6 Amazing Sales Presentations Strategies That Can Help You Close More Deals

Introduction

You’re doing a ton of sales presentations but think you should be closing more. ..

Prospects tell you they’re interested but then don’t move forward…

You think you’re crushing the presentation, but you feel like you’re “losing them” somewhere…

I could go on and on and if you’ve been in sales for any length of time, you could probably add a dozen yourself!  Well, we all know that sales presentations are important and key to the sales process, but just because organizations invest large amounts of time and resources into the sales presentation you’re using, doesn’t automatically mean you will close more deals. So how DO you close more of the presentations you’re spending your valuable time on? How do you know what to include in a sales presentation? I’ve been in sales and marketing for over 30 years and have done (and listened to!) thousands of presentations. I can tell you with absolute certainty that the CONTENT of the presentation isn’t nearly as important as the DELIVERY of the presentation! Interestingly, however, the mistakes that I’ve seen made are fairly simple to correct, and when they are, close rates (and income!) go through the roof. Since everyone loves a good acronym, I’ve coined what I call the “SPIDER Presentation Method™” to tell you exactly what to include in a sales presentation and/or in your delivery. Easy to implement sales presentation strategies with a giant payoff!

Winning Sales Presentation Strategies- SPIDER™

S – Short

I recently hired a marketing company to help promote a new product we are launching. Naturally, the process involved getting proposals from the companies I was considering, and then sitting through presentations from the 5 that I had narrowed them down to. I was absolutely blown away with the LENGTH of these sales presentations! One of them lasted 90 minutes! Without coming up for air or even taking breaks to ask if I had any questions! I remember thinking “I could’ve done that presentation in 15 minutes and closed it for sure!” And these people do marketing for a living! I trained a sales rep once and it was time for him to go on his first solo call. It was in the prospect’s home and I told him to call me when he was done to let me know how it went. One hour went by… no call. Two hours… After three hours I just assumed he forgot to call me when he finished so I texted him. Me: “How did it go?” Him: “I’m still here” Me: “GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!” I get it, he was so enamored with our products and our company that he felt they would want to know EVERYTHING about it all… just like the marketing companies I interviewed. The truth is, they don’t. Less is more. You’re far better off letting them ask questions about things you DIDN’T cover than to try to cover it all.

P – Personalize

There’s probably nothing else that’s easier for you to do, that will have such a positive impact on your close rate than saying your prospect’s name in your sales presentation! If possible, also put it into your physical presentation so they see it visually too. Hearing or seeing your name causes a chemical reaction inside your brain, releasing the feel-good hormones, dopamine and serotonin. This gives you feelings of happiness and sends unconscious signals like empathy, trust, and compassion to the unconscious brain. Remember that 90-minute presentation I told you I had to sit through earlier? They didn’t say my name even once! When at all possible, you should also try to personalize the presentation with the content that the prospect is most interested in learning about. This may require a little research beforehand, but it will also help with “S”, keeping the presentation short. Why waste your time, and theirs, talking about your weight loss product when they’re in fact looking to put on pounds? Or talking about the HR feature of your software solution when a simple review of their website would show you that they’re extremely proud of their HR department? Say their name, show their name, cover what THEY want to learn about!

I – Interactions

ASK QUESTIONS! We call it a “presentation” but a winning sales presentation should be more of a conversation. Constantly get feedback at every turn in your presentation and ask questions such as: “Does that make sense?” or “Do you see what I’m talking about here?”. I’ve had incredible success just flat out ASKING the prospect what THEY’D like to see next! “These are some of the amazing things we can do for our clients, and I think they’re all great, but which do YOU want to cover first, Sue?” (See how I also snuck the “P” in there! Endorphins are flying!) By constantly getting feedback from your prospect, you’re pulling them into the conversation and making them feel like they’ve had a role in creating the solution.

D – Data

If I asked you right now how many presentations you did last week, month, year… would you know? Of those presentations, how many closed? Why didn’t the others close? What percentage didn’t close because they went with a competitor? What percentage didn’t close because of price? How long did the successful presentations last? Data is key in any business, but for some reason sales reps seem to think they shouldn’t bother with it. They’re oftentimes just onto the next one, without paying attention to the data. In a previous financial sales management position I held, we ran a sales seminar model. The data showed me that for every 6 confirmations to attend the seminar, 2 would show up and at least 1 would become a client. I also knew that the average commission for each client was $1,000. Therefore, I knew that 6 attendee confirmations would generate $1,000, 12 = $2,000, 18 = $3,000, etc…

With that data, all the guesswork and uncertainty that typically comes with sales was gone! I had a very simple focus- get more people to say they’d come to the seminar! I don’t know what it is in your business, but I do know that the data makes things more predictable, less stressful, and tells you exactly where to focus!

E – Edit

Numbers are based in Math, Math is based in Science, and Science is based in Fact! Once you have the data, you can make the necessary edits to your presentation… based on facts! Too many sales reps make changes to their presentation based on their “gut” or what they “think” needs changed. The problem with that is that our egos often play a part in those decisions. They’re subjective when they should be objective and based in FACT, not feeling. Track your numbers and then make the necessary changes accordingly… forever! Every presentation should be a living, breathing being that is constantly improving.

R – Repeat, Repeat, Repeat!

And then repeat some more! Once you’ve incorporated the SPIDER Presentation Method™ and refined your presentation to the point that the data shows that it’s working, then you do it again and again. It becomes a money machine! I’m so tired of hearing things like “sales is a numbers game” or “you just have to throw more numbers at it”. Those are true, but NOT when you’re missing the things we’ve just talked about! Throwing more numbers at a crappy presentation that’s closing 2% of the time is a sure-fire path to emotional, mental, and physical burnout. Put the work into incorporating the SPIDER Presentation Method™ into your presentations and THEN roll it out on a massive scale!

A Powerful Sales Presentation Example

Still need help, or want to turbo-charge your presenting while recapturing your time? All of the SPIDER Presentation Method™ strategies can be found in an automated presentation technology called iDecide™. iDecide™ is a “choose-your-own-adventure” presentation software that is customizable, personalized, and a fully AI driven, interactive presentation tool that enables your prospective client to choose what’s relevant to him or her.

• The platform lets users answer questions and enter information into calculators to see their financial numbers based on implementing the product/service you’re selling.
• You can avoid talking yourself out of a sale with links that go directly to an order page, and no pressure closing lets the viewer choose when they want to buy.
• iDecide allows for prompt and efficient follow up with a text or email sent to you right after prospects have viewed your presentation.
• Appointment setting is also available IN the presentation.
• Increase engagement, improve your credibility, and toss aside the boring powerpoint or video.

Let iDecide help you create your next sales presentation so you can close your next deal, and the one after that, and the one after that…

Learn more about iDecide at: www.iDecide.com