Personalizing Presentations
In many sales positions, you will have a standard presentation for most buyers, customized to specific variations. The presentation may be written and sharpened by others well before you are hired. Some employers may require that you learn their sales presentation script by rote. You must know it inside out.
However, most people don't knowingly buy from canned presentations. Instead, they want to know that the solution offered is customized to their needs. That's the task of a Golden Rule Seller: personalize the sales presentation to the needs of the buyer. To do so, you must know your buyer, what you're selling, how best to present it, and be adaptable.
The product or service you sell probably has been standardized to meet the needs of a large market. That market has been identified by homogenous needs and traits. However, the individual products or services are purchased by individual people. Part of your job is to help buyers understand that what they are purchasing will fit their individual needs. To do that, you must know your buyer.
Sell as you want to be sold. As a buyer, you want sellers to fully understand your needs and offer a solution of appropriate value. You understand that the product or service offered isn't totally unique and custom-made for you. But you do want to ensure that it will fit your requirements and solve your problem. To do that, the Golden Rule Seller should ask you questions about your needs and application, your budget, and other pertinent factors. You also want your salesperson to understand that you aren't a consumer, you are an individual, and want to be treated as such.
As a Golden Rule Seller, then, you should know your buyer as an individual and acknowledge their uniqueness. Personalize your presentation to them. If you are selling to a group, make the presentation as personal to the individuals and their needs as you can. That's what you would want as a buyer.
It is too often obvious when buying most consumer products that the seller doesn't know much about the products or services represented. In their defense, many salespeople offer dozens of products with hundreds of combinations. It's difficult to know everything about everything. However, even minimum-wage retail salespeople should have a basic knowledge of what their employer offers. Many don't seem to.
If selling is a career to you, rather than just a job, strive to know as much as you can about what you sell. Be a user. Be a buyer. Take time to read the product packaging and literature. Know more than the customer does. Help your customer make better buying decisions.
Whoever employs you as a salesperson probably will give you training on how they want their company and its products or services presented. (If not, you may have to develop your own based on this book.) Whatever your sales presentation is, learn it well. It will make your job much easier, allow you to help customers better, and lead to more sales.
In addition, put on your buyer's hat and consider what related questions you would ask the seller — then go get the answers. Know your presentation and any possible variations. If you are asked questions that you can't answer during a presentation, make a note of them and get the answer as soon as possible. Sales presentations should be dynamic rather than static.
My current sales job is just temporary. Why should I put very much effort into it?
First, because, as a buyer, you don't want to ask an important question about a product and receive the answer: “I don't know. I'm just temporary.” Second, whatever you learn about the skill of selling will help you in your career and your life. Your minimum-wage job can soon lead to a high-paying sales career if you apply yourself to what you are doing now.
Presentations rarely go exactly as planned. Along the way, a buyer asks a tough question or gets you sidetracked from your presentation. You may forget what should be covered next. A technical problem may force you to present without selling aids. Stuff happens.
The time to consider these problems — and develop their solutions — is
A buyer challenges your statement of facts.
A buyer begins ranting about a problem he or she has had with what you're selling.
A buyer gets up and walks out.
Your presentation program or computer fails.
The primary buyer is called away from the presentation.
Power to the room goes out.
Your demonstration model breaks.
Dozens of problems can happen during your presentation. A professional seller is ready for each of them and is prepared with a responding action. As you develop your professional selling skills, prepare yourself for the inevitability of problems. A well-thought-out response can turn a problem into a selling opportunity.
