They won’t tell me anything … By Steve
Waterhouse
I spent two days with a great new client this week.
These were bright people who knew their product cold but
wanted to increase their closing ratio. As a result,
they asked me to help them with their sales
presentations. Smart move! The presentation is where the
rubber meets the road in sales and a small improvement
can yield significant results.
One of the steps I am passionate about is probing the
prospect to find out what they want to hear in the
presentation. After all, it’s not important what we want
to say if it is not what the prospect wants to hear.
Studies have shown that the effectiveness of training
increases by as much as 35% when you ask the trainee
what they want to learn. I believe the same thing is
true in sales presentations. Involve the prospect and
the learning will increase.
As I was going through the steps, one guy raised his
hand and said, “Steve, I’ve tried that and they won’t
tell me. As I start my program, I ask them if there is
anything special that they want me to cover. Most of the
time, they say, ‘No’ and ask me to continue.”
Sure they do. They are in listening mode and ready to
listen.
So when are they not in listening mode? How about when
you planned the sales call? When you set up the meeting,
what would have happened if you asked, “Mrs. Howard, I
want to be sure this presentation makes the best use of
your time. Please tell me what issues are critical to
you so I can be prepared to answer them.”
What would they say?
Can you imagine a prospect saying, “I’m sorry Jill, but
I really just want to hear your standard presentation.
Don’t do anything special for me.” Or, “Bob, I’m really
excited about sitting through your standard Power Point
presentation. Bring it on!”
Won’t happen!
Timing is everything and you may need to ask more than
once to get the answers you need. Ask early and ask
often. When the prospect feels the presentation will be
customized and relevant to their needs, they will pay
attention. In fact, they may even invite more people to
attend.
Note: If you would like a copy of our article, “How to
Leave a Voice Mail Message that Gets Results, email
article19@waterhousegroup.com .
Selling is about preparation and that is especially true
in presentations. Make the call. Ask the questions. Give
your best presentation ever and close that big deal.
Steve
Steve Waterhouse is Principal and Founder of Waterhouse
Group (www.waterhousegroup.com), a sales consulting and
training company that helps companies dramatically
increase their sales. He can be reached at
1-800-57-LEARN or
info@waterhousegroup.com.
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