Sales Skills #4 - Presentation Skills

For many salespeople - and potential customers, sales presentations are nothing more than data dumps. Talking too much, presenting too soon and just "winging it" on sales calls has grim consequences: lost momentum, stalls and objections, lost sales, extended sell cycles, margin erosion and no clear path to improvement. Bottom line: An entire sales career can be mediocre at best without a clear road map to follow that sets up the sales presentation at the right time - when the customer wants to hear it.

FACT: 95% of Salespeople Talk Too Much and Listen Too Little

Research shows that salespeople will never reach their performance potential without a well-defined sales process from which they can follow and learn. A good sales process mirrors the buyer decision process.

The Action Selling Process

Action Selling breaks a sales call into nine important components, sequenced in the order of the five buying decisions that every customer makes. (See Sales Skill #1: Managing the Buyer/Seller Relationship.)

Action Selling shows salespeople when to plan, when to establish rapport, when to present the company and the product and service capabilities, when to ask for commitment, how to confirm the sale and improve continually.

When a consistent sales process like this is used, the sales presentation is focused on specific, high-priority needs and is given when the customer is ready to hear it - after trust and rapport has been established. With Action Selling, both the relationship and solution is viewed as a unique value to the customer. That means you win more business, at the right price.

Improve Presentation Skills Now

Take our Free Benchmark Sales Skills Assessment to get detailed recommendations on how to master this skill.

Go to Sales Skill #5: Gaining Comittment