Selling.2.YES Jul '16

Presenting fish, value props, or decks...all the same.

July 2016

Key to sales? 50% prospecting…50% sales call management…50% presentation skills...50% follow-up…50% closing. (“Congratulations, you now own 50% in ‘Springtime for Hitler’”.) Later we can argue about the percentages, but today, I’m gonna lobby that presenting is the key.

Sales managers and reps who can effectively present…anything and everything: decks, concepts, strategy, customer value…have a huge leg up on everyone else. Those who can't successfully present will experience a very hard career. I’m currently immersed in a large project with a client and am teaching advanced presentation skills to guarantee their new deck, message, value prop is sold and framed correctly. Success is contingent on solid presentation skills amongst the sales execs and managers.

I have taught presentation skills for 21 years and take pride in my abilities to simplify techniques, and explain why certain tactics are “musts” when it comes to getting the most out of presenting. To level set, when I refer to “presenting”, I am talking specifically about sitting down with a laptop, opening up a deck, and knowing how to professionally and effectively deliver the presentation to the prospects.

With so much attention in the last decade-plus on consultative selling, I adamantly stand by the need for everyone to have strong foundational skills in “delivering a pitch”. Learning how to probe, discuss and “consult” by utilizing the presentation tool is what comes after that person has complete ownership over the materials and how to present them. Also, many “sales” these days don’t use decks…but I argue the skills needed to present a software demo, or verbally explaining how a service works, are the same: command of material, plus confidence and humanity, plus conversing with the prospect equals success.

Here are my top three observations and challenges on what is necessary for success in presenting.

Observations:

Practice makes perfect. ALL presenters under-estimate how much time needs to be invested in practicing the deck. Good presenters are not born, they’re made. Not saying the Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 Hour rule has to apply, but ya gotta put in the time.
Scripts are over-rated. Scripts reinforce mechanical tendencies and rob the individual presenter of their humanity. The point of practice is to get so strong with the material that the human side of the presenter can come out. Don’t you love it when someone who is so natural pitches you?
Expect push-back (and practice for it). Not every prospect is going to receive your pitch with open arms and acceptance. Be prepared for a conversation that requires defense and debate. Don’t be afraid of the fight: know where your argument/pitch is vulnerable, and be ready to discuss and defend it.

Challenges:

Manager buy-in. Managers are key in ongoing, daily training for sales execs on how to present the deck. Because not all managers buy-in, it’s important to identify the extent of their challenges so can address specific areas in an effort to achieve consistency throughout the organization.
Situational nuances. Learning how to present a deck in a linear manner is a small portion of what's necessary to reach success. Because no two sales calls are the same, you’ll need to practice how to nuance the deck given the different situations that your team will face. E.g. how to give the deck to a junior buyer versus a senior buyer…how to present to two people versus a group of eight. One deck, one tool…numerous ways to present it.
Feedback noise. Feedback from the market has to be organized and managed tightly. Yes, you want data from what the market says, but you must always “consider the source” – not every rep or manager reads the signals from the buyer correctly. Set up a process that organizes and filters the data correctly.

If you are steadfast certain that your pitch is the absolute right message for the market, then you will get results if it is presented in the right way. If you are not getting results the way you think, then the pitch isn’t being presented correctly and you'll need to keep up the good training.

This article offers just a small fraction of what’s important, as we didn’t even cover things like “tactics” that drive good presenting. If you want 21 years of experience and want to dedicate to making your team better, then call me (917-207-5183).

Ten thousand hours….get on it!

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Selling.2.YES

Presenting fish, value props, or decks...all the same.

​July 2016

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Why "Selling.2.YES"?

July 2016