How You Say Is Important When Doing Sales Presentation | Sales Presentation Skills Training

Pay attention to your speaking style, and remember that it’s not always what you say but how you say it. You might say the perfect phrase, but if you sound desperate for the sale, impatient, or condescending, your phrase is no longer perfect at all.

Watch your tone. No matter how badly you want a sale, be careful not to sound desperate. If the sense is that the presentation is about your need to make a sale, your prospect is going to be far less interested in listening. Your tone should be one of “How can I help you?” Remember that your goal should be to do the best job that you can and then to follow through to see that your promise was delivered. The end result is a sale, but when you’re in front of clients, always remember to focus on the goal of meeting their goals. By doing that, you’ll meet your own.

Your attitude should be one of assurance that you can help—and honesty if you realize that you cannot. If your product or service is the wrong fit, you will gain more in the long run by being honest and giving a referral to someone else than by continuing to solicit a soon-to-be-unhappy customer. Both the customer and the person to whom you refer the customer will tell the story of your honesty and good business practices.

In speaking, also watch your pace. Fast-talking salespeople have a reputation for dishonesty. You might be meticulously honest in business, but if you’re talking fast, certain prospects will feel unnerved or lose trust. Another thing about fast talkers is that they lose people without realizing it. Especially if your information is complex or new to the client, pay very careful attention to your pace, going slowly and inviting questions.

The most important point, though, about how you say things, comes back to your overall attitude and belief about your product or service. Are you enthusiastic about it? Do you genuinely believe in it and feel passionate about telling people about it? If you’re selling something that doesn’t interest or excite you—or something that you don’t feel good about— you’ll find it hard to achieve success. Sales has often been called a transfer of enthusiasm. I’m highly unlikely to be enthusiastic about what you’re selling if you’re not! Let your passion, your enthusiasm, and your overall good feeling about what you do and what you offer shine through! That kind of positive energy—if it’s put behind something that really makes sense or captures the prospect’s imagination—is hard to resist.

What You Hear

What you hear is as important as what you say. In fact, in a sales situation, it’s more important. You need to listen for objections and desires—spoken and unspoken—and ask questions that encourage people not only to state but also to explore what it is they’re looking for. The emphasis on listening, as you read on, is practical advice for listening to specific points that relate to the sale.

Another thing to keep in mind about listening, overall, is that it not only gives you the information you need to close the sale, but it also helps you to build a solid, ongoing client relationship. Along the way, you may hear more of a prospect’s needs, concerns, and stories than those that relate to your immediate interests. Pay attention and show empathy and interest. Even if something you hear doesn’t relate directly to the sale, listen attentively and respond with care. Don’t be steadfast in taking in what clearly relates to the sale and blocking out what seems irrelevant to you. Part of developing ongoing relationships in sales is bonding and building trust. Don’t see only dollar signs when you look at your prospect and hear only those things that directly affect the bottom line—see a human being—and listen.