Great News! The Era of the Sales Pitch is over!

Buyers and sellers alike are breathing a sigh of relief as the era of the sales pitch comes to a end. Evidence of the decline can be seen in the growing preference for conversations over presentations as sales people seek to truly engage with potential customers.

Don't Pitch Unless Your Customer is Ready!

The sales pitch has been diminishing in effectiveness as a sales technique for a long time.

As a result the sales person can no longer assume that the prospect will be hypnotized by a combination of smooth charm and carefully rehearsed benefits and features messages.

The problem is that while the salesperson is pitching, the prospect ain't batting.

The reality is that most buyers are not interested in the salesperson’s product, or company. They are only interested in themselves and their own company, specifically the opportunities and challenges being faced. Clever salespeople realise this and have traded in their old sales pitch for a new more effective and engaging approach (as shown in the table below).

Old Way		New Way
Sales person Sells to: Prequalified company (with a need and a budget)	Who?	Expert, or Trusted Advisor Sells to: Company with latent or hidden needs, as well as those with a budget
Sales Pitch Sales Presentation Features & benefits Points of pain	What Is the focus?	Discussion, Dialogue, or Conversion on Business impact & results Problems, Opportunities, Strategies, etc.
Middle & Lower Management	Where in the organisation?	Senior Management
When need & budget in place Once off	When does it happen?	Uncover Need May not be aware of need Ongoing
Tell and Sell Presentation Convince One way Seller claims Unilateral Proposal Sell to close	How to do it?	Engage / collaborate Insights & Conversations Discover Two way Customer stories Bilateral proposal Serve to sell
Sell Close	Why do it?	Generate demand Inspire Build Relationship

Never Start with A Sales Pitch, Even if the Buyer Wants One!

Now, buyers like salespeople have been conditioned to the old ways for a long time. That means they need a little help changing. For example, the prospect may walk into the room expecting a powerpoint slide show, or a verbal diatribe, that does not mean you should comply. Let’s take an example – what do you do when the prospect asks you to start the meeting by telling us about your company?

Well some books recommend that you reply with something like the following ‘I would love to and there are lots of interesting things to tell, but in order for me to understand what areas I should focus on, I would like to learn a little about your company first.’

Now, the principle makes sense, but you also have to be careful not to kick to touch too early. The prospect does have a genuine reason for asking, and by starting off with a little introduction you give him, or her a little more comfort, as well as a chance to focus on what the meeting is about.

This is important because you cannot assume that the prospect has done any preparation in advance of the meeting, or perhaps even though about it since you arranged the appointment on the phone several days, or weeks ago.

The Sales Pitch That is Not A Sales Pitch

So we recommend having a 3 or 4 sentence overview of your company that will grab attention and set a direction for the conversation. For example something like this:

‘’We have helped other companies in your industry, acme 1 and acme 2 for example, cut the cost of complying with regulatory compliance by up to 35% by providing new technology to make reporting simpler…

…In the process we have noticed some interesting trends with respect to the processes and technologies being deployed and in particular where additional savings can be gained…

..I am delighted to have the opportunity to discuss this with you for 45 minutes….

…– I would be delighted to explain a little about ourselves at the end if you like and leave you with some material…

… I don’t know if there is anything that you would like to focus on in particular? Is 45 minutes ok?... ’’

Now, isn't that a lot better than a long winded about us, or product pitch. It indicates to the buyer than you are have some useful information to share, that you are not just there to sell to him and that you are no ordinary salesperson.

By mentioning the names of other companies you add to the credibility of your message, you have also confirmed the topic and the time available, which is again manages expectations and demonstrates that you respect his, or her time.

In short this approach is more more effective than the traditional sales pitch.

How tangible are the benefits of your solution?

Most salespeople struggle to move beyond adjectives in selling their solutions. This greatly limits their effectiveness.

Relying on adjectives, as opposed to more meaningful and tangible evidence of benefits, limits the impact of their proposition, in most cases making it almost indistinguishable from competitors. Here is an example:

Our customers achieve significant savings as a result of implementing our solutions…

That sounds pretty bland, right? It sounds like what most of your competitors would say. ‘Significant savings’ is vague and somewhat unconvincing. It does not grab attention, or represent a compelling reason to buy, or at least explore buying.

