Sales Clinic: Five Steps to Better Sales Presentations

 Making an effective sales presentation is a key part of successful selling. A common and often big mistake for salespeople is that they miss major sales opportunities by not delivering outstanding sales presentations. It is a mystery why many printing salespeople spend so much time getting appointments, generating interest and researching accounts and then “miss the moment” by delivering an ineffective, poorly organized sales presentation.

As customers look to new and high impact printing and cross media solutions, a formal presentation is often the critical element of whether a printing-based company gets the work or not. Many industry experts mistakenly believe that good salespeople, who regularly meet face to face with clients, will have no problem making a formal presentation. This is not the case.

Based on our findings with our large clients who have direct sales forces, no more than 25 percent of sales people can be judged as “effective” in making face-to-face selling presentations to their customers. This means that many printing salespeople can’t move a complex sales cycle forward and in some cases lose the business altogether.

Know the Basics

Knowledge of the fundamentals of a good presentation, deep knowledge of the customer, preparation and creativity are the essential ingredients needed to close a sale. In the printing industry, we should have the advantage because we are experts in visual communications. Like the “shoemaker’s son who has bad shoes” many printing companies do not leverage their own technologies and skills to generate great presentations.

There is a discreet set of skills required to make a good sales presentation that can be learned and practiced. Customer marketing and operational executives expect printing salespeople to be able to deliver informative presentations that are tailored to their account and address their specific needs. When selling large deals, formal presentations can be given at any point within the sales cycle. For instance, it is not uncommon for a printing company capability presentation to be given early in the sales cycle and a presentation delivering a sales proposal later in the sales cycle.

Whatever the situation, there are some good standard techniques that can make any presentation effective. Here are five steps that should be included in every sales presentation.  

1. Deliver a well prepared and rehearsed value proposition. After the introductions, and before the review of the agenda and objectives of the meeting, always begin the presentation with a tailored “value proposition” statement. Use one that is created from customer information and is linked to a specific opportunity. It describes how you will improve the customer’s business by providing higher value than alternatives. Using language that customers clearly understand and targeting measurable customer objectives will make the introduction to your presentation stronger and provide a good and lasting first impression. 

Here is an example of how you could begin. “We are pleased to be able to present our capabilities to you today. As you may remember, our company is a New York-based graphic communications company that provides comprehensive graphic design, data base services and printing services to hospitals and nonprofit organizations. We are helping them to improve their fundraising efforts by blending digital media technology and high-quality print communications. For instance, our company helped Charity Hospital increase donations by 25 percent through creative use of merging databases into personalized emails and personalized letters of solicitation.”

Once you have their attention and interest, review your agenda and the objectives of the meeting.

2. Review the customer’s current situation

Before you start giving your pitch and pushing your products and services, confirm you understanding of the customer. We have found that this is the single biggest mistake that printing salespeople make. They are so interested in sharing their knowledge that they sometimes they “forget to sell and begin to tell”. That is, they neglect to confirm requirements and critical pieces of customer’s current situation. Using a few PowerPoint slides, or a document with key customer information should, generate a good discussion.

Taking time to confirm the customer’s needs, goals, business situation, problems, current methods etc. will provide proof to your customer that you have taken the time to understand this account and will be tailoring your discussion specifically to their business. There is nothing worse than spending hours and days on a presentation to find out the customer’s priorities have changed.

 3. Share your company’s background, strengths and capabilities

Most successful printing companies have a great deal of expertise, products, services and capabilities. Focus on those areas that put you in the best “light” and would later be best linked to the customer’s objectives and requirements. For instance, if you have experience with managing data bases and personalized direct mail, and this is of importance to the customer, than emphasize that during your presentation. If your customer respects small and technology savvy companies and you happen to fit that description, then emphasize it. If being large is of importance and you fit that description, than exploit it.

Generally, customers are not as impressed with technology or the types of presses, as in days past. Spare your customer a long and detailed review of every aspect of your business. Focus on your expertise, experience, size, successes, products and offerings that would be of interest and be the best “fit" your customer. Be sure to clearly share how your capabilities will help your customer be successful. Also, by confirming key points and asking questions, you will test for understanding and reinforce key points.

4.    Link you company’s capabilities to your customer’s requirements

Once you have confirmed the customer’s situation and have shared your company’s capabilities, now is the time to point out how your expertise matches with their requirements.

If you are selling to a financial services company, that requires better communications to improve their customer loyalty, you could emphasize the unique strengths of your direct mail and customized printing operations. If the customer requires error free and low cost fulfillment, then provide evidence of your unique strengths in these areas. Again, look for customer agreement and feedback during this part of your presentation. You will be able to flush out any objections or questions that the customer may have.

5.    Close for next steps

Once you have an agreement with the customer, that you understand their situation and have shared your company’s capabilities and how they best fit with the customer, close for the next step in the sale.

If you are presenting a formal proposal, then close for the order. If it is early in the sales cycle, then close for the appropriate next step or steps. This may be gaining agreement to conduct interviews with a key decision maker, or gaining a meeting with their PR agency, or generating a proof of concept piece that best reflects the customer’s requirements.

Often salespeople are amazed during this process how helpful a customer will be, by adding information that was previously not known, and confirming their requirements and business situation. Occasionally, salespeople will get surprises such as new directives from senior management, changes in key personnel or new opportunities.

Though this is a relatively simple process, what differentiates top salespeople from average salespeople is the skill and creativity used to prepare and conduct the presentation. So many sales and opportunities are lost or missed because of poor preparation and poor presentation skills. Getting a chance to present before executives or decision makers is what salespeople work hard to obtain. Practice, preparation and sticking to a disciplined approach will create outstanding opportunities. If this a big problem for you or your company, there are plenty of books, Web resources, consultants and training programs available to help companies develop and leverage customer presentations.

Joe Rickard is a sales training leader and consultant who works with printing and technology companies in the graphic arts to improve their sales effectiveness. He is the founder of Intellective Solutions, a provider of customized sales and sales management training material and services. Contact Rickard at (845) 753-6156, [email protected], or visit www.intellectivesolutions.com.