Take Advantage of Discovering

Your presentation can be only as powerful as the information you gathered earlier in the sales process. The more detailed the information you have discovered about your customer, the more effective your presentation will be. In fact, thorough discovery not only helps you learn more about your customer but also, when done well, gives you the confidence you need to make an excellent presentation.

Asking the right questions and actively listening to the answers in the discovering phase of the selling cycle helps you guide your customer through his decision-making process, think deeply about the issues that are important to him, discuss his needs and priorities, and articulate what matters (and what doesn't). When you've helped your customer think carefully about his needs and priorities, you are better positioned to offer insights and ideas and to deliver a tailored, customized presentation that meets your customer's needs because you know that what you have to say will resonate with him.

There is power in simplicity when it comes to presenting. Top-performing sales professionals understand the importance of linking the features and benefits of their products or services to the specific needs and priorities of their customers. Presenting isn't about discussing every single piece of data, every specification, every feature, and every benefit. It's not about delivering a twenty-minute monologue accompanied by eighty PowerPoint slides. It's about sharing a targeted presentation that identifies solutions in a way that is tailored to meet the customer's needs. Doing so allows the customer to buy in to the value of your product or solution, the value of your organization, and the value of working with you rather than with your competition.

This is especially true for products that are technical in nature. For example, TriZetto, a division of Cognizant, provides world-class information technology solutions to make better health care happen. Their list of features is huge and complex, full of technical specifications. Their sales team fully understands their products, and it can be easy for them to get carried away touting all the features and benefits of their software solution. But they also know that if the customer doesn't care about it, it doesn't matter.

Translation: keep it targeted. The best sales presentation isn't one that goes on and on about numerous features. It's about sharing with your customer the information that is most important to him. Top-performing sales reps know how to customize the presentation and the level of detail in it to match the customer, his communication style, the time allotted, and, of course, the customer's needs and priorities. This means you have to think about each presentation you give to each customer. You have to plan your approach.

Plan the Approach

There are no shortcuts here. All too often, salespeople are looking for tricks, silver bullets, or new techniques, seeking some surefire way to shorten the sales cycle, to win the customer's business, and to move on to the next client. But the truth is that there are no shortcuts or tricks when it comes to being a top-performing sales rep.

There are no shortcuts when it comes to delivering effective sales presentations that are on the mark. Each customer should get a different presentation, because each customer's needs are unique. This customer is different from all your other customers—her organization is different, and her needs and priorities are different. Who you're talking to matters, as do her needs, priorities, and objectives. Don't drop the ball at this stage by trying to take a shortcut and giving her the same presentation you give every customer. Instead, plan a unique presentation for each unique customer.

Imagine what might happen if you choose not to plan for each sales presentation. What might be the risks or costs of failing to plan? Top performers understand that those risks are numerous:

• You might forget to mention important pieces of information.
• You might lose sight of the customer's highest-priority needs.
• You might drone on too much about information the customer doesn't care about.
• You might oversell your solution and create new issues and concerns in the customer's mind.
• You might not be able to clearly differentiate your solution from the competition or from alternatives your customer is considering.
• You might not be prepared to handle tough questions or objections from the customer.

The ways in which you could foul up a presentation are countless. We say that not to frighten or discourage you but to emphasize the importance of planning for each presentation.

When you think about how you want to tackle a presentation, think back to what you learned during the discovering phase. This is a critical step when it comes to making effective presentations. Take a look at what you found to be among the customer's six critical areas of focus. Highlight the words that she used again and again. Make a list of her needs and then prioritize them, ranking them from most important to least important. Consider, too, your customer's style: Is she friendly and personable? Business-oriented? A visionary? Cautious and skeptical?

Think about how you should fine-tune your approach in order to accommodate her style. Take the time to think through how your solution meets her needs and to consider the level of detail that will be required to deliver. It's also important to consider your competition and the alternatives she is considering. How does your solution line up? How will you differentiate? What key areas should you focus on? You also will need to consider who, from the customer's organization, will be attending your presentation. What are their individual needs? What do they care about most or want to avoid? Finally, you should think through the tough questions or objections you might face and what your responses might be.

