A Purpose Behind Your Presentation

The popular best seller Think and Grow Rich has spread a message of achievement and accomplishment for many years. When I read the book, one of its many profound lessons that struck me as extremely effective when applied was the importance of a "definiteness of purpose." There is no doubt that this message can be applied to magnify purpose, efforts and, therefore, results in life in general, but it can also be applied to improve performance in sales. When you approach a prospect do you always know exactly what you are trying to achieve?

I recently received marketing materials in the mail from a local contractor wanting to offer me services related to my home. The leaflet rambled on about the nature of his company, a family business, the years he had spent working in the area, over twenty, and the reputation his company had in his community, apparently excellent. He never touched on one subject I actually cared about. Like many people in sales, this professional entered a selling situation without a clear goal. This lack of focus resulted in leaflets that lacked a specific purpose and were unlikely to inspire action. As obvious as it may seem, before you enter any presentation you must ask yourself what it is you hope to accomplish.

Take the following example: Jill works for a large software company and spends 15% of her day cold calling for new business. When she looks at her sales board and sees her position, far behind that of her colleague, each phone call she makes builds in its importance. She must make a sale soon and approaches every cold call prospect with that objective, to make a sale. However, she is unlikely to succeed in this endeavor because she sells a high ticket item that usually requires several decision makers as well as an onsite visit.

When trying to sell, it is natural to talk about the product/service’s attributes, its benefits and reasons why they need to buy. In the few minutes she gets to pitch in her cold calls, Jill tries to convince her prospects that they should buy based on her description alone. She wonders why this never seems to work. But how could it? Her prospects are already familiar with the product she is selling, know its features and benefits and need an onsite evaluation to determine compatibility. Also they usually have to make the decision with others. Typically, they are unable to do all of this based on a short phone call.

Jill’s efforts will be vastly improved if she sets a goal for her cold calls, her first initial contact with prospects that is more attainable and relevant to her situation. Should Jill focus her efforts on obtaining an appointment for that necessary onsite visit, her script will change and become more effective. Her pitch, description of benefits, even her proposal, should all be focused on getting an appointment, not selling the product. She is asking for less of a commitment, she is extending their communication and relationship and she is giving him a chance to involve the necessary decision makers.

When you approach a prospect with the wrong objective you hurt your chances of getting the sale. Break your sales process down into essential steps that move you closer and closer to the sale each time. Even a small ticket item that can lead to an instant sale can be presented in a series of steps each with their own objective. You will become more effective in your sales efforts when you know how to tailor your pitch, your language and your presentation around a single powerful goal.

Alvin Day is a Sales Training and Personal Empowerment coach who has helped many sales professionals reach and exceed their goals. For more on Alvin Day’s Sales Training tools and resources visit www.theultimatesalesmanual.com.