Last week, I spoke for the Philadelphia Business Journal. They were doing a Sales Boot Camp. My topic was “Killer Sales Presentations.” Before discussing the 10 reasons that sales presentations fail … and how to avoid them, I first gave a series of sales presentation principles for people to keep in mind.
Here are the first 6 (of 12) … in no particular order:
·People like to buy, but they don’t want to be sold.
·People do business with those they like and trust.
·People do things for their own reasons, not yours.
·People make decisions with their hearts, and justify them with their heads.
(If you don’t believe me, think about the person you married or the house you bought. Logical or emotional?)
·The only way to change peoples’ minds is to help keep them open.
(In other words, don’t hit them with ideas that are hard for them to accept.
·Features tell; benefits sell. Spend your time explaining how the feature helps to solve the customer’s problem.
How are you doing with all of these? Next time, I’ll give you the rest of the principles, and discuss the 10 reasons that sales presentations fail. Keep in mind – we are always selling … if not products or services, our ideas and credibility.
