Chapter 10

Elements of a Great Sales

Presentation

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
ABC’s of Selling, 10/e
 Main Topics

 The Tree of Business Life: Presentation

 The Purpose of the Presentation
 Three Essential Steps within the Presentation
 The Sales Presentation Mix
 Visual Aids Help Tell the Story
 Dramatization Improves Your Chances
 Demonstrations Prove It
 Technology Can Help!
 The Sales Presentation Goal Model

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 Main Topics, cont...

 The Ideal Presentation

 Be Prepared for Presentation Difficulties

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 The Presentation
 Create elements of the
presentation that appeal to the
buyer’s senses and lead to
improved understanding.
 Liven up your talk with drama and
a demonstration.
 Use technology to help make your
message clear.
 Be professional about competition.
 You will see that ethical service
builds true relationships.

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 Exhibit 10-1: The Presentation is the
Heart of the Sale
An effective approach allows
a smooth transition into
discussing your product’s
features, advantages, and
benefits

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 The Purpose of the Presentation

 Your main goal is to sell your product to your

customer – to help him.

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The Purpose of the Presentation, cont.

 Purpose of the presentation:

1. Provide knowledge via features, advantages, and
benefits of your product, marketing plan, and
business proposition
2. Allow buyer to develop personal attitudes toward
your product
3. Attitudes result in desire (or need)
4. Convert a need into a want and then into the belief
that your product can fulfill a certain need

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The Purpose of the Presentation, cont.
5. Convince the buyer that not only is your product the
best but also that you are the best source to buy
from
6. When this occurs, she is in the conviction stage

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Exhibit 10-2: The Five Purposes of
the Presentation

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 Three Essential Steps Within the
Presentation
1. Fully discuss the features, advantages, and benefits
of your product.
2. Present your marketing plan – tell whole story:
How to resell (for reseller)
How to use (for consumer and industrial user)
Promotion plans, delivery, etc.
3. Explain your business proposition.
 What’s in it for your customer?
 Value/Cost comparison
 Should be last (why?)

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Exhibit 10-3: Three Essential Steps
Within the Presentation

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 Exhibit 10-4: Salespeople Use These
FABs in Their Presentations
Features, Advantages, and Benefits of Bix Buckwheat Pancake Mix
Features Advantages Benefits
Product
1. Traditional “farmhouse” 1. Great tasting, fluffy and 1. Provides an appealing
recipe, with freshest light; highly nutritious item; expands breakfast
ingredients; fortified with menu; increases
vitamins A, B, C, and D; breakfast business
no preservatives
2. User needs only to add 2. Quick and easy to 2. Requires minimal
water, stir, and cook prepare kitchen time and
labor

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 Exhibit 10-4: Salespeople Use These
FABs in Their Presentations, cont…
Features, Advantages, and Benefits of Bix Buckwheat Pancake Mix
Features Advantages Benefits
Marketing Plan
3. Just in time delivery; 3. No need to store large 3. Requires minimal
weekly as needed quantities inventory space; keeps
inventory costs low

4. Local distribution center 4. Additional orders can be 4. Prevents out-of-

filled quickly stock situations

5. An experienced sales 5. Provides assistance for

5. Knowledge and
representative to serve meeting changing needs
background in
account and solving business
food-service industry
problems
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 Exhibit 10-4: Salespeople Use These
FABs in Their Presentations, cont…
Features, Advantages, and Benefits of Bix Buckwheat Pancake Mix
Features Advantages Benefits
Business Proposition
6. Quantity discounts 6. Reduces costs 6. Increases your profits

7. Extended payment plans 7. Reduces interest costs 7. Increases your profits

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Exhibit 10-5: The Sales
Presentation Mix

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 Persuasive Communication, cont…

 Seven factors of good communication (Chapter 4)

1. Use questions
2. Be empathetic
3. Keep the message simple
4. Create mutual trust
5. Listen
6. Have a positive attitude and enthusiasm
7. Be believable

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 Persuasive Communication
 Sell Sequence = FAB + trial close
 To be a persuasive communicator:
 Use logical reasoning
 Persuade through suggestion
 Have a sense of fun
 Personalize relationships
 Build trust – being honest; doing what you say you will do
 Be aware of your body language – always smile!
 Control the presentation – questions rechannel an off-course
presentation
 Use diplomacy – choose your battles
 Use words as selling tools (simile, metaphor, analogy)

