I have been exploring sales presentation techniques in the past few blog entries. We’ve seen the how an audience’s attention span constrains our presentation length. It also forces us to reconsider the order of information in the presentation. We need an attention grabber to focus the audience’s attention on the presentation. We want to put our most relevant and potent information at the front of the presentation when we have the audience’s maximum interest. That takes us through the first 5 minutes of the presentation.
Our goal in the next 10-15 minutes of the presentation segment is to engage the audience so that we maintain their attention as long as possible. The best way to do that is to organize the presentation around a storyline. We need to tell a story.
But what story do we tell? Potential storylines include the story of our company, the story of our product, or the story of our successful customers. However, the best story to tell is not any of these. The best story to tell is the story of the prospect we are speaking to.
The first reaction I get when I recommend this course of action is “But how do I know the prospect’s story? Each prospect is going to have their own unique story.”
When you first start selling a new product, it does seem like each prospect has a unique story. But after you have talked with a number of prospects, you will see patterns emerge. In these patterns you will find pain points shared, circumstances replicated, and common issues. From these patterns you can craft common scenarios and an underlying framework for your storyline.
At this point you are probably wondering, “But what about us, our products, our services? Where do they fit in?”
Your company, your product, services, and solution are supporting cast members in the story. Remember, this is not your story. It is the prospect’s story. Your company, product, services, and solution are not the main characters.
In your first sales presentations to a new prospect, you are not selling your product, services, or solution. You are selling the idea of transformation. You are creating a vision of how much better things could be. Your company and product are the means for achieving that transformation and that vision.
Before anyone can sell a prospect a particular product or solution, the prospect must decide that they want to solve their problems, address their issues, and improve their circumstances. They must desire transformation. They must see themselves in the vision. When they do, this vision becomes a powerful motivator in the sales process.
They are not going to find that vision in the story of how your company was formed.
They are not going to find that vision in the feature details of your product.
They are only going to find that vision in a story that starts and ends with them.
It is time to take stock of your sales presentations. In your review, identify the following:
- Estimate what portion of the presentation is about you, your company, your product, and your solution. Estimate what portion of the presentation is about your prospect. If 80% of the presentation is NOT about your prospect, you have work to do.
- What is the transformation you are suggesting? Do you clearly compare and contrast before and after effects? How well does this transformation apply to your prospect’s situation?
- How visual is the vision you are painting? How easy is it for the prospect to visualize themselves in the vision you are creating? Is it relevant to the prospect’s situation?
- Is there a discernable storyline and plot in your sales presentation? Is it easy for someone to give? Is it easy to follow?
- Do you need more than one scenario to plug into your storyline? How different are the situations, transformations, and visions you need to develop to match the different prospects you see?
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