Chapter 7: Effective Sales Presentation

Some Definitions

- a sales call takes place when the salesperson and buyer meet in person (or on the telephone) to discuss business - sales calls involve rapport building and question asking to identify needs - a sales presentation is salesperson-driven communication (or product demonstration) during a sales call that is designed to persuade and trigger a purchase decision - sales presentations should be focused on benefits that meet specific buyer needs and include, for example, visual aids and objection handling

2. Arrive early

- arriving to the sales call early offers several benefits: - for example, arriving early, the salesperson can: 1. double-check the audio-visual equipment 2. distribute sales collateral that will be left behind with the buyers 3. get familiar and comfortable with the room/surroundings 4. signal (to the group) that he or she is prepared for the sales call 5. greet buying team members personally as they enter the room - this is especially important and allows the salesperson to connect (build rapport) with individuals, "rather than connecting only at the group level"

Effective Sales Presentations are interesting and Understandable

- as suggested previously, effective sales presentations: a) occur only after the potential buyer's needs have been identified b) include the regular use of "trial closes" - effective sales presentations also discuss ideas, features, and benefits in an interesting and understandable manner - said differently, salespeople should present in ways that: 1. gain and maintain the buyer's attention and 2. maximize the buyer's comprehension and retention of information

Selling to Groups

- as we discussed in Chapter 3, it is common for B2B salespeople to sell to groups: - for example: 1. retail chains (e.g., target, macy's, home depot) often use buying center when considering the addition of new products 2. hospitals often use cross-functional teams (of medical professionals and administrative personnel) when considering new vendors (e.g., for service, hospital beds) 3. marketers (e.g., coca-cola, procter and gamble, verizon, general motors) use a mix of marketing manager and upper-management executives when considering among advertising agencies

Comparisons and Analogies

- comparisons (contrasts) highlight similarities (differences) between two or more "things" (e.g., product features or benefits) - comparison and analogies can: a) pique buyers' interest b) emphasize key points c) add meaning to verbal descriptions - for example (with a pharmaceutical salesperson): "Our medication works 30% faster than the medication that you're currently prescribing; the cost /price is the same; and the side effects are the same." - analogies are "useful forms of comparisons that explain one thing in terms of another" - analogies help listeners understand - for example (with a pharmaceutical salesperson): "Because our medication is also approved for the treatment of... and for the treatment of.., prescribing our medication is likely providing your patients with an extra insurance policy for two other potential problems."

Effective Sales Presentations: Requirements

- effective sales presentations (like many important activities in life) require (1) preparation (2) knowledge and (3) skill 1. Chapter 5 (e.g., qualifying leads, pre-call planning activities) highlights some important preparation that is required for effective sales presentations 2. Chapter 3 (e.g., understanding buyer communication styles) and Chapter 4 (e.g., effective question asking, effective listening) highlight some important knowledge and skills that are required for effective sales presentations

Effective Salespeople Continually Generate Buyer Feedback

- effective salespeople continuously elicit buyer feedback (engage the buyer) - before the actual product presentation, questioning systems such as S.P.I.N. (Chapter 4) are designed to elicit buyer feedback, especially regarding needs and problems - importantly, effective salespeople continue eliciting buyer feedback throughout the entire sales call (e.g., during the product presentation)

Generating Buyer Feedback (Engaging the Buyer) with "Trial Closes"

- effective salespeople use "small questions" or "trial closes" to evaluate (1) buyer interest (2) buyer agreement or understanding and (3) how well the sales call is progressing - "trial closes" can be closed-ended, looking to confirm (e.g., with a "yes" or "no" response) - "trial closes" can also be open-ended, looking for the buyer's thoughts, feelings, or opinions - examples include: 1. "how does that sound to you?" 2. "does this make sense so far?" 3. "is that what you had in mind?" 4. "how do you feel about what you've seen so far?" 5. "could something like that be beneficial to you?" 6. "what do you think about what you've heard so far?"

3. Make effective eye contact

- establishing periodic eye contact with group members is important when selling to groups of all sizes - in small groups this should easily be accomplished - in large groups (10-25 people) this can be more difficult - salespeople selling to large groups should make eye contact (connect) with each individual, even if only briefly - salespeople should move around the room and scan the room in a calm and deliberate manner; moving (scanning) too quickly can signal nervousness and take buyers' attention away from the message

Examples and Anecdotes

- examples refer to specific instances ("parallel cases"; real or realistically hypothetical) that help clearly illustrate product or service benefits - examples and anecdotes keep buyers interested and help them visualize, understand, or remember what the salesperson is offering - for example: (with a salesperson selling a medical device): "So, Doc, for example, let's say you have a 70-year old patient with these symptoms and lab results. For this patient, our device can.." - anecdotes refer to "a type of example presented by the salesperson in the form of a story describing a specific incident or occurrence" - for example: (and with a salesperson selling a medical device): "Doc, a nurse at Sparrow Hospital had a 22-year old patient with those same symptoms. Blood pressure was normal. Our device not only helped her with.., but also.."