Now change the message slightly, as follows:

Our customers, including; companies A, B and C, have achieve savings of up to 20% as a result of implementing our solutions…

The impact is a lot greater, right? First off, there are companies mentioned, that adds credibility and 3^rd party validation. Then the benefit are tangibilized, even quantified. That tells customers exactly what to expect.

Now, many salespeople will say customers won’t believe the statistics (a point we discuss in another article). But, assuming that it is true and veritably so, that depends on how it is used. It should be merely a reference point, with the salesperson saying ‘…this is what other customers have achieved, we would be delighted to explore with you whether this can be achieved by you…’

It is also worth bearing in mind:

- That when you mention a statistic you have to be able to convincingly back it up, with reference to the experiences of your other customers and to a business model, or spreadsheet.

- Take care with the figure you use. Don’t use a figure that will sound incredible to the prospect, even if you need to pare your figure back a little.

In age where brochureware gets binned quicker than you can say ‘marketing blurb’, we help many companies increase the effectiveness of their sales messages and materials. We are always surprised that our clients struggle most to provide any quantification of the benefits delivered for other customers.

Managers can easily provide long list of features and feature-led benefits, but succinct statements of the impact on key customer business metrics are a challenge. In our view this points to the need to get closer to their customers.

The conclusion: if you want to want to grab your prospects attention and keep them reading - quantify the results that your solutions have achieved for other customers. The rest of the sales process is then focused on the salesperson and prospect exploring how he/she can achieve the same, or a similar result.

Does your sales proposition: Provoke, Persuade and Compel?

Tired of using the same old sales presentation slides, brochures and pitches many sales people are looking for ways to make their sales collateral and marketing message more effective. In this post we discuss how this can be done.

We review hundreds of sales presentations, marketing brochures and web sites every year. According to buyers most of them fall short of the mark. That is they make the buyers decision harder, not easier.

On one level these often quite glossy materials don’t give buyers the information they need. But more importantly, they fail to; provoke attention / awareness of the need, persuade buyers about the benefits, or compel the customer to take action. The following are the reasons why:

1. Most marketing is bland. The fact is brochures, web sites and sales pitches deliver long lists of benefits and features to confused and disbelieving customers. They should talk about the business impact of the solution, or service. That is the tangible impact on key business variables, such as costs, revenues, margins, etc.

2. Most marketing does not stand out. It is as if all of the competitor's brochures and web sites were written by the same people. Buyers struggle to tell them apart. That is often because suppliers try to appeal to the broadest possible market available. They position themselves for universal popularity across all markets and segments, as well as the industry leaders on all key features/functions. It is much better to tailor your proposition and its unique selling points to appeal to the specific needs of different niches and segments as opposed to trying to 'be all things to all people.' Strategic Focus is key.

3. Most marketing is unconvincing. It is written by the seller and packed with adjectives of self praise, to which buyers react with a 'what else would you say?' Sellers don't leverage the stories of how their customers have benefited. They don't provide the third party validation that buyers seek.

4. Many marketing pitches contain thinly veiled insults. For example; 'IT asset inventories in most organisations are out by 20%...'. You are wrong and here is what Gartner, Frost & Sullivan or some other analyst says in order to prove it. Instead of saying IT managers are getting it wrong, say that they are being frustrated in their efforts by factors outside their control, for example that they don't have the tools, or resources they need.

5. Most sales presentations are too sweeping in their claims. For example 'we provide the total back-office, front-office and middle office solution that integrates easily with all existing technologies'. What a relief for buyers when salespeople present more modest, credible and verifiable claims. The lessons is don't tell the buyer you can do everything, or that everybody needs your solution. Tell him/her you do the things that are important to him/her very well, but don't be afraid to say 'this solution is not necessarily for everybody, it is specifically for organisations that face this problem/opportunity.'