Top-performing sales reps take all these factors into consideration, capitalizing on everything they've learned during the sales process, from the initial call through the discovering phase. You can see here how Critical Selling really is a framework: each phase builds on the last. The information, knowledge, and insight you have gleaned during each stage all come together now so you can make the most effective presentation possible, one that is uniquely tailored to your customer's needs and wins the sale.

There's no need to rush through this—it might take ten minutes; it might take a half hour. The amount of time will be determined by the complexity of the solution being offered. The critical point here is that you are synthesizing the information you've gathered so far so that you can really think about the best approach to give your customer what she needs. Everything you do while planning the approach will help you tailor a solution specifically for your customer.

Tailor the Solution

Now that you have taken the time to prepare and think through the key components about the customer and your offerings, the next step is to take that information and use it to craft an actual presentation. This is easier said than done, and in our experience, sales professionals need a framework to follow when putting their presenta-tions together.

Unfortunately, we come across way too many organizations, and sales reps, that all too often fail to effectively present their solutions in ways that resonate with their customers. For example, we recently worked with a global consumer packaged-goods company, with more than 2,000 sales professionals, that was focused on contractual sales. This outmoded mentality prevented them from engaging in needs-focused dialogues with their customers. As a result, they faced challenges in gathering through discovering the kind of information that would lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. In addition, the company's sales reps were eager to jump straight to closing without presenting to their customers the details about how their products and services could meet their customers' needs. In essence, the company had to find a way to show their customers that not only were their sales reps focused on the needs of their customers but also the solutions they could provide would support the short- and long-term business objectives of their customers. They had to learn how to tailor each and every solution they proposed to each individual customer and the unique needs of those customers.

Top-performing sales professionals understand that it is critical to tailor every sales pitch to each customer's specific needs and wants. They also know how important it is to demonstrate some versatility in the process, modifying their approach for each customer. And they understand how tailoring the solution—and the presentation—helps them not only to win trust and drive the deal to completion but also to establish long-lasting professional relationships that result in more business.

We have identified a framework comprised of three critical steps to delivering a winning presentation:

1. Transition
2. Recommend
3. Connect

Following these three steps in this order helps sales reps deliver the most effective presentations. Let's look at the steps in order.

Ask for Feedback

After you've presented a tailored solution to your customer based on his needs, priorities, and objectives, don't think you can close your presentation with a clap of your hands and a quick “Let's get this contract signed!”

No, top-performing sales reps know that the end of their presentation isn't the end of the discussion. They understand that the next step after presenting a tailored solution is to ask for feedback. It's important to keep the lines of dialogue open so that you can make sure your customer understood what you just said, so that he can ask any questions, and so that you can ensure that he is satisfied with the solution you offered. With that, it's important to ask for feedback.

Oddly enough, this is one of those steps that too many salespeople either ignore or miss entirely. To some sales professionals, it's just not natural or obvious to ask for feedback. Too many sales reps don't understand the value of asking for feedback, and so they believe that after presenting, they should immediately move on. But that kind of thinking is flawed.

The more frequently you ask your customer to move forward when he isn't ready, the more likely you are to lose his trust. Pushing your customer toward closing is a surefire way to convince him that all you care about is the sale—when what you should be doing is getting feedback on your recommendation to ensure he sees it the same way you do. By doing so, you show the customer you care about his opinion, and this continues to move you closer to becoming a trusted advisor.

Asking for feedback is a critical step. A simple “How does that sound?” tells your customer that you're still in a two-way conversation. It tells your customer that you still want to hear what he has to say, and that his opinion matters.

In fact, your customer should always feel that the two of you are having a conversation, even during the presenting phase. Your presentation should feel as though, together, you're having an active discussion focused on his needs, priorities, and objectives. A compelling, effective presentation should be a two-way street, not a soliloquy about you, your organization, and your product or service. Don't get caught up in a long-winded monologue that bores your customer to tears.

Asking for feedback is a critical component of that conversation. If you don't ask for feedback, you run the risk of assuming that he agrees that your solution meets his needs. When you do ask for feedback, you open the door for your customer to provide you with an indication of what he's thinking:

• A positive reaction (e.g., nodding head, smile, overt verbal agreement) could signal that it is, in fact, the right time to move to closing.
• A neutral reaction (e.g., blank stare, silence) might mean that you need to further explore what the customer is thinking, how he feels about the solution you have proposed, and whether this might be a time to strengthen your solution by asking more questions.
• A negative reaction (e.g., head shaking, closed body language, overt verbal disagreement) should initiate additional questioning and should serve as an opportunity to work through any objections.

