How important in the sales process is the actual presentation

I often write business on a first call, without the need for a face to face - to prospects that have not had a prior presentation.
The industry I work in is very competitive and I do not use any magic words or phrases. I just listen and ask the right questions. I approach all my prospects from a position of trust and I find that that they in turn reflect that back to me. The services my company offers are exactly the same as hundreds of others, therefore I try to be a little different in the way i sell to my prospects. The clients I bring on board, are happy to stay with me and even recomend me to other clients. The candidates I place in roles also become clientsand continue to use me

A presentation to me is when you inform the prospect about you, your company and the solutions you're offering. It could even include demonstrating capabilities.

This has been one of the better threads I just had to read through - people really kicking the ball around in a respectful and helpful way.

We have a presentation we can do using a booklet or online - it can be altered - BUT what matters most is first knowing why you're evening doing it and what's expected as an outcome. From that everything flows that matters.

The best I ever did at a friend's house was after pizza, wine and salad. My friends who are also distributors thought I should be formal and do this and that and say this and that - they had a very conventional format layed out and it was their best idea. But I didn't see it that way for reasons I won't get into now.

So after dinner after we'd been eating and chatting, etc. having fun - and the presentation was no surprise, they were expecting it - I asked for a big knife, was handed a big kitchen carving knife which I used to cut the lid of a huge pizza box which happened to be cheese and sauce free, and taking a big black magic market I began doing a presentation on the underside of the lid.

When I was finished I drew my famous duck at the bottom and signed it.

Six months later when I began making regular trips to the Milwaukee area to work with these new distributors, I stayed with them and the first thing I saw in their office was the pizzz box lid on top of their roll top desk.

Obviously some presentations are formal - group presentations using power point is something we also do, or one-on-ones with lap tops or booklets - but this is one I'll never forget.

MitchM

Hope you don't mind me asking you a few questions.

Would you present to all your prospects?
Is there a standard presentation that you use, or would you adapt it to the prospect?
How often would you say you had objections or questions after you had done a presentation?
Do you consider a presentation to be something that you deliver on a face to face basis or would you do that over the phone?

Would you present to all your prospects?

-YES if they said they wanted a presentation and were committed to acting on it.

Is there a standard presentation that you use, or would you adapt it to the prospect?

-Both

How often would you say you had objections or questions after you had done a presentation?

-Few objections. mostly questions of clarification during or after.

Do you consider a presentation to be something that you deliver on a face to face basis or would you do that over the phone?

-Either works for our business.

MitchM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zandrea

The industry I work in is very competitive and I do not use any magic words or phrases. I just listen and ask the right questions. I approach all my prospects from a position of trust and I find that that they in turn reflect that back to me. The services my company offers are exactly the same as hundreds of others, therefore I try to be a little different in the way i sell to my prospects. The clients I bring on board, are happy to stay with me and even recomend me to other clients. The candidates I place in roles also become clientsand continue to use me

zandrea, in reading your post, a question came to mind. Is it your opinion that a "presentation" is synonymous with "magic words or phrases" or that a presentation is in some way contrary to establishing trust with a prospect?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calvin

A presentation to me is when you inform the prospect about you, your company and the solutions you're offering. It could even include demonstrating capabilities.

I agree with you, Calvin.

And I would just add that a presentation is (or should be) focused on how our product or service meets the specific needs of the prospect to be most effective.

FWIW, here are my thoughts, zandrea:

Would you present to all your prospects? ALL THOSE WHO NEED A PRESENTATION, WHICH IS MOST PROSPECTS.

Is there a standard presentation that you use, or would you adapt it to the prospect? THE MORE ADAPTED A PRESENTATION IS TO THE PARTICULAR AND SPECIFIC NEEDS OF A PROSPECT, THE BETTER. IT'S THE OLD "WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME" IDEA - PROSPECTS ONLY CARE ABOUT WHAT MATTERS TO THEM. CANNED PRESENTATIONS ONLY SPEAK TO GENERALITIES.

How often would you say you had objections or questions after you had done a presentation? FAIRLY FREQUENTLY.

Do you consider a presentation to be something that you deliver on a face to face basis or would you do that over the phone? A PRESENTATION CAN BE DONE FACE-TO-FACE OR ON THE PHONE DEPENDING UPON THE DYNAMICS OF THE SELLING SITUATION.

[thanks for putting up with my BOLD responses!.

Zandrea,

Thanks for a more complete picture. I'm getting the drift of where you are going with this and what makes you successful. Keep up the excellent work and thanks for sharing.

I'm taking notes!

Chuck

Quote:

Originally Posted by zandrea

Would you present to all your prospects?

Yes. Some presentations don't cover as many topics as others.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zandrea

Is there a standard presentation that you use, or would you adapt it to the prospect?

I have different modules of information or mini-presentations that I adapt specific to what I know about the prospect and his or her scenario.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zandrea

How often would you say you had objections or questions after you had done a presentation?

A lot of the time prospects have common questions or concerns.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zandrea

Do you consider a presentation to be something that you deliver on a face to face basis or would you do that over the phone?

It could be delivered either way depending on the situation.

How important in the sales process is the actual presentation

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