Making Presentations

Sales Presentations

Much has been written about how to hold a successful sales presentation. It is very difficult to predict how one of these things can go as they are pretty dynamic. Any presenter who wants to achieve maximum results from a fluid situation should go into a sales presentation armed with the following information and goals.

A. Know your audience. Take some before they arrive to probe what they expect from you and what their expectations are from your company. Remember they wouldn't becoming to you or wouldn't be interested in finding more about your company, your products , your offer if the weren't in some way interested in doing business with you. Brush up on their company information and the personal and business histories of the people who will be attending the meeting.

B. Don't be under or over realistic with expectations of the presentation. It may just be a way of breaking the ice, on a long trail to signing a very valuable contract. You have to appreciate that. On the other hand, don't be shy to probe how serious your prospect's intentions are. "Faint heart never won fair lady" approach is fine. But always leave the door open for further dialogue. A successful sales presenter will consistently guide his prospect nearer the "decision making "precipice. Remember that people are always reluctant to say "no" to your face.

C. Invest time and money in preparing the best quality marketing materials that you can for the meeting. It helps to indicate how serious your company is in general. And how intent you are in doing with them. If your presentation is based around PowerPoint, that leave them with the minutes and main points of your presentation. Either in printed form or on a custom made DVD. Very impressive! Even though your prospects may be sitting in their own company boardroom, never assume that they have brought writing material with them. Hand out block pads and pens. Particularly if they are printed with the company lotto on them.

D. It always a very nice gesture to bring small, business gifts with you. Try and keep the gift in proportion and never of excessive value. Strangely enough if you represent a winery, never bring wine. This could be misconstrued. On the other hand if you represent a paint manufacturer, don't offer your client a gallon of paint. This could also be misconstrued, but in a completely different direction. Pens, leather covers for calculators or model phones are always a good idea. Give everyone in the party the same gift, not according to seniority. If they want to present you and the members of your party with gifts accept them gracefully. This is becoming common practice, initiated by companies of European origin.

E. Once the presentation begins make every effort to build a rapport with your audience. Give them the impression that we are in this together. Don't be all business, try and establish some common personal denominators. Use this very carefully as it may rebound on you. Especially, if the personal information that you have on your prospect or prospects is not entirely up to date. Let's say you ask a question about some member of the party's wife, who your wife told you that you had met two years previously at a cocktail party. You thought this would be a great ice breaker, and were saving it up till the right moment arrived. If the prospect replies "I don't know. She ran off last week with the gardener." You are in trouble. It could take you a month to extricate your foot from your month. This is the kind of situation that could go a long way to killing the sale. And you.