Top performers are never afraid to ask for feedback. They see this critical step as an opportunity to gain further insight into their customer—and to prove to the customer that they are more than just order takers looking to close a deal. Asking sincere, open-ended questions designed to solicit the customer's opinion about the proposed solution provides the customer with yet another chance to voice any concerns he might have.

Asking for feedback can be done with a simple question such as, “Based on what I've told you about this solution, how does it sound to you?” or “Now that you've heard about how this solution addresses your key issues, how well do you think it will meet your needs?” or “After hearing all of this, does this sound like the right solution for you?”

Ask questions and listen to the answers. Give your customer the opportunity to talk. Encourage honest feedback. Allow him to speak openly. Don't pressure him to agree with you; rather, ask open-ended questions simply to gather more information. And remember that even negative feedback is an opportunity—it's another chance for your customer to view you as a trusted advisor, another chance to keep learning about your customer, and another chance to further explain how your solution fits his needs.

Strengthen the Solution

When delivering your presentation to your customer, her needs and your solutions must be at the core of your presentation. However, there are a few tactics you can leverage in order to strengthen the impact of your delivery and take your presentation to the next level. These include utilizing social proof, addressing alternative options, and acknowledging consequences.

Link Your Solution

When it comes to making effective presentations, remember that linking is powerful. During a presentation, your objective should never be to ply your customer with as much information as possible, burying him in social proof and inundating him with endless lists of features and benefits. The information you present should be selected carefully and, most important, specifically linked to your customer's needs.

Linking is key. Identify your customer's needs, priorities, and objectives and focus your presentation on highlighting those critical issues—and only those critical issues. There is no need to include in your presentation every feature and benefit about your product or service, particularly those that aren't relevant to the customer. In fact, offering too many benefits can actually backfire, prompting the customer to wonder whether he's paying too much for a product or service that includes a bunch of features he doesn't need and doesn't care about. Overkill creates doubt, which does no good in helping your customer view you as a trusted advisor or in closing the deal.

Keep your presentation focused, targeted, and tailored. Your objective is to have a lively, engaging conversation with your customer that revolves around what he wants to accomplish. A compelling presentation is a two-way street that shares with the customer a detailed, customized solution that fits his needs.

Remember, too, that every moment and every comment count. Don't get carried away and engage in a long-winded presentation that bores your customer and does little to spark his interest in moving forward with you. Hit the nail on the head with a tailored approach and prove your worth to your prospect.

The most powerful presentation is focused on the customer, linked to his most pressing concerns, and uniquely tailored to his needs. It's the one that leaves the customer walking away thinking, “This is the perfect solution for our needs.” An effective presentation should provide natural, positive momentum that gently guides the customer toward the buying decision. When done well, presenting serves as an effective bridge between discovering and closing. We'll discuss closing next, in Chapter 7.

Critical Selling: Lessons Learned

• Top-performing sales professionals never deliver canned presentations. Instead, they understand that an effective presentation is one that takes advantage of what discovering revealed, is one in which the approach is planned, and is one in which the solution is carefully tailored to meet the customer's needs.
• Top performers understand that winging a presentation offers far more risks than delivering a carefully planned, unique presentation to each customer. The risks of not planning vastly outweigh any costs associated with planning (e.g., time, energy, resources) and could lead to misunderstandings and unintended consequences.
• Delivering a presentation with a carefully tailored solution requires sales reps to follow a framework that focuses on three critical steps: transition, recommend, connect.
• Asking for feedback is a critical facet of every presentation. It's important to remember to include the customer in the presentation by asking him at various points during the conversation what he thinks about the solution you have offered him. Allowing your customer the chance to be heard during the presentation goes a long way in building trust.
• Utilizing social proof, addressing alternative options, and acknowledging consequences are effective ways to strengthen the solution you have suggested to your customer. Doing so helps instill in him greater confidence in the purchase decision—and in you as a trusted advisor.
• Top performers understand how important it is to link their solution to the specific needs of the customer. Presentations that respect the customer's time, provide focused information targeted to the customer's needs and priorities, and allow the customer the opportunity to provide feedback should leave the customer thinking, “This is just what I need!”