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How to Give a Sales Presentation
People often judge products and services and form perceptions about a company based solely on a sales presentation. It could be the way your sales people talk, what they say, how they handle questions or scrutiny, or how warm and friendly they are. It doesn't matter. The sales presentation is a key factor in helping potential customers form opinions of you, and as such it is an integral part of the sales process.
To help you give a more effective sales presentation, follow these seven tips.
- Be prepared
One of the most important aspects of giving a presentation is thorough preparation. The better prepared you are, the greater your chance of making a sale. Your product knowledge should be extensive. Features, benefits and prices are all important. Assume your prospects know nothing. You'll also want to know about your competitors and their products, services, strengths and weaknesses. Be fluent not only in your market but also in the market that your prospect is in. Then research your prospect and learn as much as you can about their needs. All of this preparation will help you handle anything from simple questions to adamant objections.
- Be confident
The best way to instill confidence in your potential customers is to be confident yourself. If you stand, speak and present with self-assurance, prospects will be less distracted by your uneasy body language and your presentation will be more effective and entertaining.
- Start off on the right foot
First impressions are important. In this case they set the tone for the whole presentation. Start by keeping things light and interactive. Ask basic questions like ?where are you originally from?? or ?how long have you been in the industry?? Or you could tell a joke or make some light-hearted comments as a way to connect with your prospect's. Just try to relax everyone, get their attention and get things rolling smoothly.
- Make eye contact
Most people know this, but few people actually do it. Whether you're presenting to one person, a handful of people or an entire auditorium, you need to make strong eye contact and you need to hold it from time to time.
- Have enthusiasm
You need to show that you really care about the product or service that you're selling. If you don't sound enthusiastic about it, then prospects may think that you don't really care all that much. In turn, they won't be all that enthusiastic about what you're selling. Enthusiasm is a great selling tool, so use it.
- Use PowerPoint effectively
PowerPoint can be a very helpful presentation tool, but only if you use it with the utmost restraint. Don't try to dazzle people with crazy fonts, fades or other flashy distractions. Your slides should do nothing more than support and highlight what you say, so use as few words as possible and incorporate simple visual aids. Remembers, less is more.
- Keep it short, simple and to the point
Unless your goal is to lose people?s interest, you?re going to need to stay on task. If you?re presentation is long, people will start yawning. If it's complex, they won't understand a thing. If you frequently go off on tangents, people may forget why you're there in the first place. Expand only on critical details and keep everything else tight and concise.
