Sound
7. Lighting
8. Clothing
IX. THE SALES PRESENTATION GOAL MODEL – Six elements of the presentation mix to
consider:
A. What is your objective?
B. Who is your audience?
C. How will you structure your presentation?
D. How will you create impact?
E. How will you design and display visual aids?
F. How will you stage your presentation?
X. THE IDEAL PRESENTATION
XI. BE PREPARED FOR PRESENTATION DIFFICULTIES
A. How to handle interruptions:
1. If there is a phone call, offer to leave the room.
2. Wait until the prospect’s attention is completely back to you.
3. Restate the selling points that were of interest to the prospect.
4. Invite participation.
5. Make sure interest has been regained, and then proceed.
B. Should you discuss competition?
2. Acknowledge competition and drop it.
3. Make a detailed comparison.
C. Be professional.
D. Know where the presentation will take place.
E. Diagnose the prospect to determine your sales presentation.