How to Create Your Ultimate Sales Presentation (with examples)
The Presentation is Step 4 of your Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation.
So, you are a dedicated sales professional who has been following my Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation formula! Thus far, you have completed your sales prospecting, so you know the customer is a qualified prospect. You have also spent time developing a strategic presentation plan. Plus, you have even planned your all-important approach to begin your presentation.
Now. At last. It is time to plan a killer presentation; a presentation sure to bring success and well-deserved hearty congratulations from coworkers and bosses!
So, no more delays, let’s get started!
Content
In this article on creating your ultimate sales presentation, we will cover:
- Types of Common Selling Situations
- 4 Sales Presentation Methods
- Basics of A Group Presentation
- Win-Win Negotiating
- Which Presentation Method is Best?
Types of Selling Situations
When I first started as a sales representative, I only had to master one selling situation. It was me selling to a single buyer. However, as I gained sales experience, I found that I had to present in a variety of selling situations.
As a professional salesperson, you need to be aware of the types of selling situations that you might encounter over the course of your career. Here are five of the most common selling situations.
- Salesperson to the buyer. A single salesperson presenting to a single buyer. This is how most of us start in our selling careers.
- Salesperson to the buyer group. A single salesperson presenting to a buying group or committee. You may present to a buying group when the information is technically complex or when the dollar value of the product is above a single buyer’s authorized level.
- Sales team to the buyer group. A selling team presents to a buying group or committee. The selling team and buying committee is often made up of people from different departments with different skillsets. For example, I led selling teams comprising myself as a sales manager, along with people from sales, finance, product supply, operations, and logistics. We presented to customer buying teams comprising people with the same areas of expertise.
- Consultant selling. A lead salesperson assembles company personnel to deal with specific opportunities or solve specific problems for a customer. For example, when I was a sales manager for Procter& Gamble’s Foodservice division, I was frequently called on to work with customers as a consultant to solve a specific problem. “Why don’t our pie crusts bake evenly?” “Why are the scallops cooked at lunch lighter than the scallops cooked for dinner?” I brought in teams of experts to work specifically on these problems.
- Seminar selling. Seminar selling is often educational in nature. In the “old days,” seminar selling was often held in a hotel meeting room. For example, attorneys put on an educational seminar about wills and trusts. When they were done with the seminar, they sold their services. These days a lot of seminar selling is done via “webinars.” A salesperson presents educational material via a live stream over the internet, and when they are done, they sell their services.
Now that we have a handle on the most common selling situations, we must determine which sales presentation methods we will use for our presentation.
4 Sales Presentation Methods
Your sales presentation is a combination of persuasive verbal and visual communications of your business proposition that will solve a customer’s problem. Although to deliver a compelling presentation, you also need to match the presentation method to the specific buying situation.
There are four basic presentation methods most salespeople need to master. They are the
- memorized,
- persuasive selling,
- needs-satisfaction, and
- problem-solution method.
The primary difference between the methods is the percentage of time the salesperson is speaking. In the memorized and persuasive selling methods, the salesperson dominates the conversation. In the needs-satisfaction and problem-solution methods, both the salesperson and buyer share in the conversation.
You can think of these methods as being on a continuum from highly structured to completely customized.
Memorized
The memorized sales presentation method is the most highly structured method. The salesperson does 80-90% of the talking. The buyer’s participation is generally limited to responding to questions posed by the salesperson.
The memorized presentation is a “canned” presentation; delivering the same basic presentation to every prospective buyer. The salesperson discusses the same features and benefits hoping they will stimulate the buyer’s interest.
The most common use of memorized presentations today is door-to-door and telephone sales.
The memorized presentation method has several advantages.
- It increases the confidence of inexperienced salespeople.
- It ensures that a salesperson or entire salesforce delivers the same features and benefits to prospective buyers.
- It is most efficient when selling time is short.
Drawbacks of the memorized presentation include:
- It is impersonal.
- It may present features and benefits that mean nothing to the buyer.
- It has limited participation with the buyer and, therefore, may be perceived as a high-pressure sales presentation.
- It is not effective for complicated selling situations or technical products.
Persuasive Selling
The persuasive selling presentation method is a powerful tool for both new and experienced salespeople. It is less structured than the memorized presentation. The salesperson typically controls the approach and beginning of the presentation but then engages the buyer more and more as the presentation continues.
