When Everything Depends on a Presentation
For companies that sell products or services at the institutional or government level, sometimes everything depends on a presentation.
What would you do if you know that in just 2 weeks you have to prepare a slideset to go and argue in favor of your product or service even knowing that the people who are going to listen to you have probably already made judgments about your offer before you had the opportunity to defend it?
Before Speaking: Ask and Listen
In institutional sales, as in any type of consultative sales, the key is to listen 9 minutes for every minute you speak. This includes the phase prior to your presentation, during, and also after. You have to become that person whom others trust to give you information beyond the obvious. And this goes hand in hand with the ability to ask the right questions to the right person at the right moment.
In his book Exceptional Selling, Jeff Thull gives us a very specific roadmap full of pointed observations with detailed cases on the research phase for complex sales, almost all applicable to consultative sales which is institutional sales.
According to Thull, asking the right questions allows you to:
Deep Understanding of the Client: Before any presentation, it is crucial to thoroughly understand the client's needs, problems, and objectives. Asking strategic questions allows you to discover information that the client might not share voluntarily or that they themselves may not have fully considered. This knowledge is essential to offer a relevant solution.
Build Trust: Well-formulated questions not only allow you to obtain valuable information, but also help establish a relationship of trust with the client. When the client feels that you are truly interested in understanding their situation, they are more likely to open up and trust you as an advisor rather than a simple salesperson.
Avoid Assumptions: Thull emphasizes that assuming you already know what the client needs is a common mistake that can lead to lost sales. Prior research and detailed questions allow you to challenge your own assumptions and better align yourself with the client's reality.
Personalize the Solution: Through effective questions and exhaustive research, you can adapt your business proposal to fit specifically to the client's challenges and objectives. This increases
Differentiate Yourself from the Competition: In competitive markets, the way you research and ask questions can differentiate you from other salespeople. By demonstrating a superior understanding of the client and their needs, you position yourself as the preferred option.
Reduce Risks: Asking and deeply understanding the client's context allows you to identify and mitigate potential risks or concerns that could arise during negotiation or implementation of the solution. This facilitates decision-making by the client and reduces barriers to the sale.
Presentation Preparation
Content
Preparing the content of a presentation is not a simple matter. It is essential to create a structure and strategically define what you are going to say, when and why you are going to say it.
Creating a structure will allow you to be much more confident, which will help you not only deliver the message, but also the delivery of it. Your non-verbal language reacts to the confidence you have, and nothing inspires more confidence than being in control of what you are going to say, how, and how much you are going to say it.
Psychological
Being in control of your subject will give you 5 out of 10 points of psychological security, but the other 5 you have to earn individually. Make sure you are at peace, calm, and confident before and during the presentation. Learn to manage anxiety and have the faith and confidence that everything will turn out as it should.
Physical
An Olympic athlete prepares for 4 years to compete in the Olympic Games and yet, that movement that was practiced and practiced can fail.
The same happens in your presentation. You have to be ready to be in the best physical condition possible before standing in front of the decision-maker.
This includes staying hydrated, eating healthy and without excess, getting the necessary rest (and no more than necessary) and being relaxed to
Preparation of Questions and Objections
One of the most frequent mistakes made by KAMs, KIMs, Representatives, Agents, and Salespeople in general (Including CEOs, Entrepreneurs, and Small Business Owners) is thinking that you know so well what you are going to present that there is no need to plan for objections.
A Salesforce report found that one of the biggest challenges for salespeople is the inability to respond to objections effectively. Furthermore, data from other studies indicate that lack of preparation and inability to handle objections during the sales process are key factors contributing to the loss of opportunities.
Role Play
In his book TED Talks, Chris Anderson, curator of TED, suggests that for every minute your presentation lasts you dedicate 10 hours to its preparation. That means a 10-minute pitch requires at least 10 hours of practice.
It is said that the most important part of a presentation happens before you give the presentation. Anyone who has delivered the same topic over and over again knows that the hundredth time you give a presentation is at least 100 times better than the first.
In other words, the first few times you give a presentation are the worst. What do you prefer? That your audience sees the worst or the best version of your presentation?
That's why it's key to dedicate time to role-play with your communication coach or with your work team. Regardless, make sure to practice over and over again before presentation day.
Do You Need Help?
At Leaderlix we are experts in helping you deliver the message to the right person in the most direct way possible. We work with Representatives, Agents, Salespeople, KIMs, KAMs, and Sales Managers to prepare for those crucial conversations on which everything depends, as well as to be aligned with the entire phase prior to the presentation.
You can schedule an exploratory call so we can help you understand your scientific information challenges and design a solution tailored to you.