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Sales Presentations

Professional selling and the paradox of choice

by Paul Sparks on June 1, 2010

You don’t need to have been in sales for long before you start running into situations where customers and clients keep deferring purchasing decisions.  Your argument may be compelling, and the evidence clear – but still no sale.  And you don’t lose the sale to a competitor – the customer simply doesn’t make a decision.

There can, of course, be many reasons why customers defer important decisions.  As salespeople outside the customer organisation, there can be many factors influencing the decision of which we are simply unaware – and these can often be real and genuine.  (And sometimes the reasons are not real and genuine – but that’s the human nature of modern organisations.)

However – if psychologist Barry Schwartz is right – there’s another reason that people defer making decisions.  We have too much choice when it comes to purchasing decisions.  And this abundance of choice can lead us to be paralysed in the face of this choice. Consider these questions that we can ask ourselves as purchasers:

  • Will we make the right decision?
  • Is there a better option?
  • Will the purchase live up to our expectations?
  • What are the consequences for us if we make the wrong decision?

These are critical questions for us to address as salespeople if we are to help our customers make a wise decision.

Check out this compelling video as Barry explains why the abundance of choice is leading to indecision – why more can be less – and then ask yourself if you’re addressing the 4 questions above when you present your options to you clients.

Are you making your client’s lives easier – or simply adding to the burden of decision they face in a constantly and rapidly changing world?

What can you do to make purchasing decisions easier for clients and prospects?

If you’d like to find out more about Barry Schwartz and his book, “The Paradox of Choice”, start with his home page at Swarthmore College:

http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bschwar1/

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Presenting like Steve Jobs

by Paul Sparks on February 8, 2010

What makes someone a great speaker and presenter?

What do good presenters do to make their presentations work?

If you’re in sales – or sales management – you’re a presenter.

And if you want to be an effective presenter, you should learn from the best.

Here’s a short video from one of the US’s leading authorities on how to present effectively, Carmine Gallo, where he examines the presentation skills of Apple CEO, Steve Jobs.

Check this out:

So, in summary, here are 7 things that Steve Jobs does that we can all do to make our presentations more effective: Continue Reading…

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Selling & presenting with authenticity

by Paul Sparks on June 18, 2009

What makes a presentation really connect with an audience?

When you make a sales presentation – how can you make sure you’ve given it your best shot to get your point across?

 Groucho MarxGroucho Marx once said that “the key to life is sincerity – and once you can fake that – you’ve got it made!”

And so it is with our presentations – we need to be sincere and authentic if we want to connect well with our audience.  But beware – the audience can pick it if we try to fake it.

Many of us have had training in how to present – how to hold our arms and use our body; how to move around the stage or room; how to use our voice – and lots of other tips and techniques.  And while these methods are useful – they often lack that “something” to give power and a “real” feel to what we’re saying – even if we believe it with passion.

Nick Morgan is one of America’s most respected communication theorists and coaches.  He’s helped some of the top corporations in the US craft effective messages, and has also worked with politicians and educators.  He’s been an editor with Harvard Management Communication, and has authored numerous books and publications on the topic of communication.

Nick’s most recent work – “Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma” – has been on the subject of authenticity and communicating with authenticity.  In this piece I’ll share Nick’s key points on delivering a presentation that really connects with your audience, and list some things you can do to sell more effectively by presenting authentically.

To create a bond, Nick suggests working on these four intentions:

1.  The intention to be open with your audience.

This is the most critical factor.  Whilst there are ways to demonstrate this with gestures, tone and carefully selected text – if you don’t want to be open, it’s difficult to simply pretend.  (There are some tips on this below.)

2.  The intention to connect with your audience.

Again, this is something that you must want to do.  If you genuinely want to connect, you must keep constantly thinking about what your audience is interested in – and deliver meaningful content in a manner that engages them. Continue Reading…

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How NOT to use PowerPoint

by Paul Sparks 11 May 2009

As salespeople, we often need to use the ubiquitous PowerPoint to present our ideas, products and service to others. Now, I’m sure none of us make the mistakes that Don McMillan outlines in this short training video. So, it’s not about us – it’s about the guys and girls in marketing. Only joking. Share it [...]

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Learning From Obama

by Paul Sparks 6 May 2009

President Barack Obama has just celebrated 100 days in office. It seems timely to review the skills that helped bring him to the world’s most powerful office. Obama combines the dual skills of an accomplished orator – he commands with his presentation skills whilst conveying thoughtful and well-constructed content.

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