Presentations vs. Conversations
You’ve been asked to submit a proposal. You’re on the short list and within days you will have an opportunity to be in front of the committee. You believe that your job, at this point, is to put together the slickest presentation you can come up with so you can win the job. I don’t think so!
Your job is to engage people in conversation. Your job is to listen. Your job is to understand. Your job is to slow down. Your job is to connect with each member of the committee. Your job is to ask questions so you can better understand your prospect’s vision, perspective and ultimate goals.
How could you effectively listen if you are giving a presentation? You can’t. If you STOP doing all of the talking, there’s only one option left. You have to listen. All of a sudden you are very different than the competition because they will continue to try to persuade their prospects with lots of one sided talking. The competition will run their mouths and that’s good for you.
Whether it’s a first meeting or the final meeting to close the sale, your goal is to talk 20-30% of the time and listen 70-80% of the time. Let your prospect become the expert and do the majority of the talking. Let them share their experiences. The more your prospect talks, the more emotionally involved they become in the topic. The more emotionally involved the prospect is in the subject matter, the better it is for you.
So the next time you are asked to do a presentation, take a deep breath and slow down. The presentation is about you and your perspective. It’s frequently about free, unpaid consulting. Does your prospect really care about you? Probably not! What they care about is how you can help them.
If you are presenting, you are talking. You are talking about what YOU think is important to your prospects as compared to what is really of interest to your prospects. You are setting yourself up for objections. Instead of a proposal, presentation or sales pitch, engage your prospect in conversation and become the trusted advisor, the resource, the recognized expert in your profession.
When you are asked to do a proposal or presentation, bells and whistles should go off, red flags should be waving and the high school marching band should be playing background music in your mind. It’s a signal that your prospect probably does not see the perceived value of your offering.
By leading the conversation with lots of prepared questions, you will no longer come across as a sales person. You will be better able to suggest solutions to address the concerns of your prospect. When you listen and ask questions, your prospects will respond by asking you questions like… What do we do next? How do we get started? What’s the next step? When can we begin?
Do you want to be doing presentations or do you want to close the sale?
Good selling!!
Ken
“If a man wants his dreams to come true, he must wake up.” Anonymous
Ken Levine
Impact Business Solutions, Inc.
508-845-8849
SELL MORE BY SELLING LESS
www.ibs4sales.com
