Making a great sales presentation is complex, even if you’re selling paperclips. It’s delicate, even if you’re selling 18wheel trucks. The entire sale rests on words, attitudes and perceptions.

Even though everyone has a different style of selling the elements of content and process in a presentation must be the same. You master the elements, then adapt them to your style. It’s what you say (the elements) combined with how you say it (your style).

15. Involve the prospect. Test him, let him do the demonstration, let him help you set up. The sooner you gain involvement, the easier it is to gain prospect understanding and confidence. Letting them touch the product creates an early sense of ownership.

16. Take it back. Keep control at all times. If you give samples or literature to the prospect, don’t continue until they have looked, touched or read and then ask for them (take them) back. It’s your presentation keep total control of it. Make the prospect pay attention to you not your samples or papers. (BONUS FOR THE TAKEAWAY: If they ask to see again what you took away it’s a big, perhaps a closing, buying signal.)

17. Use testimonials when the time is right. They are the only proof you’ve got. Use them to overcome doubts, objections, stalls or specific issues that are blocking the sale. Use them one by one. The next best things to testimonials are similar situations. “Just last week we had the same situation with a customer just like you…” (a similar situation from someone who decided to buy).

18. To gain understanding, ask approval questions. Getting approvals along the way leads to getting approval at the end. Questions like Don’t you agree? Do you understand how this helps? or shorter versions… Isn’t it? Doesn’t it? Set a tone of “yes” in the mind of the prospect throughout the presentation.

19. Make the prospect qualify, too. You want to do business with the people most likely to help you grow and prosper. 95% of your headaches and complaints come from 5% of your customers. Retrain them, or fire them. (Note of caution: you may be selling them wrong and creating your own problems.)

20. Learn to recognize buying signals. Usually revealed in the form of a question about price, delivery, specific features, a major benefit repeated, or productivity. Close when you hear them. Don’t answer with “Yes” or “No.” If you do, you’ll go past the sale.

21. Overcome objections before they occur. I don’t care what product or service you sell, there are only ten major objections a prospect can raise and you’ve heard them all before. Wake up anticipate them, and address them in your presentation, before the prospect has a chance to raise them.

22. Sell the timely payment for your product or services rendered. Don’t make half a sale. You must also sell how and when payment is expected. It’s incredible to me how many salespeople are afraid of asking for the money.

23. Don’t close the sale Assume the sale. Assume you have it from the moment you enter the room. Then take the logical steps to complete the transaction. The sale is a given if the need is present and the presentation is superior.

24. Close the sale all the way. Handling the details and confirming the next action. State what you need to get started. Make an appointment to review and begin. Handle the last detail between the prospect saying yes, and his actually taking ownership.

25. Be different. For fun I often try (without asking) to get the buyer to stand and walk around (I walk around first) then I sit in his chair behind his desk. I usually get a surprised look, most times a laugh or smile and have never had a negative response. You can’t do it to everyone but I dare you to try it once.

26. Be incredible. Create an attraction to you through superior presentation skills, product knowledge and the ability to meet the prospects needs. Make the prospect feel that buying anyplace else would be the biggest mistake of his life.

27. Strive for long term relationships with everyone. When you do this, you will automatically eliminate any greed or short term thinking from the sale. You will always be thinking “what is best for this prospect,” not “what is best for me.” If you think “longterm,” it will always result in “big sale.”

27.5 Be funny and have fun. Most people have no fun at work. If you’re fun and funny, you’ll have an attraction and an advantage. “Make me laugh and you can make me buy,” is a credo you can take to the bank. Laughing all the way.

These 27.5 elements can only be looked at as a whole while your in the presentation itself. To get great at the selling process, you must be great at

each individual element. Making a simple presentation is a complex issue. It’s a far cry from telling a bunch of facts about your product or service.

And a sale is always made either you sell the prospect on “yes” or they sell you on “no.”

Want one tip that ties the whole process together? Approach each element from the customer’s perspective it’s the only one that matters.

FREE GitBit…Want to look and act as good as your presentation? I’ll send you a checklist of the 15.5 critical (common) areas to address. Just go to www.gitomer.com click FREE STUFF then click GitBit register and enter the secret words, “Looking Good”.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, and Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. President of Charlottebased Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. He can be reached at 704/3331112 or email to salesman@gitomer.com

1999 All Rights Reserved Don’t even think about reproducing this document without written

permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer 704/3331112