“Thanks! Great Presentation!”

“Great Presentation!” These could be the two worst words you can hear after your sales presentation! Another horrible response a presenter might hear after a presentation is “Thank you very much. We don’t see a fit at this time.” Without an inspiring action step, most sales-oriented presentations inform without compelling a proactive response from the prospect(s). Almost anyone can deliver an informative presentation. However, when you bring together an informative presentation that is sales-oriented, you have a powerful combination that will more likely achieve the desired result: a trial, a visit, an ORDER!

Two other critical components to a compelling presentation are its visual appeal and flexibility to accommodate the audience’s interests. The graphics, support materials and content flow must be stimulating. It’s boring to use a PowerPoint presentation with black type on a white background in the default font of Arial. If this describes your presentations, maybe you hear the refrain, “Thanks, we’ll get back to you” more than you would like. There’s no question that a visually attractive presentation commands greater attention, but it also needs to be flexible. Use hyperlinks to navigate to content when your prospect shows interest in a point or asks a question. It’s more important to respond your prospect’s thoughts than following the order of your slides. Visual appeal and flexibility will produce a more proactive response from your prospects. That means you may have to brush up on your PowerPoint skills. Some of the best sales-oriented presentations we have seen did not use PowerPoint at all. If you prepare and practice with your prospect in mind, you can command the attention all by yourself! Gasp! Remember, PowerPoint is there to support you, not replace you.

Here are a few keys to a truly great presentation that generates action and business:

So take a time to review your presentations or those used by your team. Ask an objective individual to give you their assessment. Is the presentation focused on your objective, and the customer’s needs? Does it compel you to take action? If not, re-tool your presentation to include the ideas and points mentioned above. Sometimes it takes an external source to help sharpen the presentation skills of your team. At Sales Concepts, we are your ally when it comes to delivering successful sales-oriented presentations, so that instead of “Great Presentation” you will hear “How soon can we get started?”