How do you handle a sales presentation when a new relationship is potentially worth millions?
These four principles will help you and your sales team build a strong foundation for a new client relationship.
Imagine my surprise when a national sales manager addressed his top 60 associates and said, “At lunch, the sales team and I agreed that we had no idea how we managed to sell anything before we met Patricia Fripp!”
He later explained, “It can take us a year just to get an hour-long presentation in front of a small group of executives from a prospective client. At that point, a new relationship could be worth $5 to $10 million annually to us.”
Naturally, I asked, “How long do you spend rehearsing a presentation of that importance?”
I expected him to say, “We spend a week locked in the boardroom, going over the presentation, recording ourselves, and bringing in team members to fire tough questions at us.”
Instead, he shocked me by saying, “If we have a run-through in the back of Joan’s car, we’re lucky.”
Incredible!
As Oscar winner Sir Michael Caine once said, “Rehearsal is the work; performance is the relaxation.”
Most companies invest heavily in ensuring their sales teams know the ins and outs of their products, territories, and competitive landscape. However, they often fail to prepare their team to deliver a persuasive sales presentation that truly speaks to the prospect’s interests.
Before rehearsing, ensure your presentation structure and focus are proper. Here are four fundamental principles to ensure your sales presentation helps you build that valuable new client relationship:
- Find Clarity
Imagine a busy executive saying, “You have ten minutes to tell me what I need to know about your company.”
What’s the real question here? It’s not about you—it’s about how your company can improve theirs. Can your product solve their problems, create opportunities, increase savings, or grow their market share? At this stage, they care more about their company than yours.
If you can clarify this, you can present your solutions formally.
- Ask Questions
The secret to connecting with a prospect is asking questions, not talking about your company. The quality of the answers you get depends on the quality of the questions you ask—and on your ability to listen.
At the early stages of the sales process, focus on open-ended questions that encourage conversation. Don’t rush through pre-scripted questions without considering the answers you’re given. Your questions should be thoughtful and designed to dig deeper into their challenges and needs.
For example:
If they want to increase sales, ask, “By how much? In the same market or a new one?”
If they want to improve morale, ask, “What signs make this a priority? What’s been done so far? How successful was it?”
If they upgrade technology, ask, “How long have you been exploring options?”
These questions will help you determine whether they’re interested or desperate, which is crucial in shaping your approach.
- Structure Correctly
Your prospect needs to believe, “Our company will be dramatically better if we do business with you.”
Avoid a presentation about your company’s history, methodology, and client list. Instead, build your structure around their interests, challenges, and opportunities. Use the information you’ve gathered to prove that you’ve listened and incorporate as much of their language into your presentation as possible. After all, people rarely argue with themselves!
Every part of your presentation should address their specific concerns. Ask yourself:
Why would they care?
Are they engaged?
Can they see how we’ll solve their challenges?
- Remember Storytelling
Your exact words may be forgotten, but the mental images they create will stay with your audience. Support your key points with vivid, relevant client success stories. These stories should illustrate how you helped clients in similar situations, using them as memorable characters your prospects can relate to.
Describe their initial problem, the steps you took, and their successful results. Make your clients the heroes of your story with dialogue and drama that make your points memorable. As Alfred Hitchcock said, “A movie is life with the dull parts left out.” So, leave out the dull parts, and make sure your success stories hit home.
For example, you might say, “When the Vice President of Sales first called, he said, ‘Help! We heard you’re the best person to solve…’” Use your client’s words to build credibility and connection. Then, explain how your solution applies directly to the prospect’s needs.
By applying these four principles, you’ll create a more compelling sales conversation—and be better prepared to win the client relationship. And don’t forget, rehearsal is critical.
Why not talk with Patricia Fripp to discuss how you can gain a competitive edge in your sales conversations and presentations?
“Back in 2018, we invited you to help us with an important sales presentation, which we won. You will be as excited to know that it continues to reap dividends! Last year, we were awarded $1.6 million in business with them. We received a $2.8 million order from them already this year, which is still January. Your advice and coaching are awesome. What a ROI!” Michael E. Stryczek, President & CEO, AB&R® (American Barcode and RFID)
If you and your sales team are losing out because of poor presentations,
For 20 years, I have hired Patricia Fripp to train and coach sales teams with tremendous success. FrippVT, in combination with in-person training and coaching, is an unbeatable combination.
– Greg Stivers, Senior Vice President, Client Development, Concur
Join FrippVT today!
Turn Your Presentation into A New Client Relationship
These complimentary resources are just a few on Fripp.com that can help you deliver powerful and persuasive sales presentations.
- 8 Steps to Structuring An Outstanding Sales Presentation
- Sales Presentations – How to Be Clear & Concise: Start with Structure
- How to Make A Sale by Making Your Questions Count
- How You Can Solve “Who Cares?” Syndrome in Your Sales Presentations
- What Is The Biggest Mistake Sales Professionals Make?
- How to Stay Clear, Concise & Focused on Your Prospect’s Needs
- Train Your Sales Team Better and Faster than Your Competition
Thank you for a very valuable article. I especially like Sir Michael Caine’s quote and this one “At this point, the executive is more interested in his company than he is in yours.”
Thanks for reading and your comment.