Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

5 Tips For Giving Presentations That Consistently Sell

5 Tips For Giving Presentations That Consistently Sell

Have you ever given a sales presentation and your prospect said thanks but no thanks? They didn't seem all that interested or even if they were interested, they didn't want to buy from you?

Think of all the time, money and resources (TMR) you have wasted on these sales presentations that go nowhere.

Here are five tips that will help you avoid this ever happening to you again. These tips will also help you give sales presentations that consistently sell.

Tip #1: Only give a sales presentation after you understand your prospect's specific problem and motivation.

Before you can give a presentation and say you can solve your prospect's problem, you need to understand their specific problem. Yes? Seems obvious and logical I know but 'prescribing before diagnosing' is one of the top 10 common sales mistakes. Therefore before you present your solution, ask lots of questions and dive deep into the answers so you can understand their problem. Find out what their problem is costing them. Also find out what specific benefits they would get if they solved their problem.

Tip # 2: Only give a sales presentation after you have asked the "magic question".

The "magic question" will make the need for many presentations and proposals disappear. That's why it's magic. With this question you simply ask "Just suppose, that I give you a presentation on our products and services, and you see they're a perfect fit for you, what would happen next?" The answer to this question will often indicate you need to do a lot more work before a presentation or proposal is the next best step.

Tip # 3: Give highly relevant sales presentations.

The more relevant your presentation is to your prospect, the greater will be their interest. Conversely the less relevant it is to them, the less will be their interest. There is a direct correlation.

If you give a standard - one size fits all presentation - on the faint hope that something you say will be relevant and hit a hot button, chances are your prospect won't be listening - or they'll be asleep by the time you do get to that hot button. If you are giving a standard presentation, you are leaving it up to your prospect to work out what is relevant and most prospects simply can't be bothered. If you give a standard presentation, the relevance will be low and their interest will be low.

To give highly relevant presentations, only present those aspects of your products and services that are relevant to their specific problem. Ditch the rest. Your prospect doesn't care about the rest.

You also want your presentation to be highly relevant in language. Speak to your prospect in the language of their role - not in your language. I call this "Speaking to their ears."

Tip # 4: Give sales presentations that motivate prospects to buy.

With tip #1, I said to only give presentation once you understand your prospect's motivation for solving their problem. During your presentation, you then simply reflect back all the motivation your prospect has told you during the questioning process. You reflect back what they've told you about what the problem is costing them. You reflect back what they told you would be the benefits if they solved their problem. Your prospect will agree with everything you're saying as they are the ones that gave you the information. Assuming it makes sense (financial or otherwise) - and you should not be giving a presentation unless it does - your prospect will be very motivated to buy.

Tip #5: Only give sales presentations to people who are going to buy.

This tip may seem obvious but selling to prospects that aren't going to buy is another one of the top 10 common sales mistakes. It's a complete waste of your TMR giving presentations to prospects that aren't going to buy so make sure you put your prospect through your filtering, or qualification process, before you give your presentation. You do have a filtering or qualification process, don't you?

To implement what I've covered above, I suggest you do two things. First look back at some recent presentations (or proposals) you have given that went nowhere. Now look at these tips and see what you could have done differently to have avoided this situation. Your past "failures" are very valuable learning experiences - and you've paid for them with your TMR - so learn from them. Secondly I suggest you look at some current prospects you are talking to and see which tips you need to apply before you give a presentation.

Apply these five tips and watch how your sales presentations will consistently sell.

(c) 2008 Tessa Stowe, Sales Conversation. WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? Yes, you can, provided you make all links live and include this copyright and by-line below.





5 Tips For Giving Presentations That Consistently Sell - To learn more about this author, visit Tessa Stowe's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback
George Ludwig
George Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website


To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

About The Author


Tessa Stowe
(Visit Tessa's Website) I teach small businesses owners and recovering salespeople 10 simple steps to turn conversations into clients without being sales-y or pushy. I've appeared on numerous radio shows and am a regular teleseminar guest speaker. My articles are published regularly on countless sites on the Web as well as in offline magazines such as Sales & Service Excellence and Choice Magazine. I got my first sales job was via the Yellow Pages! I was working in South Africa for a computer company. I wanted to move into sales and my company said no. So I got out the Yellow Pages, looked up computer companies, and started ringing them and asking to speak to the CEOs. When I got to the S's I actually got through to a CEO. He hired me within 30 minutes of being interviewed. I have 20+ years of successful experience in selling. The sales I have made have ranged from a few hundred dollars to over US$10 million. The biggest compliment I receive is that I do not act like or seem like a salesperson. Selling is not about selling. It is about being a facilitator and helping people solve their problems. You can read more articles and join my free monthly e-zine at http://www.SalesConversation.com

Tessa Stowe is a Gold author on EvanCarmichael.com
About The Author

View Author Blog
View Author Blog

View Author Video
View Author Video

Free Downloads


Tessa Stowe's

Complete
List Of
Sales
Articles

Name
Email
If you enjoyed this article, get Tessa Stowe's Complete List of Sales Articles For FREE!

More Tessa Stowe
Selling Is All About The Whys
Dont Write That Proposal Until You Ask The Magic Question
Are You A Knower Or A Learner When Selling
Are You Selling The Wrong Thing
What To Say When Your Prospect Only Has 10 Minutes
Make More Sales Reject Prospects And Fire Clients
Is Selling Simple or Complicated
5 Tips For Giving Presentations That Consistently Sell
Make More Sales By Avoiding The Product Trap
7 Reasons Why You Must Zealously Qualify Prospects
Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
Stephanie Robey  
John Power  
Jay Kubassek  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video

Business Opportunities
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"

How to Start An Online Business

Click Here To Learn More
Business Opportunities



Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
Meditation Guide Icon Meditation Guide
Relational Software Icon Relational Software
How To Work Icon How To Work
Dream Boards Icon Dream Boards
Tips for QuickBooks Backup Icon Tips for QuickBooks Backup
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
Choose A PR Topic
Choose A PR Topic
Press Release Builder
 
Top 50 Raising Capital Blogs To Watch In 2008
Top 50 Raising Capital Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
Naomi Obemah Nkawkaw, Ghana,
Naomi Obemah
Nkawkaw, Ghana
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Jeff Roick, $1.4 to $6.5 Mil in 2 years
Jeff Roick
$1.4 to $6.5 Mil in 2 years
Travis Hartley, 426% Growth in 2 Years
Travis Hartley
426% Growth in 2 Years
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
Joyce Hall, Hallmark Cards
Joyce Hall
Hallmark Cards
Craig Newmark, Craigslist
Craig Newmark
Craigslist
Famous Entrepreneurs - Complete List

Entrepreneur Advice
Tom Peters, In Search Of Excellence
Tom Peters
In Search Of Excellence
Guy Kawasaki, The Art of the Start
Guy Kawasaki
The Art of the Start
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     Listening To Others
By Sean McPheat
     Renegotiate Deadlines How To Do It To Lighten Your Workloads
By Sean McPheat
     Sales Training Tip – How To Retain Top Sales People
By Sean McPheat

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More Information