A good sales presentation can be the difference between securing a sale and losing it. However, as the old saying goes, fail to prepare, prepare to fail. So how do you make sure you are ready for presentation day? By reading these top tips on how to make your presentation a success!
Build rapport
Often, when getting to the point of giving a sales presentation, you will have already built up a relationship with a member of staff from your potential client’s business. This is a good foundation but when conducting the presentation it is likely that you will meet additional people such as the decision-maker.
Before you start giving the presentation, be sure to introduce yourself and ask about the roles of the additional attendees to make sure you get to know each one. However, be sure to avoid too much small talk as it can waste time. Instead, use this time to ask about the company goals and operations.
This can be your opportunity to show off your knowledge of the clients’ company and the industry, making the potential client feel more confident in your expertise and skills. Then, during the presentation you can refer back to the initial conversation, showing how you can help with any issues.
As well as opening with questions, you should continue to ask these throughout the presentation and afterwards. This opens up the floor for discussion allowing you to get feedback and ideas. You can use the information you gather to tailor the remainder of your presentation to fully address their challenges and offer solutions.
Talk about pain points
Following on from building a rapport, these conversations can be used to identify and assess your potential client’s pain points. If your client is experiencing a specific problem that is holding them back or stopping them from reaching their goals, this would be considered their pain point.
Pain points can vary massively between companies and industries. That’s why it is important to discuss this with your client instead of guessing. In order for your presentation to be successful, you will need to talk about how your product or service can help solve their pain points.
It can be beneficial to include evidence of other situations, relevant to your client, where your product or service has solved a problem. All sales presentations should include reviews or data as evidence to back up your claims. This will help your client trust in your skills.
Where possible, include testimonials that feature previous client names (with permission), pictures and company information. This will increase your credibility and provide proof to your potential client that you can deliver what you are selling.
Consider the clients’ budget
There are a number of important decisions that a client will need to make before buying your product or service. Often, there is a decision-maker who is in charge of this process. As previously mentioned, be sure to identify them and start to build a good rapport from the start of the meeting.
Another vital piece of information you will need to coax out of your client is their budget. It can be difficult to discuss money but it will be much easier to sell your product or service if you are pitching it to them at a cost they can afford.
This again shows the importance of asking the right questions before you start your presentation. After all, you don’t want to scare your client off by quoting too high. You should phrase the question carefully and see what your potential client is willing to spend vs what they are able to. These values can often be quite different.
Once you have this information you can tailor your pitch to sell your product or service at a price close to what the client is able to afford. Be sure to show the client how much value you can offer them within their budget without pushing them to spend more. Remember, you can always upsell later.
Go forth and sell, sell, sell
Preparation is key to a successful sales presentation. Arm yourself with questions and knowledge about your client and their industry and you should have a good base to work from. Once you have opened the discussion and start learning more, you’ll be able to close sales without trouble.
