So, you have a qualified prospect on your hands, which means you have a prospect that has proven to you they have pain you can fix, they have money to pay for it, and they can make a decision to buy it. If you have done your job well through the qualification portion of the sales dance, the hard work is over. You should know at this point whether or not the prospect is going to buy. The only reason you are now going in to do a presentation is so you can get the order. Often times, I have had prospects close themselves during the qualification phase. I’ll do such a good job of understanding my prospect’s pain, the prospect says “Where do I sign up?” We will be reviewing budget, the prospect says “Yes, I have the money, in fact let’s just do this.” This means that for these prospects, Step 6 is unnecessary! The best presentation you will ever give is the one you don’t have to give.
However, a majority of prospects want to see your presentation before they buy. How you set up the presentation is crucial if you are to walk out with an order and as discussed in Step 2, we will use an Up Front Contract to set up the presentation. This contract is different than the first and here is how it goes:
1. Appreciation: Thank your prospect for their time and consideration
2. Time: Confirm with the prospect how much time you have for the presentation.
3. Agenda: This is very important. You are there to get a decision, Yes/No, before you leave. As stated earlier, you no longer accept maybes so set the agreement before you even get started that maybe is unacceptable. If you present a solution that addresses their pain to their satisfaction for the money they are able to spend then there is no reason for the prospect not to decide at the end of the presentation.
4. Review Pain: Go over each pain item you uncovered during qualification and make sure that the prospect agrees with you about their pain. Once you have validation ask if there is any other pain that should be addressed.
5. Review Budget: Hand out your proposal right here with the price in bold numbers on the front page. Ask the prospect if your price is okay and if it fits their budget. Don’t wait until the end to give price, because then the prospect is thinking about price during your whole presentation and you don’t need that distraction. If the prospect objects to the price, then they don’t get the presentation.
6. Review Decision: Make sure that all of the decision makers are present before you start. If someone is missing, then you reschedule or it’s over; no presentation.
7. The Ultimate Contract: It is right here that you will ask the prospect for the order. I know, you haven’t presented yet, but you ask for the order here because the stress is low and you haven’t given away your secrets yet. Here is what it might sound like: “Now I will present my solution that will address your pain for the price that we all have agreed to. If I am able to show you a solution that you are completely satisfied with, then I will produce a Letter of Agreement for you to sign which will initiate implementation. Does that sound like a good plan to our meeting?” Your logic in this statement is undeniable. If they say “Yes,” congratulations you have the order because I am certain you won’t screw up your presentation. If they say “No,” well, no need to give the presentation. Retrieve your proposal and politely say goodbye.
I close over 80% of my presentations when I set them up as explained above. Some Sandler salespeople close 100%. When you use Sandler Training as your selling system you only give presentations because you are going in for the kill!
Sandler Training is a global training organization with over three decades of experience and proven results. Sandler Training provides sales and management training and consulting services for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) as well as corporate training for Fortune 1000 companies. For more information, please contact Karl Schaphorst at (402) 403-4334 or by email at kschaphorst@sandler.com. You can also follow his blog at karlschaphorst.sandler.com