Sales Presentation And Demonstration: The Pivotal Exchange

Figure 5.1: The Personal Selling Process (PSP)

The fourth step of the professional selling cycle

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

52

The First Sales Call and the Sales Presentation

Successful salespeople think of the sales presentation and demonstration as the pivotal exchange between seller and buyer in the sequence of exchanges that make up the selling process The approach emphasized in this text is the consultative problem-solving strategy Several tasks to consider before making the Sales Presentation

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

53

Planning the Sales Presentation

To prepare for the first sales presentation, salespeople can think of 5 basic planning stages
1. Information Gathering

2. Identifying the Prospect's Problems and Needs

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

54

Planning the Sales Presentation (contd)

3. Preparing and Presenting the Sales Proposal
FAB SELLS. If you remember FAB and "SELLS," you'll remember to stress
Features are the obvious characteristics of the product Advantages are the performance characteristics of the product that show how it can be used to help the customer better solve a problem than present products Benefits are what the customer wants from the product

By doing the following:

Show the product's features Explain its advantages Lead into the benefits for the prospect Let the prospect talk Start a trial close
55

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Planning the Sales Presentation (contd)

4. Confirming the Relationship and the Sale 5. Ensuring Customer Satisfaction

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

56

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

57

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

58

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

59

General Guidelines for Effective Sales Presentations

In sales presentations and demonstrations, salespeople can facilitate prospect involvement and the learning process by using 4 learning principles
1. Participation
prospects who participate in the sales presentation and demonstration retain more information and develop more favorable attitudes

2. Association
prospects remember new information better if they can connect It to their personal knowledge, past experiences, or frames of reference

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

510

General Guidelines for Effective Sales Presentations (contd)

3. Transfer
prospects who see the product being used in situations similar to their own can better visualize its benefits

4. Insight
product demonstrations should weave facts and figures from the sales presentation into the prospects own experience

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

511

Making an Effective Sales Demonstration

One picture is worth a thousand words, and one demonstration is worth a thousand pictures" is a well-known maxim among professional salespeople The following planning steps in preparing for the demonstration are suggested
1. Select benefits to demonstrate that are custom-tailored to the prospect's needs
2. Decide what to say about the benefits from the prospect's perspective

3. Select sales aids that involve the most human senses and will make the most positive impact

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

512

Making an Effective Sales Demonstration (contd)

4. Precheck all sales aids to make sure everything is working smoothly 5. Decide when and where to make the demonstration. Usually a controlled environment is best. 6. Figure out how to involve the prospect in the demonstration. Remember the motto: "If they try it, they'll buy it. 7. Prepare a written demonstration outline
Include three columns:
Benefit to demonstrate What to say What to do

8. Rehearse the demonstration many times until you have the right timing of actions and words.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

513

Dressing for Success

An important part of any sales presentation is the salesperson's personal appearance

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

514

Dressing For Sales Presentation Success

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

515

Effective Behavior and Listening Principles

A key requirement for successful sales presentations is for salespeople to act professionally and listen reactively to their prospects

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

516

Behavioral Guidelines for Making Sales Presentations and Demonstrations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Look like a successful salesperson Develop rapport early Adjust to the customer's communication style Present the strongest customer benefits and selling points first Establish credibility Make the presentation fun Arouse as many of the customer's five senses as possible Combine factual and emotional appeals

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

517

Behavioral Guidelines for Making Sales Presentations and Demonstrations (contd)

9. Look for and use responsive behaviors 10. Help prospects draw the right conclusions 11. Avoid making puns 12. Never tell ethnic or offensive jokes 13. Never disparage another company or individual 14. Assume a relatively firm negotiating position initially 15. Help prospects draw the right conclusions 16. Use humor with discretion and only when appropriate 17. Readily admit minor product weaknesses

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

518

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

519

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

520

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

521

Sales Presentations to Groups

Sales presentations to organizational prospects and customers must include a business strategy (business plan) explaining how the product can profitably be resold or used to make other products When making presentations to groups, salespeople may wish to use a presentation planning checklist Organizational customers must be convinced of the soundness of the overall business strategy before they will buy the product

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

522

Sales Presentation Alignment and Guidelines for Prospect Groups

Before your talk, align the Sales Presentation by thinking
Who Is the Prospect Audience?

What Benefits are the Prospects Seeking?

How Do the Prospects Prefer to Communicate?

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

523

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

524

Guidelines for Sales Presentations to Groups

Seven Group Sales Presentation Guidelines
1. Begin with an Audience-Focused Statement of Purpose
2. Translate the Product into Prospect Benefits 3. Energize the Sales Presentation to Make It Memorable
SAD TIE = Statistics, Analogies, Demonstrations, Testimonials, Incidents, and Exhibits can be used to spice up a sales presentation to buying center members

4. Encourage Interaction and Participation 5. Show Your Commitment to Customer Service

6. Ask for Specific Action

7. Critique the Sales Presentation

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

525

Sales Presentation Strategies

In preparing sales presentations to achieve specific objectives, you can use several alternative strategies, including
1. Stimulus-Response
Salesperson asks a series of positive leading questions Salesperson leads the prospect through the mental states of buying (attention, interest, desire, and action)

2. Formula

3. Need Satisfaction
Salesperson tries to find dominant buying needs

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

526

Sales Presentation Strategies (contd)

4. Consultative Problem Solving
This is the most frequently recommended and most successful sales presentation strategy for today's professional salespeople by
a) Focusing on the prospect's problems, not the seller's products b) Emphasizing the partnership of buyer and seller and stresses "win-win" outcomes in negotiations

5. Depth Selling
Experienced salesperson employs a combination of several sales presentation methods Salesperson makes the sales presentation to a group of decision makers from different functional areas

6. Team Selling

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

527

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

528

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

529

Adaptive Versus Canned Sales Presentations

Adaptive selling
stresses the adaptation of each sales presentation and demonstration to fit each individual prospect

Canned selling
is any highly structured or patterned selling approach

Both adaptive and canned sales presentations can be effective when matched with the appropriate prospect in a designated sales situation

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

530

Written Presentations

Whether used at the time of the verbal sales presentation or mailed as a follow-up after the sales call, a written presentation can be very effective in winning sales

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

531

Written Presentations (contd)

Several suggestions for writing effective sales presentation include
1. Tailor each written sales presentation to the specific customer 2. Make the opening paragraph of the presentation sparkle 3. Sequence benefits in the most effective order 4. Be positive and upbeat 5. Use a natural, conversational style in writing 6. Use a lively and logical format 7. Never disparage competitors 8. Ask for action 9. Personalize the proposal with a handwritten note 10. Double-check and proofread everything
Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 532

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

533

Selling the Long-term Relationship

As many industries seek to improve quality and reduce costs, the trend toward closer supplier relationships, longer-term contracts, and fewer suppliers is spreading

What these trends tell selling organizations is that selling the long-term relationship is not just another strategy, it is fast becoming the only strategy

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

534