You´re the teacher.

The best way to explain your product or service´s features and benefits is to assume the role of a teacher. Explain how things work, what the benefits will be when they do work, how to get additional help if needed, and why this is the best possible solution for the prospect/customer´s need. Put yourself in your customer´s shoes. They do not know as much as you do about your ´stuff´. Show them. Tell them. Be sure they understand by letting them show you and tell you back. This confirms they understand, and also solidifies the sales.

Get Involved

Show and tell. Make your presentation flow like a story. One critical component that many people miss is showing visuals. Didn't someone once say that a picture is worth a thousand words? They were right. If you tell me – I will forget. If you show me – I will remember. BONUS: If you get me involved – I will understand.

I´ve never heard of your company!

Begin your presentation by showing some visuals of your company. Include things such as when you were founded, where your corporate headquarters are located, what you've discovered about the local market you're in and selling to, why you are so proud to be representing your company and it's products and services. If you have some well-known clients, list a few on a page and show your prospect. He will feel more comfortable knowing that you are credible and so is your company. Usually a brief overview of a corporate brochure or website will do.

Be Different

Do something unique and different in your presentation. Be consistent in doing it with your special touch every time. Some things you might do would be to include an article from a local newspaper regarding your company, your client, or the industry. Keep updating these and you'll always have a ‘visual' to show your prospect. This also lets them know that you are sincerely interested in what you do – and what they do.

Targeting sales customers

Targeting your customers is important in all products. It is critical in knowing what needs can be fullfilled and that the customer is actually someone who can use what you have. You can gain information about your target via the Internet, their customers, people who work there or even the local newspaper. When you use targets, it helps you in developing a sound plan for your sales approach.

Customer-Focused Presentation

When making a customer-focused presentation, there are certain factors you need to be aware of. Some include:

SUMMARIZE - Rephrase the customer`s needs
PRIORITIZE - Know where to focus to solve customer`s problems.
BENEFITS - Be sure benefits of your product serves customer`s needs.
APPLICATION - Recommendation must have supporting solution
HOW DOES THAT SOUND? - It all comes down to getting customer approval and buy-in.

Be the Originial

If you can develop different and imaginative techniques to your presentation, you will stand out from your competition.

Sales Terminology

There are many Web sites that will talk about basic sales terms as well as promote beginning books on selling. Although there are a lot of buzz words that apply to different industries, some are important to know. For example: Features, the aspect of a product such as size, speed and other convenient options. Benefits is the gain one can make with a product. An open question refers to gaining more informatin from the question by asking an open question. Where questioning leads to the second stage in a sales call and begins the start of the 7 steps of the sale. Learning sales terminology is not only helpful in sales communication but important to sales success.

Prove Value

Remember, every business wants to make a profit, so show them how your product can improve their bottom line. Every person wants to look better, so explain how your product will do just that. Every manager wants to save time, so explain how your product will help them to be better organized. Every company wants to reach more prospects, so show them how many new prospects they will reach with your service. You get the message :-)

Spruce it up

With technology advances, we now have a presentation tool that's so easy to use: PowerPoint presentations. Some of the dullest presentations I've seen in a long time have been PowerPoint presentations. While they are easy to use, most people will simply add bullets and written tid-bits of information. For a PowerPoint to really be effective, add some color, graphics, sound, and motion if showing on screen. My PowerPoints tend to always be a bit different than the norm, as I prefer portrait style layout rather than landscape (which is used the majority of time). Portrait style allows me to print a page and insert it into a binder to use as a visual in a book-like fashion rather than flip-chart style. By doing this you can customize your binder with additional print products (testimonial letters, brochure pages, etc.)

Creative Genius

“The principal mark of genius is not perfection but originality… the opening of new frontiers.”
- Arthur Koestler

Your obligation

Careful preparation is the professional sales rep's obligation – to oneself, and to the prospect. You have no right to take a customer's time and attention unless you can provide something that is worthwhile to them. You need preparation in order to be able to share the value of your meeting with a customer.

Show and Tell

Preparation tools vary. You will need visuals to show your prospect the ´vision´ of what you can do for him. Use visuals that include information & pictures when possible of your company, your products, market information, studies, charts, graphs, etc. Remember, a picture says a thousand words.

Written Proposals

Written proposals are good because they give the prospect specific facts, figures, etc. When giving a written proposal to your prospect, be sure to review it verbally with them to assure they understand each element.

You are the expert

In our presentation, we begin to provide solutions/benefits to our products and services. The customer begins to believe in our status as the expert. Always remember: YOU ARE the expert of your materials because you know what they say, this is the first time your customer has seen what you are showing him. You will lay the logical foundation for recommending your solution according to what you present the customer at this stage.

The Corporate Troops

When you can take a senior executive from your company with you on a sales call it gives the customer a greater sense of credibility if he´s never heard of you. HOWEVER...don´t ever over-whelm a prospect by taking the whole corporate troops. It isn´t polite to take more than one person with you to a meeting without first asking permission from your client. Never take anyone who doesn´t have a specific need and purpose to be there.

PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint presentations can add visual effects to a presentation; however, don´t let the visual effects tell the whole story. Be sure to connect with your audience personally, verbally, in your own words. PowerPoints are best for large groups or to illustrate technology. Keep them interesting. Don´t just put some bullets and words on the screen. Add meaning to what they see.