The persuasive selling method has several advantages.
- It provides an opportunity for more buyer/seller interaction.
- It provides a logical framework and flow of information.
- It allows the salesperson to handle anticipated questions and objections.
The primary drawback of the persuasive selling model is that the structure is less flexible than the need-satisfaction or problem solution methods. Its more formal structure makes it less suitable for complex selling situations.
With the persuasive selling method, the presentation follows a formula or outline. A typical outline for a persuasive selling presentation includes five steps.
- Summarize the Situation
- State Your Idea
- Explain How it Works
- Reinforce the Key Benefits
- Suggest an Easy Next Step
Summarize the Situation
Summarize the situation that leads to the purpose of your presentation.
For example, “Last time we met, you mentioned needing to increase sales by 5%. Is that still the case?”
State Your Idea
State your idea regarding a solution in clear, simple terms.
For example, “My idea is for you to feature Product X in your advertising and support the feature with a display.”
Explain How it Works
Share the details of your proposal. Include information about the product, pricing, timing, and etc., so the buyer understands how your proposal will solve his/her problem.
For example, “We know features and displays on Product X increase sales volume by 5x. I suggest you feature Product Super Duper Extra Large Size in your feature on (date). I will come in the week before the ad and build a display for you.”
Reinforce Key Benefits
Reinforce the key benefits by restating why your proposal solves the buyer’s problem. Focus on the key benefit(s) that are most important to the buyer.
For example, “As I said, a feature and display of Product Super Duper usually has a significant impact on sales. I estimate your sales will increase to (estimate) during the week of the feature and display.
Suggest an Easy Next Step
Close the sale by suggesting the next steps, which are needed so you can successfully follow through in your proposal.
For example, “If you submit Product Super Duper for a feature on (date), I will order X number of cases of Super Duper to arrive the week before the feature. Then, on the day before the ad breaks, I will come in and build a display for you.”
Need-Satisfaction
The need-satisfaction presentation method is the most difficult to master. The entire presentation is often a back and forth conversation between buyer and seller. For this reason, the salesperson needs to be able to adapt their style and the information they convey to the seller throughout the presentation.
The need-satisfaction method has several advantages.
- It is highly flexible and customizable.
- It is particularly well-suited for the sale of complex, highly technical products.
- It is most effective at uncovering and prioritizing buyer needs.
The primary drawback of the needs-satisfaction method is the open-ended conversational nature of the presentation process. This makes it a difficult method for less experienced salespeople to master.
As the name suggests, the salesperson begins by discussing the buyer’s needs, then clarifies and summarizes the buyer’s greatest need, and finally, demonstrates how their product will meet the buyer’s needs.
Need Development
The presentation begins with the salesperson, asking a probing question to begin the process of ascertaining buyer needs. The salesperson asks a series of these probing questions to understand as much as possible about all the buyer’s specific needs and problems.
It is not uncommon for half or even more of the presentation time to be spent in the need development phase.
For example, a probing question for a computer salesperson is, “What tasks do your employees use your computers for? Or, “What software do the people in your company use the most?”
Need Awareness
Once the salesperson understands the buyer’s needs and problems, it is time to narrow down the needs/problem to the most important one to solve. The salesperson should then restate the need/problem and confirm with the buyer.
For example, “From what you’ve told me, the biggest problem your accounting staff has is they need to be able to see what people in other departments are spending. They use the Super Deluxe Accounting software package, but they are not on the same network, so they cannot see what various departments are spending. Is that correct?”
Need Fulfillment
The need fulfillment stage is the final phase of the needs-satisfaction presentation method. In this stage, the salesperson demonstrates how their product will meet the buyer’s needs or solve their problem.
For example, “I can certainly understand the importance of having your accounting staff computers networked with common software so they can see what each department is spending. My company makes an internet hub specifically designed to link seamlessly all the computers in the accounting department. It is fast, reliable, and is expandable so it can grow as your company grows. I suggest our training team come in and train your accounting department the week before the technical crew installs the new system Is next week good for the training or would the following week be better?”
I’ve used the needs-satisfaction method numerous times throughout my career.