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 The Sales Presentation Mix

 Sales Presentation Mix

 Persuasive communication
 The SELL sequence + Trial Close

 Show – Explain – Lead – Let

(features) (advantages) (benefits) (customer talk)
+
 Trial Close: after strong selling point, after answering
objection, immediately before move to close
 Persuasive Communication, cont…

 Logical Reasoning – presentation conducted

around three parts
 Ex.:
1. Major premise: All manufacturers wish to reduce
costs and increase efficiency.
2. Minor premise: My equipment will reduce your costs
and increase efficiency.
3. Conclusion: Therefore, you should buy my
equipment.

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 Persuasive Communication, cont…

 Persuasion through suggestion

1. Suggestive propositions – suggest the prospect
should act now
2. Prestige suggestions – name the famous or
respected people or companies that use your
product.
3. Autosuggestions – attempt to have buyer sell herself
by imagining herself using the product
4. Direct suggestions – suggest that prospect buy your
product

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 Persuasive Communication, cont…

 Persuasion through suggestion, cont.

5. Indirect suggestions – make it seem as if the
purchase of your product is the buyer’s idea
 “Should you buy 50 or 75 dozen…?”
 “Have you talked to anyone who has used their
product?”
6. Counter-suggestions – get the buyer to express why
he needs the product and will also compel him to
defend his decision

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Persuasive Communication, cont…
1. Simile – a comparison statement using the words
“like” or “as”
 A poorly manicured lawn is like a bad haircut
2. Metaphor – implied comparison that uses a
contrasting word or phrase to evoke a vivid image
 Our power mowers sculpt your lawn
3. Analogy – compares two different situations which
have something in common
 Our sun screen for your home will stop the sun’s heat
before it gets to your window. It’s like having a shade
tree in front of your window without blocking the view

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Exhibit 10-5: The Sales
Presentation Mix, cont…

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 Participation

 Questions
 Product use: appeals to senses
 Visuals (to be discussed)
 Demonstrations (to be discussed)

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Exhibit 10-5: The Sales
Presentation Mix, cont…

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 Proof

 Past sales help predict the future

 The guarantee
 Testimonials
 Company proof results
 Independent research results
 Restatement of the benefit before proving it
 Proof source and relevant facts or figures about the
product
 Expansion of the benefit

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 Proof Statements Build Believability

 For a proof statement referring to

independent research results to be most
effective, it should contain a:
1. Restatement of the benefit before proving it
2. Proof source and relevant facts or figures
about the product
3. Expansion of the benefit

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 Example

 Consider the following proof statement referring to

independent research results (identify: source and
facts, benefit restatement, benefit expansion):
I’m sure that you want a radio that’s going to sell and
be profitable for you (benefit restatement ). Figures in
Consumer Guide and Consumer Sales magazines
indicate that the Sony XL-100 radios, although the
newest on the market, are the third largest in sales
(source and facts ). Therefore, when you handle the
Sony XL line, you’ll find that radio sales and profits will
increase, and more customers will come into your
store (benefit expansion ).

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Exhibit 10-6: Proof Statements Help
Prove What You Say

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Exhibit 10-5: The Sales
Presentation Mix, cont…

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 Visual Aids

 Increase retention
 Reinforce the message
 Reduce misunderstanding
 Create a unique and lasting impression
 Show the buyer that you are a professional

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 Visual Aids, cont…

 Some common visual aids are:

 The product
 Charts and graphs illustrating features and advantages
 Photographs and mock-ups
 Equipment
 Sales manuals and catalogs
 Order forms
 Letters of testimony
 A copy of the guarantee
 Flip-boards and posters
 Sample advertisements
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 Visual Aids, cont…

 Appeal to the prospect’s vision with the

intent of producing mental images of the
product’s:
 Features
 Advantages

 Benefits

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Exhibit 10-5: The Sales
Presentation Mix, cont…

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 Dramatization

 Dramatics refers to talking or presenting the

product in a striking, showy, or extravagant
manner
 Dramatics should be incorporated only when you are
100 percent sure they will work effectively
 One of the best methods of developing ideas for
dramatizations is to watch television commercials
 Dramatic presentations set you apart from the many
salespeople that buyers see each day

