How to Make Winning Presentations Article by Jim Cathcart When you think about how you are going to present your product or service, think of every buyer as having in his or her mind a scale. The scale contains two bowls: one bowl is price(what the buyer pays); the other bowl is value(what the buyer gets). Until value outweighs price in the buyer's mind, no sale will be made. Your task is to make every aspect of your presentation show the buyer that the value of your product does indeed outweigh its price. When putting together a presentation, it is helpful to think of it as having two main features: (1) its content, and (2) its style. Attention to each feature of the presentation is important: It's no good having excellent content, yet presenting the content in a way that prohibits interaction between you and your potential buyer. By the same token, all the good rapport in the world won't help you when you don't have the facts you need to drive home your point and get the sale. Content: Identify What The Buyer Values The content of your presentation should address the value of your product or service to the buyer. To do this, you first must determine what that buyer believes is valuable. Until you address this issue, it doesn't matter how great your product or service is. Every customer carries in his or her head the WIIFM questions: What's In It For Me? All buyers want to know what's in it for them. What will they be getting for their money? You can determine what is of value to the buyer by asking good questions and really listening to the answers. Focus on the wants, needs and concerns of your buyer, not on the product. To be successful, a salesperson must be able to identify the dominant buying value of each client and address it during the presentation. Let's look at some of the basic human wants: Want to Gain Want to Avoid     Comfort Criticism     Money Embarrassment     Time Loss of property     Health Trouble or unhappiness     Praise Missed opportunities     Acceptance Loss of respect     Control Extra effort     Respect Pain and confusion It may help to devise strategies beforehand for dealing with these different wants as they arise. Plan Your Presentation to Stress Value The first steps in selling should always be planning and preparation. Being well organized and prepared helps you avoid embarrassment, gives you more control, saves time, increases your confidence and increases your sales. Professional salespeople use some form of planning sheet or guide to prepare for the important sales calls. In addition to the identifying information of the prospect, the planning guide will have space for answering key questions that will prepare the salesperson for the call. This might include such elements as: name of the key contact; objective of the call; potential problems or needs of the prospect; questions to ask in order to uncover, clarify or amplify these problems; features and benefits to be emphasized; proofs and testimonials to bring along; possible concerns and questions the prospect may ask and potential answers; and the commitment the prospect will be asked to make. Style: Involve the Buyer The second feature of your presentation is its style. Try to aim for an interactive presentation that allows the buyer to express his or her wants. This will help you to determine what the buyer values, which is the most important ingredient of your presentation. A sales presentation should be a dialogue, not a long-winded monologue. People like to feel involved and to feel like they are contributing and being listened to. This is far more effective than just announcing the benefits of your product one after another. Unless your product or service can be easily sold over the telephone, use the phone only to schedule appointments. Do you selling in person. Group presentations are best followed-up with one-on-one contact. Use Scale-Tipping, Attention-Getting Strategies It's important to remember that the first thing you must do is get and hold the buyer's attention. Here are six strategies that work well: Ask a question. Let the customer touch or hold the product. Relate an interesting anecdote to the customer. Refer to a need the customer has and propose a workable solution. Offer one powerful piece of evidence demonstrating why the customer needs your product or service. Give a demonstration of your product or service. The buyer already knows price is on one side of the scale. Your job is to create value units (features that deliver benefits) in the client's mind so that the total value of your product outweighs its price. The carefully thought-through content and the open style of your presentation can help you tip the scale in your favor. When the buyer starts displaying buying signals, it's time to summarize the buyer's needs and benefits you offer that address those needs, get the buyer to acknowledge that you are both in agreement, and ask for the order. ©1999 Jim Cathcart, La Jolla, CA This article is excerpted from Cathcart's The Acorn Principle- Know Yourself, Grow Yourself. With 21 years experience, La Jolla, CA-based Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE is recognized as one of the worlds' best speakers. As a psychological researcher and business consultant he has helped organizations grow their sales and improve their performance in virtually every type of industry. He is the author of Relationship Selling(the key to getting and keeping customers), newly published The Acorn Principle (discover, explore and grow the seeds of your greatest potential), and many other powerful learning tools. His works are published by the world's top publishers: Putnam-Berkeley, Prentice Hall, and Nightingale Conant. For a free laminated reminder card with 11 Ways to Grow Your Business and Expand Your Life contact the Cathcart Institute (800-222-4883) www.cathcart.com or e-mail Info@Cathcart.com