6. Most statistics used in sales presentations and collateral don't work. For most buyers they are; labored, irrelevant, or just not credible. Firstly, he/or she thinks 'my business is different - I don't care about everybody else, I am only concerned with what happens in my company'. Secondly, most percentages used appear to buyers as exaggerated – after all isn't a 3%, 5%, or 10% cost reduction more believable than a 75% figure? Added to this, is the growing suspicion that analysts and research reports will say whatever they are paid to say.

7. Most sales cycles don't explicitly recognize that buyers have alternatives. The elephant in the room for most sales people is that customers have alternatives, they could implement a different technology, select an alternative supplier, or they could simply do nothing. Not recognizing all of these viable customer alternatives doesn't make sense. The best salespeople help their customers make the best buying decisions, that means enabling them to evaluate their solutions in the context of all the other options available.

A Checklist:

- Does your marketing material provoke – generating awareness and attention. Or could it be bland?
- Put your sales collateral alongside that of your competitors? Does it stand out?
- How credible is your sales message? Is it convincing?
- Do the things you are saying make the buyer look and feel good? Is the buyer's organisation; skills or past success being called into question?
- Are the claims you are making modest, or at least credible?
- Are the statistics used in your sales presentations credible? Could they be over the top?
- Are you fully aware of the alternatives buyers are considering?
- Has your message been 'CEO proofed' (i.e. will it appeal to the CEO)?

What are sales people doing to make their sales meetings more effective?

Here is what sales people are doing to make their sales meetings more effective:

Present later and only when you have a full understanding of the customer’s requirements. There are many types of sales meetings. The least effective (particularly at the early stages) are sales presentations, where the sales person is expected to present details of his/her company and product, often using a slide show.

Demo later and do it better. Doing a demo too early generally means you are less in control of the outcome and that includes managing customer expectations. Presenting a demo before the customer’s business drivers, product requirements, background, etc. are established makes it difficult to ensure that your demo hits the mark. It often results demos that focus on features, as opposed to benefits.

Talk less and listen more. If you are talking more than 50% of the time in any sales meetings you have a problem, and in initial meetings you will want to spend more than 75% of the time listening. That is the only way you can establish needs, build rapport, etc.

Ask more questions and better questions. Questions that illuminate the customer’s wants and needs, criteria, decision making process, etc. Questions that invite direct answers, even if they are negative,‘is this a good time for you to consider this solution’, ‘is this price range within your budget’, or ‘have you ever done business with a company of our size before’. Questions that will prequalify the customer in terms of; budget, authority, timing and need.

Do a more structured needs analysis, taking the customer systematically through a process of clarifying business needs and priorities with the prospect that identifies unanticipated needs, that builds; understanding, concensus and tension for change. It also enables the seller to uncover hidden motivations, understand personal and political motivations and build a quantifiable business case.

Tell more stories of how other customer have benefited from your solutions, focusing in particular on the impact on the performance of their business. Customer success stories, particularly when validated by customer quotes, have a greater impact than almost anything else.

Set expectations and agree realistic objectives. What do you want to get out of the next sales meeting? What is the customer expecting? Too often sales people go to a sales meeting expecting to sell, while at the same time buyers arrive expecting to be sold to. Managing expectations is key, for example a salesperson might say ‘I’d like to listen so as to understand your requirements and thereafter I will go away and formulate some ideas that we could discuss at a future meeting and there after prepare a proposal if that is something that makes sense…’. Have a clear next step in mind is important, including a minimum expectation of what you would want from the prospect (e.g. another meeting, documentation, etc.) in order to advance further.

Prepare, plan and pre-qualify. A meeting that lasts for an hour, if it is to be effective, requires 2, or more hours preparation, follow-up and follow-thru. That includes; confirming who is to attend, clarifying expectations for the meeting, researching the company and its industry, preparing your list of questions, as well as answers to objections, etc.

Taking better notes in meetings and more systematically following up with those that have been met. They are adopting a keep in touch, or relationship mindset.

Working better as a team - too many cooks spoil the broth, the same is true of selling. Too often when 2, or more people it is vitally important that they work well together, that each has a role (there is one person leading the meeting), that each person decides what areas/questions he/she will address, how one will communicate too the other during the meeting (e.g. a signal to suggest moving on, etc).