Often, with complicated situations, I’ve had to spend an entire appointment on just needs development and needs awareness phases. When this happens, I will take the time between appointments to think through all the buyer’s needs/problems and select the best features, advantages, and benefits. Then in my next meeting with the buyer, I will use the persuasive selling method to present my solution because I already know the problem I need to solve for the buyer!
Problem-Solution
The problem-solution presentation method is a completely flexible, customized presentation that requires full engagement between buyer and seller. It is like the need satisfaction method because it is designed to uncover specific buyer needs or problems and then provide the appropriate solution. The primary difference is the problem-solution method is designed to handle a situation where the buyer may not even understand the problem or know how to solve it.
The problem-solution presentation method has several advantages.
- It is highly flexible and completely customizable.
- It is best suited for highly complex technical situations.
- It provides an in-depth analysis of specific needs or problems.
The problem-solution presentation method also has several disadvantages.
- Its complexity makes it difficult for inexperienced salespeople to manage the entire process.
- It is time-intensive, often taking several appointments involving multiple disciplines, over a period of weeks or even months.
Multiple Steps are Needed
The problem-solution presentation method consists of multiple steps. Here are eight steps I follow using the problem-solution presentation method.
- Agreement between buyer and seller to complete the analysis.
- Assemble the seller team and identify the customer’s mirror team.
- Agree on a timeline and the scope of the analysis.
- Conduct the actual analysis.
- Form conclusions and recommended courses of action based on the analysis.
- Develop the sale presentation based on the analysis, conclusions, and recommended course of action.
- The sales team delivers the sales presentation to the customer mirror team.
- Implement the agreed-upon actions.
Example
I can’t give you a verbatim example of a problem-solution presentation, or this article would likely run several hundred more pages than you would want to read! However, I can give you an example of a situation where I used the problem-solution method.
I was in a role where I led teams of salespeople, finance, and product supply experts to analyze entire departments of a grocery store. The goal was to maximize department profits by optimizing the product assortment and layout of the department.
The analysis required the retailer to provide months’ worth of detailed financial and volume information for every product carried in the department. We combined their information with complicated psychographic information to determine the mix of products that would maximize profits and customer satisfaction. Then, with the optimized assortment, we designed shelf layouts that incorporated each product in its most logical and efficient location.
Once the analysis, conclusions, and recommendations were developed, we assembled all the information in presentation notebooks. With all the data these presentations typically ran over 100-pages!
Finally, when everything was printed, our selling team comprising of salespeople, finance, and product supply folks, presented to the customer’s mirror team. Often these presentations ran over two hours.
Once all the agreements were made, we established implementation teams responsible for making the changes in every store.
All-in-all it was not uncommon for this process to take 2-3 months for every retailer we worked with. However, we only committed to this kind of work when there was a significant long-term upside for our company! Given all the time, energy, and expertise to do the analysis and make the presentation.
Both the need-satisfaction and problem-solution presentation methods may involve presenting to a group of people. So next, let’s look at some of the nuances of presenting to groups.
Basics of A Group Presentation
There are two types of group presentations I participated in or delivered over the years. One type is what I call the one-to-many, where I present to a customer’s group. The other type and the one I liked the most is the many-to-many, where a group from the seller company presents to a group from the buyer company.
Delivering successful group presentations is complicated because many people are involved, you cover a lot of material, and the material itself is usually complicated.
I can’t possibly cover everything about running a successful group meeting in this article. Nonetheless, there are a few basics you must understand to conduct successful group presentations.
Get plenty of space
These group presentations are often conducted in a large meeting or board room. There’s nothing worse than stuffing 15 people into a room that holds ten.
Arrange for more time than you think you’ll need
If you need 90 minutes, ask for two-hours. No executive will complain if you finish 30 minutes early, but you stand the risk of losing people if you go over your allotted time.
The more people, the more structured the presentation method. Controlling the attention of any large group requires a presentation that is highly structured and organized.
Start with introductions
Chances are individuals who know each other, but not everyone else in the room, so start with simple introductions of name and role.
Publish an agenda
Let the people know what will be covered and in what order. This is also a perfect time to let people know what to expect for the rest of the meeting.
Have a designated question and answer time
Open questions and answers throughout a presentation with large groups are too distracting. If there are major sections to your presentation you can have a question and answer session for each section. Otherwise, you may elect to have one question and answer section at the end of the presentation.