Ineffective Salespeople Fail to Keep the Buyer Involved

- ineffective salespeople rush through product presentations without taking the time to invite buyer feedback - without stopping to invite (verbal) buyer feedback, ineffective salespeople cannot accurately gauge: 1. the buyer's level of interest in any given feature or benefit 2. whether or not the buyer's needs, concerns, questions, or objections are actually being addressed 3. how well the sales call is progressing towards a purchase decision *As discussed in Chapter 4, buyers send (and salespeople should evaluate non-verbal messages with body language

Product Demonstrations

- often, it is useful to allow the product to "sell itself" - said differently, the benefits of a "hands-on" experience can make the actual product itself the salesperson's best sales tool - when the product is not easily demonstrated (i.e., not easily transported to a sales call), a scaled down version (i.e., a model) of the product can usefully illustrate key features and benefits - it is important that the buyer - not the salesperson - actually uses (demonstrates) the product, whenever possible - involving the buyer in the product demonstration: 1. engages multiple senses (e.g., sight, touch) and 2. can reinforce benefits such as "easy-of-use"

Professional Vocab. and Proper Grammar

- professional vocabulary refers to the use of words and phrases that are appropriate for business settings and audiences - grammar refers to the way in which words are used to construct sentences and speech - when there is improper grammar and unprofessional vocabulary: 1. the importance and credibility of the message are degraded 2. the buyer will focus on the messenger - not the message itself 3. the buyer will dismiss the salesperson and selling organization as unqualified

Characteristics of Effective Sales Presentations

- so, when the time comes for the actual sales presentation, salespeople should be prepared and knowledgable: - effective sales presentations: 1. are clear, persuasive, logical, and customized to the specific buyer's needs 2. get the buyer "involved" 3. illustrate or demonstrate the benefits of the proposed solution

Testimonials

- testimonials are "written statements from satisfied users of the selling organization's products and services." Testimonials: provide "evidence" to support a salesperson's feature and benefit claims and "proof" of customer satisfaction *can help salespeople build customer trust - the following can be effective: 1. signed testimonials on customer letterhead 2. official endorsement from reputable organizations (e.g., from the American Dental Association if selling dental devices) 3. recognition from reputable magazines or newspapers

Voice Characteristics

- the salesperson's vice is a communication instrument for bringing excitement, clarity, emphasis, passion, drama, etc. to the sales call - three key voice characteristics are: 1. pitch: changing the pitch (or tone, up or down) on key words can add intensity or vividness, to grab or hold the buyer's attention 2. speed: changing the speed of speech (e.g., delivering important details at a slow/careful pace) is one way of adding emphasis or guiding the buyer's attention 3. volume: changes in volume (e.g., reducing volume to near a whisper) can be intriguing and build drama, "pulling the prospect into the conversation"

"Strategies" for Selling to Groups

- there are several things that a salesperson can do to enhance their chances of success when selling to groups, including: 1. be especially prepared 2. arrive early 3. make effective eye contact 4. be diplomatic

Interesting and Understandable Sales Presentations

- this section discusses seven factors that help make sales presentations more interesting and understandable, including 1. voice characteristics 2. examples and anecdotes 3. comparisons and analogies 4. visual aids 5. product demonstrations 6. testimonials 7. professional vocabulary and grammar

What Can "Trial Closes" Do?

- trial closes: 1. prevent sales dialogue from turning into salesperson monologue 2. could be considered "sales call temperature checks" 3. help the salesperson "stay on track" to reach the final "close" destination (purchase decision) - the buyer's response to the trial closes can tell the salesperson what direction to head in next - positive responses to trial closes make final purchase decisions easier: 1. continuous affirmation provides buyers confidence that they are making the right choice 2. continuous affirmation provides sellers a basis to ultimately ask for commitment

Visual Aids

- visual aids can literally "illustrate" key points, summarize data effectively and efficiently, get buyers more "involved," capture and hold buyer attention, clarify an improve information retention - visual aids can be provided by the company or created by the salesperson for a specific situation - visual aids can be printed (e.g., brochures, catalogs) or electronic (e.g., slide slows) - various types of visual aids exist, including graphs, charts, tables, diagrams, videos, photographs, and "virtual tours"

4. Be diplomatic

- when dealing with groups, it is important that the salesperson: 1. makes all group members feel like their ideas/opinions are valued 2. play "peacemaker" - anticipate friction in group discussions - "avoid being caught in the middle of disagreements between members of the buying group" - for example: one member of the buying group may want "product a" from the salesperson - and another member may want "product b" from the salesperson

1. Be especially prepared

- when selling to groups: a) salespeople have more people to prepare for (personally, in terms of rapport building) b) salespeople have more areas of expertise to prepare for - buying groups often bring together diverse interests and functional expertise (e.g., computer information systems, production/operations, logistics, finance, marketing) - the various people involved in group buying decisions will want various information from the salesperson c) salespeople may want to bring a "selling team" along to provide cross-functional expertise (support)

For our purposes, and for clarity...

sales calls include rapport-building, needs identification, sales presentations and closing