Stop selling and start acting like an expert. That means adopting a consultative approach, helping the customer to uncover problems and explore solutions. Demonstrating your expertise and knowledge of not just your products, but the customers industry/business/challenges and how they are being addressed by others.

The most boring presentation of my life

I have just sat through one of the most boring presentations of my life. That started me thinking that most presentations are boring.

Most presenters think what they have to say is inherently interesting – 'afterall I am an expert and you, well you are going to sit there and listen'. Most presenters are more concerned with their slides and their message than with the audience and what it is going to get in return for investing its time and attention.

Boring presentations start boring and rarely get more interesting as they go along. They start with an 'About us' slide – the tell tale sign that the presenter is more concerned about him/herself than the audience.

Like this one it is confused about what it wants to communicate and driven by information laiden powerpoint slides, often read by the presenter.

What else is wrong with this presentation 'there are few pictures and few stories. There are no smiles, no engagement and little connection'.

He looks bored – if you cannot get excited about what you are presenting how am I going to?

Bring it to life – don't lean on the podium, move around a little, use your hands and vary your voice.

And most of all don't read the slides.

Cuting sales calls that 'go nowhere' by 10+%

Our research shows that most companies can increase the effectiveness of their sales meetings, presentations and demos by between 10% and 15% by addressing 8 key areas:

1. Preparation: Greater planning & pre-qualification of meetings. 2. Proposition: Communicating benefits in a more compelling manner. 3. Process: Adopting a more structured / thorough approach to meetings. 4. People: Developing more effective ways to build rapport and trust. 5. Presentation: Shorter but more effective slide shows. 6. Presenter: Focus on the sales person's appearance, enthusiasm & skill. 8. Post meeting: Systematic follow-up, managed by a SFA/CRM system.

Traditionally the sales person was considered to be the most important factor in the success of any sales meeting. However today's managers place equal if not greater importance on meeting prequalification, the value proposition, the sales process, etc.

Winning Advice - Do Fewer Presentations and Proposals!

Ironically, fewer presentations and proposals generally results in more sales!

Traditionally the view was that the more customers you presented to - the more sales were likely to result. However sales presentations where the salesperson does all the talking (with or without the aide of a set of powerpoint slides) are not an effective way to sell. Great sales people will give a presentation if they have too, but prefer conversations instead. In this way they can clearly establish requirements and more successfully match solutions to needs.

Traditionally managers saw a direct relationship between the number of proposals prepared and sales revenues. However, that has changed. In fact, many managers complain that their organizations are writing too many proposals, or that win rates are slipping. Great sales people write proposals, but only as the culmination of an extensive two way process of understanding the buyers needs, exploring solutions and trial ballooning price/other key aspects of the proposition.

Too many proposals are prepared unilaterally and at an early stage in the sales cycles. But that means they generally involve the salesperson 'going out on a limb' to propose something without the confidence that it will be well received and without a thorough understanding of the customers' requirements.

--
Ray Collis
Director - The ASG Group, Ireland.

Does your customer really ‘get it’?

Sales people often complain that although they have a 'great product, or service' the customer fails to realise, or appreciate it – 'the customer just doesn't get it!'

If you think about it logically there can be two possible reasons. First, you don't have as good a product or service as you think, or secondly (and more likely) you have simply failed to get the message across about how great you, or solution are.

Now, I look through hundreds of web sites and marketing brochures every month and I also sit through lots of sales presentations. I never fail to be amazed how many of the companies are actually under-selling what they have to offer. They fall way short of giving the customer a compelling reason to buy.

If you want your customer to realise how good you really are then take another look at your sales pack, web site, marketing brochures, etc and make the following 5 changes:

1. Focus on providing solution to the customers problems, as opposed to a product / technology

2. Communicate business impact of your solution, as opposed to the features

3. Quantify the benefits as a result of your solution

4. Tailor the message to different verticals / segments (as opposed to one message or one website for all)

5. Tell more stories (in particular stories that relate to the top 5 problems, or advantages of your solution

What is the end result of all this? Well it makes it easier for the customer to buy