Assign a timekeeper
For very complicated, long presentations, have someone on your team serve as a timekeeper to help keep you on track and from going over your time limit.
Appoint a designated note-taker on your team
The note taker needs to capture key comments, questions, and agreements for reference later.
Get engagement and agreement as you go
I know I said not to have open questions and answers throughout the presentation, but that doesn’t mean you make the presentation like a robot from the front of the room. If you see head nods, ask if they agree. If you see someone with a concerned or quizzical look on their face, ask if they have a question. If the issue is simple, handle it. Otherwise, say you’ll answer their question in just a moment (or in the Q&A at the end).
Focus on benefits
Talk about and reinforce the key benefits of your solution throughout your presentation. If there is a product supply person in the room, mention the benefits that accrue to that department. If there is a finance person talk to them about financial benefits. And so on! Make sure every person in the room hears the benefit of the proposal as it pertains to them!
Summarize the benefits
Just as you’re getting ready to close, summarize, or restate the key benefits you mentioned throughout your presentation. Again, make sure everyone hears the benefit that your solution brings to them in their work!
These tips are just the basics of running a successful group presentation. I can’t guarantee your success by following them, but I can just about guarantee failure if you ignore any of them!
As you approach the close, you will almost certainly have points the buyer wants to question or negotiate. So next, let’s talk a little bit about how to set yourself and your team up for successful negotiations.
Win-Win Negotiating
I knew a few salespeople over the years who had a “take it or leave” attitude. They had one proposal, and one way of doing business and they were prepared to walk away from business if the buyer didn’t meet all their demands.
On the other hand, I also ran across a few customers who had a “take it or leave it” attitude. They made whatever demands they felt they could get away with pressuring suppliers to meet their demands. They figured if one supplier didn’t meet their demands the next supplier probably would.
I didn’t like working with either sellers or buyers who took that hardline approach.
In my opinion, a relational salesperson should be prepared to negotiate whether you are talking to a single buyer or a buying group. Over the years, I found the trick is to plan your points of negotiation ahead of time. By planning ahead of time you’ll know where you can compromise and where you cannot.
For example, you should know:
- What extra services can you provide that competitors do not?
- Is your price firm, or is there some flexibility?
- Are there payment terms or a payment plan?
- Can you provide any free services (like training) or equipment upgrades?
- Can you offer flexible delivery dates?
At Procter & Gamble (and most other large companies), our prices and terms were fixed, so I had to create negotiating flexibility in other ways. I could easily offer different shipping dates, different quantities and product assortment, and in some cases, product training.
The point is that I was clear about the things I could not negotiate. Likewise, I clarified that I was happy to negotiate where I had flexibility.
Which Presentation Method is Best?
So far, we have covered the five most common selling situations and the four presentation methods. Now, it is time to determine which presentation method is best for you and your situation.
Your selling objective is the starting point in deciding which presentation method to use. If you are making a sales presentation, you will take a different approach than if your objective is to gather the information you can use later to develop a sales presentation.
Generally speaking, if you are making a sales presentation, the memorized or persuasive selling method is best. However, if you need to understand buyer priorities or uncover buyer needs or problems then the needs-satisfaction or problem-solution methods are best.
Yet, there is no single best method. When selecting your presentation method you must consider
- the experience of the salesperson,
- your objective,
- the nature of the product,
- the information about the buyer’s need or problem,
- and a host of other variables.
We’re Not Done with our Sales Presentation!
Although we’ve made a lot of progress, we’re still not ready to see the buyer yet!
Sure, we’ve done our prospecting, some approach planning, and we’ve decided on a presentation method. However, we still need to create that all-important presentation! In the next article, we’ll take a hard look at the important elements we must include in our presentation.
The Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation Series
Step4: The Presentation is the fifth in a series of articles, which have been created to teach you how to craft and deliver the Ultimate Sales Presentation in 10-Steps.
If you missed a prior article in this series or you want to review one again, you’ll find them here:
Kick-Off: The Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation
Step 4: The Presentation – Part 1 (you’re here)
Steps 5-10: Coming soon. A new article releases every two weeks.
If you want to make sure you don’t miss one of these articles, you can sign up to receive the series here.
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Category: Salespeople