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SAVVY
SELLING - MAY
5, 2006
Dreaming
Up the Perfect Sales Pitch
By Michelle Nichols
EXECUTIVE
OVERVIEW
How
well do your sales presentations
compare to this perfect sales
pitch?
Want to beat the
competition and make that sale?
Here's a step-by-step guide
to closing the deal
Have you ever visualized the
perfect sales presentation?
If not, how will you know what
to aim for? This column is the
opposite of my last column (
see "The Easy Way the Lose A
Customer") which described
how easy it is to lose a key
customer. All sales pros know
that successful selling starts
long before you actually meet
with a prospective customer.
But regardless of what motivates
you -- landing the Golden Egg
account or losing a client to
the competition from Heck, my
ideal sales-presentation scenario
could help. Here goes:
LOOK SHARP, LOOK AHEAD.
A few days before the sales
call, you consider your physical
appearance. Do you need a haircut?
A manicure? New glasses, jewelry,
or a briefcase? Decide on the
tone you want to set and plan
how to put yourself together
accordingly, from your hair
to your shoes.
Sure, you know that first impressions
count. You also know that when
you look sharp, you feel more
confident, and that comes across
in the way you walk, talk, and
even think. You invest in at
least one new, top-of-the-line
item to give you an extra push
of confidence.
The day before the call, you
print out the map and review
it so you know exactly how to
get to the customer's office.
Develop some alternate routes
in case you get stuck in traffic
or are delayed by unexpected
construction.
The next morning you're excited.
You get up early enough to read
over the headlines of the day.
If a big story broke the night
before, you want to know. After
a quick, nutritious breakfast,
you're out the door in time
to arrive at least 10 minutes
before your appointment. You've
dropped some magazines in the
car, in case you get there too
early.
PREPARE TO SELL.
You have all the sales literature
you might need neatly stacked
in a logical order. You also
have a clean, current order
form at the bottom of the stack
to remind you to ask for the
order. Your brochures and pricing
sheets are up to date.
The phone numbers of your key
contacts are on hand, so you
can answer almost any question
the customer might have on the
spot. You already have good
relationships with everyone
back at the office and at headquarters.
You know if you need a favor,
someone's got your back.
If you work from a laptop computer,
it is as clean as a whistle,
without sticky keys or a smudgy
screen. Your screen saver is
appropriate, not a photo of
some babe or stud muffin at
the beach. The laptop's battery
is freshly charged, and you
also have a spare.
Your car is also clean, inside
and out. You even have motivational
or training tapes to get you
in the right frame of mind on
the way.
PLAN, CONNECT, CONQUER.
Once you're at the
customer's building, you spend
a few minutes in the parking
lot reviewing the plan you made
for the sales call. You also
review your notes on the names,
titles, and background information
of all the players with whom
you are likely to interact.
You are friendly and professional
to the receptionist, the secretary,
and everyone else you meet.
You treat all gatekeepers with
respect, and you remember that
they are aware they can influence
your success in dealing with
your customer. All day long
you watch your language, avoiding
words that would offend your
beloved grandmother.
Before you launch into your
well-rehearsed sales presentation,
you take a few minutes to build
a personal connection with your
customer. From your research,
you have discovered several
common areas of interest. If
there are several people in
the meeting, you are ready and
able to connect with each person.
BRING THEM ON BOARD.
You don't dawdle with small
talk, but you are keenly aware
the first few minutes are a
critical time. Clients are not
really listening to exactly
what you say. Rather, they're
taking your measure, seeing
how they feel about possibly
doing business with you. They're
wondering if they can trust
you, and if you're going to
fit in with them.
Your presentation is primarily
a structured list of questions
you've carefully designed to
get the customers to sell to
themselves. You've applied the
old adage, "If I say it,
you'll doubt it; if you say
it, it's true," to your
pitch. Your customer is amazed
when they tell you how dire
their problem is, how big their
need for your product is, and
how the last three solutions
they tried simply didn't work.
While your customers are talking,
you are continually qualifying
them. Do they have the three
essential ingredients to be
a "hot prospect" --
a genuine need, the money to
pay for your solution, and a
sense of urgency?
CLOSE THE DEAL. Once
you are convinced they have
all three, you confidently lean
in and close the sale, even
if that "sale" is
a subsequent meeting with upper
management, a demonstration,
or a trial. Since you know a
dozen good closing lines, you
use the one that best fits the
conversation. If the customer
balks, you handle the objection
with a steady, patient manner
and close again.
Eventually, you leave with
an agreement to move forward
-- or perhaps you are holding
a signed purchase order in your
hand. You feel energized and
have a repeat performance with
your next customer.
Do you feel like I followed
you around on your last sales
call? If so, great! If not,
it's time for a tune-up. After
that, I can see the perfect
call in your future. Happy selling!
Michelle Nichols is a
professional sales speaker and
consultant based in Reno, Nevada.
She welcomes your questions
and comments. You can visit
her web site at www.savvyselling.com
or contact her at michelle.nichols@savvyselling.com.
Her toll-free number is (877)
352-9684.
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