Do you get phenomenal results in every single sales pitch? Do you know for certain that you are wired for sound each time you connect with a customer or prospect?
If so, stop reading. And go out and give your next sales pitch.
But if you are struggling, frustrated, and sick and tired of blowing opportunity, read this short article.
There’s a big myth about giving sales pitches: “If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It.”
I bet you’re familiar with this trance.
Consider how many times you have encountered push-back and resistance from your team, your sales director, or your CEO. Even when you make a tiny suggestion to change the current status quo of sales presenting.
Amongst your sales team, it sounds like this:
“This worked with our last big client. I don’t want to change a thing.”
“We always do pitches in this order. First the PowerPoint, then the demo, and then the whiteboard pitch. Everyone does it. I don’t want to be the odd-man out.”
“We never use the whiteboard. It’s just too risky. You open yourself up to getting your presentation hijacked in no time.”
And coming down from the top, here’s the flavor:
“We have a national sales team. We always use this formula to have a consistent process to meet our national standards.”
“We could never have variation across regions. If we did, we would have different regions doing entirely different things. It would be a nightmare. It could never work.”
There are two words to watch out for:
Always. And Never.
These words spell death to creativity, responsiveness, and any hope of being effective in the truly unique settings you find yourself in.
The fact is this: you are presenting to highly unique clients, in extremely diverse settings. Plus, there are radically
If you don’t adapt, you won’t sell. If you don’t break things first to fix them, you are leaving a lot of money on the table.
Here are five fresh tips to open up new thinking and new actions for your next, highly successful, sales presentation.
Tip One. Edit Your Message.
Aim for short, memorable sales messages. Slice and cut down to short headlines. Use action words. Eliminate any work for your viewers (3-line headlines, super-long words, or insider jargon.)
Tip Two: Mix Things Up.
If you usually do PowerPoint as a starting place, change. Do a whiteboard discussion. Tell a story and map out the flow on a whiteboard. Question everything about how and what you’ve been giving your sales presentations.
Tip Three: Tag Team For Impact
If you are a high-energy comic, balance your presentation with a more logical, serious, and expert teammate. And visa versa.
Team presenting is more engaging and dynamic. Your clients will appreciate your unique skills even more, with the balance of your co-presenter.
Tip Four: Share Ideas With Your Team
If you are part of a sales team, share what’s working. Brainstorm different approaches that are flying high for different types of clients, and diverse settings. Create a logbook, idea exchange or online forum to share the top ideas with your co-workers.
Tip Five: Let The Outside In
If you find ‘always’ and ‘never’ cropping up frequently in your sales team meetings, get outside help. New ideas, fresh approaches, and innovative thinking are just the special antidote you need for the ‘don’t fix it disease.”
Challenge the norms. Dare to be different. Step out of the stifling box marked, “always” or “never.” Use just ONE tip and experience the fresh breath of air flowing into your sales presentations.
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