Sales Presentations – 7 ways to become top-seller

If you ask 10 people you know about selling, at least 6 of them will say, “I’m not very good at selling.” That’s because they mainly focus on the wrong aspects when trying to convince someone to buy a product.

There are many different types of sales presentations. It can be a one-on-one conversation, a small group of people or a big presentation to a huge room full of eyes looking at you. It doesn’t matter. In any of these cases, the following 7 things will help you to reach a top-seller position.

1. Have Goals

What do you want your client to do? Of course, ultimately, you want them to buy your product, but what do you expect from them in this meeting?

When preparing a sales presentation, you need to set specific goals for that meeting. Forget the long term for a second. Are you raising awareness? Maybe you’re trying to establish a relationship with them. Are you trying to finalize the purchase immediately?

Think carefully about this and tailor your presentation around that goal.

2. Formality

Many presenters associate formality with professionalism. On the other hand, audiences don’t really like a very formal speaker.

So, if you tend to be too formal, ask yourself why. The usual reason is that you use that formality as a shield. It is a way to keep your distance and not get too involved with the audience. This protects you from the impact of adverse situations. It also prevents you from selling.

I advise you to think about the different situations (one-on-one conversations, standing and talking to many prospects, or sitting in a conference room with a couple of potential clients) as if they were precisely the same.

Many sellers are excellent on one-on-one because it feels more informal and they feel less pressured. They simply have a conversation. The problem begins when the audience grows and they get stuck with slides, facts, and stats.

3. Motivate your client

Most sellers limit themselves to enumerate a list of features of the product. This may seem very interesting, but it doesn’t tell your potential customer, why should they buy your product.

You need to consider something that your potential client will keep in mind – something memorable – and work around that. You can even ask your present customers what they liked in your presentation. What made them want to buy your product? Use it in your favor.

4. Be careful with the slides

Remember an elementary rule – a sales presentation is a conversation. If you want people to buy from you, you need them to trust you first. You don’t trust people who don’t make eye contact.

You may now be thinking these two things aren’t related. Yet, most speakers tend to look at their slides and focus on them instead of the audience. This kills your presentation immediately.

I would recommend you avoid slides unless they are indispensable. In case they are, please use images and photos instead of text.

5. Be interesting!

“Keep it interesting.” is one piece of advice that is a bit too vague but vital nonetheless. Your audience will not listen otherwise; and if they don’t listen… they don’t buy. It is as simple as that.

The best advice to keep your presentation interesting is to stand out. Be aware of what your competitors are doing. Then, listen to your audience, observe their body language, and have alternatives to adapt your speech to them.

In a more general way, avoid data dumping. This is the most common mistake sellers make – drown the audience in numbers, facts and features. This is boring, and it will get you nowhere. Think out of the box.

6. Listen to questions

When someone asks a question, listen carefully. Not only to answer it at the moment but to think about it later. Questions are often about information that is missing in your presentation. A good speaker constantly adapts and improves their speeches. You probably want to integrate your answer to the question in your next presentation.

Listening to your audience’s questions helps you to smooth the edges of your speech. It helps you to realize what is more or less clear and what part people showed more interest in.

It is easier for your audience to ask questions in one-on-one situations. Larger groups are intimidating. So, you probably want to pay attention and apply what you learn from questions in your one-on-one presentations for large groups.

7. Don’t be afraid of large groups

Large groups can be intimidating for a speaker. However, in what sales is concerned, they should be no different than smaller groups or even one-on-one conversations.

If you think that’s impossible, you are doing something wrong. Increasing the formality of the presentation with the number of audience members is a mistake. Forget the powerpoints and data dump on slides. Selling is a conversation. Keep it that way.

It can actually be easier. For example, in one-on-one presentations to a particular company, you’ll need to do the same speech many times until you get to the top of the hierarchy. And if you can’t convince one person along the way, it’s over.

Now, think about a large presentation for everyone. There are no steps to climb. You have everyone there, and you can be listened to by those higher in the chain of command and not be blocked on your way up. And if you can’t convince one or two, it will not be an immediate termination – many people in the room may actually like your product.

It is a conversation

Ultimately, a sales presentation is a conversation. No matter the size of the audience or how much visual material you have to present. Keep it casual.

What kind of conversations would you avoid? Why? Whatever your answer was, just avoid doing that in your sales presentation. Your audience wants interesting, helpful, and memorable information.