Top 5 Ways to Engage with Your Sales Presenatation

Most Sales Presentations serve merely to convey data not to persuade.  The objective of every sales proposal should be to persuade.  Contrary to popular opinion, the most important part of a persuasive  presenation is not the close . . . it's the start.

Unfortunately, too little thought is given to a strong start.  However, if you can't grab the prospect's attention at the beginningof your pitch, you won't have their interest when it's time to ask for them to take the next step.

 

Come out of the blocks with a strong start . . . prepare your Opening Gambit.  Webster defines a gambit: "a remark intended to start a conversation or make a telling point; a calculated move". Your objective is to reach out grab the listeners by the collar and pull them in . . . figuratively, with your first words.  There are several types of opening gambits that give you the power to engage them:

1. Question: "How do you currently begin your sales presentation"?
2. Anecdotal: "80% of juries decide their verdict immediately after the opening remarks of each attorney . . . before any evidence can be introduced."
3. Statistic: "In the last 3 years, 33% of the businesses that do what YOU do, are no longer in existence"!
4. Quotation: "According to HIRI, Home Improvement Research Institute, 60% of homeowners receive only one contractor proposal".
5. Adage: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.  However, the job of the salesperson is not to make them drink . . . it's to make them thirsty".

In fact, not only your presentation, but also the first time you meet with a potential customer, requires proper preparation for a persuasive start.  When you first meet a prospect, their "apprehension" is high and your "credibility" is low.  Your objective is to increase your credibility in order to reduce their apprehension.  Read The 3 Pillars of Persuasion to learn how.