In the not so long ago and not so far from here . . . two sales reps from two different R&D companies were slated for back-to-back pitches to the executives of Kiosks Inc. Kiosks Inc made point-of-sale vending units. They were searching for a new provider for the money-handling device to use inside their new machines. The winning contractor would need to develop new software and power management solutions as well.
Sales Rep #1, from ACE Money Device Makers, entered the boardroom, plugged in his PowerPoint, and began presenting. Here’s a text version of slide one from his deck –
ACE Money Device Makers
>> In-house research lab
>> OEM-trained technicians
>> 5 assembly lines
>> 24/7 operational capacity
>> And 35 years in business
And Rep #1 continues for 45 minutes, telling the attendees all about ACE. He explains their quality control processes, their staff’s training and qualifications, and that they had over a thousand satisfied clients around the world. He walked out of that room feeling good. Nobody could deny his company was awesome, he thought.
After a brief break, the executives re-convened and invited Sales Rep #2, from XYZ Currency Handlers, to come in. She steps to the front, plugs in her PowerPoint, and begins. Here’s the text from the first slide of her deck –
XYZ Currency Handlers
“You helped us do in 4 days what used to take us 4 weeks.”
— John Smith, VP, JS Enterprises
And Rep #2 spoke for her allotted 45 minutes. But her focus continued to be on what Kiosks Inc would be able to do if they chose XYZ as their outsourced partner
She talked about how her solution would allow them to run alpha tests of prototypes in real time to drastically reduce research time, that they could co-engineer with Kiosks Inc a new way to install the money handlers that would be quicker and more secure, and how their vast and locally stored inventory meant Kiosks Inc would never have to shut down because of lack of product.
Guess who won the contract. That’s right.
Why? Because Rep #2 focused all her energy on showing not what her company did, but on what her company enabled the prospect to achieve.
She understood that it was not about “her.” It was all about the prospect and what they needed from her solution. And that’s your key to winning with your sales presentation.
LEAD with the RESULTS Your Clients Will Experience!
Process, capacity, and credentials have their place in the selling process. But not until AFTER you’ve got the prospect understanding why they should listen.
Tell prospects first what they’ll gain, and then they’ll invite you to share how you’ll make that happen. Following this one-two approach will help you win more sales.