How an obvious strong presentation made 1 million dollar for an average salesman

Communication tools such as visual aids, portfolios, samples, models, testimonials, and demonstration are an important ingredient in many sales calls. Use of such tools has its own importance in making a presentation strong and successful. A strong presentation has the ability to do the following:

Importance of Strong Presentation

1. It keeps the Buyer’s Attention Unlifted:

Naturally a person selling wants keep the prospects attention. If he does noting but talks about his solution the buyers will easily get bored and stop paying attention. I want to ask you – question which is very pertinent here. How many times has your mind wandered during classroom lectures which the lecturer earnestly discussed some topic? What happened? The lecturer lost your attention. In contrast, your attention probably stays high, in a class in which the lecture used visuals effectively, brings in guest speakers and finds ways to get you actively involved in the discussion.

What is true of a lecturer is equally true of a salesman. Unless the salesman can get the buyer actively involved in the communication process and doing more than just passively hearing the sales talk, the buyer’s attention turns to other topics. One way, a salesman can help in keeping the buyer’s attention is through the use of humour. The wonderful effects of laughter will put every one more at ease including the sales person. However, one should be aware of off the wall-humour as it can back fire.

2. Improving the Buyer’s Understanding:

Many buyers or prospects have a difficulty of forming clear images from the written or spoken words. Sales people need to use all the available communication tools to help such people understand the solution to their problem or the opportunity being presented. In this connection a Chinese proverb holds good. “Tell me, I will forget. Show me – I may remember But involve me, and I will understand.” Many product benefits can not be explained adequately in non-technical language. In such cases, only buyers with technical background may understand a verbal explanation. However, a simple demonstration may show other buyers exactly what benefits they can expect. To help the prospects to understand better five basic channels may be used, the senses of hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell. Appeals should be made to as man) of these senses as possible. This is called as ‘Multiple – sense appealing’. This increases his understanding dramatically as the graph illustrates.

3. Helping the Buyer to Remember what was said:

A salesman may be such an effective orator that the buyer’s attention is retained and the buyer fully understands what the seller is saying. This is not enough. A really successful call must achieve one more element. That is, the buyer must remember what was said. On an average, people recall and forget immediately 50 percent of what they held; after 48 hours, they forget 75 percent of the message. Getting an order requires a number of visits and in many situations the prospect must rely to other people’s information learnt in a sales call. In these circumstances, it becomes even more critical that the seller as to what his buyer is expected to remember of what he said. Even selling situations involving one call or one decision maker will be more profitable if the buyer remembers as to what was said. Naturally, vividly communicated features create such a strong impression that the buyer remembers the claims and is more likely to tell others about the same. Lasting impressions can be created in good many ways.

A sales person swallows some of the industrial cleanser to show that it is more non-toxic than another is. Kicks the protective glass in the control panel of a piece of machinery to show that it is virtually unbreakable under even the roughest conditions, still another invites prospects to make an error while using the word processor and then shows how the program spots the error and corrects them automatically. A sales person may demonstrate a weight. Censored alarm-system by using the pressure of a feature to activate it. Whatever the method used the prospect is more likely to remember a sales feature if it is presented skillfully in a well timed demonstration.

4. Offering Proof of Sales-persons Assertions:

Most prospects just will not believe everything a sales person tells them. Therefore, there is need for solid proof of what he says by making them to face it. For instance, it is easy for a sales person to claim that liquid is non-toxic, but the claim is much more convincing if the sales person drinks some in front of prospect. If he says a rotten egg floats on water while fresh one sinks to the bottom, he should make the prospect to face it and believe it. If it is a sale of real coral piece, he cannot say it is of good quality by comparing two pieces. Instead, a good quality coral does not decolour the water while injure does it. This should be demonstrated clearly.

5. Creating a Sense of Value:

The way in which a product is handled suggests the value. Careful handling gives an impression of value even if no words are spoken. Careless handling implies that product has a little value. A rare painting, an expensive piece of jewellery or a delicate piece of china-bone will be thought as more valuable if the sales person uses appropriate props words, and care in handling. The use of communication tools also can make a statement about the importance of the buyer. The buyer’s body language should reflect that sales person is taking so much trouble because the prospect himself is important. He agrees he is worth the attention.

A salesman, who could deliver strong presentations, has very fair chances for earning millions of dollars in his life.