Check out 8 outstanding ways that is helping salesmen’s around the world for strengthening their presentations

A wise salesman asks himself some valid questions himself the answers to which will pave the ways to strengthen presentation. These questions are:

i. How can I use my imagination and creativity to make a vivid impression on my prospect or consumer?

ii. How can I make my presentation a little different and little stronger? Salesmen with this frame of mind will try to do better than in the past and succeed in greeting consumer needs. A salesperson has certain communication tools.

Salesman with this frame of mind will try to do better than in the past and succeed in meeting consumer needs. A salesperson has certain communication tools. These are:

1. Sales Portfolio:

A portfolio is simply a collection of visual aids that can be used to enhance the communication during the sales calls. The sales persons do not intend to use everything that is there in the portfolio in a single call; rather, the portfolio contains a broad spectrum of visual aids the salesperson can find quickly if need there be.

2. Catalogues and Brochures:

Catalogues and brochures can help the sales-people in communicating to the buyer effectively. The salesmen can not only use them during presentation but also leave them with the buyer. They will help the buyers remember the issues covered. Producers often summarize key points and contain answers to the usual questions buyers pose. Selling houses spend copiously in developing visually attractive producers for sales people. Creatively designed great interest while showing them. Pictures, Advertisements and Illustrations: Pictures are worth thousand words, and they are easy to prepare and relatively inexpensive and permit a realistic portrayal of the product and its benefits. Photographs of people may be particularly effective. For instance, leisure made possible through savings can be communicated through photographs of retired people at reaching a mountain resort, or the seashore. Illustrations drawn painted, or prepared in other ways also help dramatise needs or benefits. Copies of latest advertisements contribute visual appeal. With new technology even detailed maps can be easily developed. For instance, to show how a magazine’s circulation matches the needs of potential advertisers.

3. Testimonials:

Testimonials are the statements usually written in letterform, written by the satisfied users of a product or service. These letters command the products or service and that the winter believes to be a good by. For example, company representatives who sell a travel for major airlines have found case histories helpful in recommending and communicating sales points. The effectiveness of testimonials bring on the skill with which it is used and a careful matching of satisfied users and prospects. In some cases, the testimony of a rival or a competitor of the prospective buyer would end call chance of closing the sale; in other cases, this type of testimony -ay be a strong factor in obtaining commitment. Before using testimonial, the salesman needs to check with the person who wrote it and frequently reaffirm that he or she is still a happy, satisfied customer. Salesman should not just hand out a testimonial to every prospect. Such letters should be used only if they help to address the buyer needs or concerns. For instance, with a buyer concerned about service the sales person could use a testimonial that specifically mentions service.

4. Models, Samples and Gifts:

Visual selling aids such as models, samples and gifts may be a food answer to the problem of getting and keeping buyer interest ‘Miniature’ models go to the interview as substitutes for products, which are too large or bulky to transport and handle easily. These models are replica of the actual products scaled down to a convenient size. For instance, for Godrej Locking security system the sales people carry along a miniature working model of company’s electronic door-locks while calling on says, prison security system buyers. The model allows them to show how the various components work together to form a fail-safe security network. They also carry cross sectional models to communicate more effectively with the buyer. Samples are also taken of large and bulky products. They take varieties that helps them is demonstration. Depending on the service or product, samples can make excellent sales aids. Food, office-suppliers, paper products and long distance services exemplify the good many products or service that may be sold through the use of samples. Samples and gifts frequently help to maintain the prospect’s interest after the call and serve as a reminder for prospects or customers who either buy or do not buy during the presentation.

5. Electronic Media:

Slide, VCRs, computers and projectors have come to stay in the sales presentation. Today’s more sophisticated buyers are accustomed to watching cable TV and movies that include outstanding graphics, sound and production. Effective sales respond to this trend by using these electronic media.

‘Slides’ have been effective seller’s aids for years. An advantage of slides has always been the relatively low cost of producing them. Again, salesmen can easily tailor the show to any buyer simply by removing and or recording slides. The most effective slide shows utilize multiple projectors and multiple screens along with a stereo sound track. Even computers can be used to give slide presentations:

Video Cassette Recorders – VCRs – are now increasingly more important media tools for sales people. VCRs are an improvement over sliders in that they portray action or motion. Salesmen use VCRs to help the buyer to see as to how quality is manufactured into the product, how others use the product of service, promotional support offered with the products and even testimonial from satisfied users. VCRs are not only used by salesmen in one-on-one and group presentations. They are also used at trade shows and for training the buyer’s employees after the sale.

Computers: Coming to computers more and more sales people are going in for laptop computers for use in sales calls in recent years. Computers not only offer excellent visuals and graphics but also allow the salesman to perform ‘what-if-analysis’ much more easily and graphically. Laptop computers are also used to store large amount of easily retrievable information. This allows them the flexibility to create completely unique presentations for each prospect based on his unique needs. Computers also can be connected to overhead projectors for group presentation.

Projectors: Coming to overhead projects yet they are another effective visual medium. The image projected on a wall can be up to 25 times larger than that on a written page, drawing more attention and creating greater impact. Such projectors are noiseless and simple to operate. Overhead transparencies can be made quickly and inexpensively on either a plain paper copier or an infrared transparency maker.

6. Product Demonstrations:

One of the most effective methods of appealing to buyers senses is through product demonstration or performance tests. Customers and prospects have natural desire to prove the products claims for themselves. Obviously, the proof is much more satisfying and convincing to anyone who is a party to it.

7. Written Proposal:

Written proposals, in some industries are an important part of the selling process. Some prospects are simple adaptations of brochures developed by a company marketing demand However, in industries that sell customized products these are involved in a large amount of needs satisfaction selling or require competitive bidding, a written proposals are necessary for the buyer to organise and compare various offerings. Proposals are also useful when the salesmen can not see the decision maker. A salesman selling a product in Goa which has need office in New Delhi and decision comes from Delhi, then these proposals are inevitable.

There are two aspects of written proposals namely writing and presenting. Coming to writing of proposals, proposals do the selling job when the sales person cannot be present. A key issue is keeping the customer’s needs in mind. Always write down what the customer need during the initial meeting. If not, two days later the sales person will have forgotten some detail he or she wanted to cover in the proposal. Proposal has three party namely, Executive summary a description of the current situation in relation to the proposed solution and a budget. Executive summary provides succinctly the total cost minus the total savings. It satisfies the concerns of an executive who is too busy or unwilling to read the entire proposal. In fact, Executive summary also serves to pique the interest of all readers by allowing a quick glance at the benefits of the purchase. Sales people also actually compare the current situation with the proposed one of the same sheet. He highlights the problems and the possible solutions. The third part is on that deals with budget of the proposal.

Coming to presenting the proposal to the prospects, the salesmen use different way: These are used to convince the home office that the local office needs the product, or proposal may be used to compare the product and terms of sale with those of competitors. It is wise secure the support of the local decision-maker when the proposal is going to be sent to the home office. Though the local office is not final decision-maker his role is important. Proposal are used by the buying centres to compare the competitive offerings.

8. Quantifying the Solution:

Sales people can strengthen the presentation by showing the prospect that the cost of the proposal is offset by added value; this process is called as quantifying the solution. There good many methods to achieve this goal, of them most important are payback period, net present value and the opportunity cost. These prove the validation of the proposal.