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 Dramatization, cont…
 Dramatization improves
your chances of
success

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Exhibit 10-5: The Sales
Presentation Mix, cont…

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 Demonstrations Prove it

 If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a

demonstration is worth a thousand pictures
Demonstration checklist
Needed and appropriate?
Objective?
Planned and organized?
Flows smoothly and naturally?
Will it go as planned?
Will it backfire?
Is it ethical and professional?
 Demonstration

 A successful demonstration
 Lets the prospect do something simple
 Lets the prospect work an important feature

 Lets the prospect do something routine or frequently

repeated
 Have the prospect answer questions throughout the

demonstration (feedback)

= Participation

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 Exhibit 10-8: Seven Points to
Remember About Demonstrations

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 Putting It All Together
 Reasons for Using Visual Aids, Dramatization, and
Demonstration, and Participation:
 Capture attention and interest
 Create two-way communication
 Involve the prospect through participation
 Afford a more complete, clear explanation of products
 Increase a salesperson’s persuasive powers by obtaining
positive commitments on a product’s single feature, advantage,
or benefit
 People receive 87 percent of their information on the outside
world through their eyes and only 13 percent through the other
four senses
 The addition of participation is much more persuasive than
dramatization alone
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 Guidelines for Using Visual Aids,
Dramatics, and Demonstrations
1. Rehearse them!
2. Customize them to fit individual customer.
3. Make them simple, clear, and straightforward
4. Control the demonstration
5. Make demonstration true to life
6. Encourage prospect participation
7. Incorporate trial closes after showing or demonstrating a
major feature, advantage, or benefit to determine if
believed or important to prospect

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 Technology Can Help!

 Can provide excellent presentation methods

 Multimedia computers can:
 Present video clips
 Play sound bites

 Show beautifully illustrated graphics

 Be connected to projection equipment

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Exhibit 10-10: The Sales Presentation
Goal Model

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 The Ideal Presentation
 Your approach technique quickly captures your
prospect’s interest and immediately finds signals that
the prospect has a need for your product and is ready
to listen
 The ideal prospect
 Is friendly, polite, relaxed, listens
 Says “yes” and enthusiastically thanks you

 Several weeks later you receive a copy of customer’s

letter sent to your company’s president glowing with
praise for you
 Sometimes it happens but many times there are
difficulties
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 Be Prepared for Presentation
Difficulties
 How to handle interruptions
 Is the interruption personal or confidential?
 Offer to leave the room

 Regroup your thoughts

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 Be Prepared for Presentation
Difficulties, cont...
 Should you discuss the competition?
 Do not refer to a competitor unless
absolutely necessary.
 Acknowledge your competitor only briefly
– then drop it.
 Make a detailed comparison of your
product and the competition’s product
when necessary.

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 Be Prepared for Presentation
Difficulties
 Once discussion is over:
 Wait quietly and patiently until prospect’s attention is
completely gained
 Briefly restate selling points that were of interest

 Do something to increase prospect’s participation

 Once interest is gained move deeper into presentation

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 Be Prepared for Presentation
Difficulties, cont...
 Be professional always

 Know where the presentation takes place:

 Could be anywhere

 Diagnose prospect to determine sales

presentation

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 The Golden Rule

 You want to do to others what you would have

them do to you

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 Summary of Major Selling Issues

 The sales presentation is a persuasive vocal and

visual explanation of a proposition
 Four common methods of presentation are
memorized, formula, need-satisfaction, and
problem-solution
 Consider the elements of the presentation mix that
will be used for each prospect
 Use persuasive communication techniques,
methods to develop prospect participation, proof
statements, visual aids, dramatization, and
demonstrations
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 Summary of Major Selling Issues,
cont…
 Persuasive communication techniques help to
uncover needs, to communicate effectively, and to
pull the prospect into the conversation
 Visuals must be properly designed to illustrate the
features, advantages, and benefits of your
products through graphics, dramatization, and
demonstration
 Careful attention to development and rehearsal of
the presentation is needed to ensure that it occurs
smoothly and naturally

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 Summary of Major Selling Issues,
cont…
 The presentation is the heart of the sale
 Acquire or create materials that convey your
message and convince others to believe it
 Exhibits, facts, statistics, examples, analogies,
testimonials, and samples should be part of your
repertoire

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