Dale Carnegie is quoted as saying, “There are always three speeches for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave and the one you wish you gave.

Like speeches, sales presentations can be summed up by the same quotation. After your presentation is history, you always seem to remember things you should have said, but either forgot or discarded during the “heat of battle.” All sales professionals can recall how much better their presentation would have gone had they said everything that needed to be said, made every point that needed to be made and anticipated and answered every possible objection.

 

There is a lot to be said for a “canned” presentation. Preparing, learning and practicing one will go a long way towards eliminating any “what-ifs” from your after-the-sales-call analysis of your pitch. Once a pitch has been learned and practiced until it is nearly second nature, the sales pro can then prepare a number of alternatives to the various parts of the pitch. In this manner they avoid having their presentation become too dry, stale and unimaginative . . . too canned.

 

A presentation, even a canned one, must be tailored to the audience. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for meeting the specific needs of the prospect. A presenter may be talking to a purchasing agent, or a financial officer, or a production manager, or the head of the IT department, a sales manager or an accounting department head. These people all have different needs and business perspectives, so a presentation has to be very specific in targeting the solution to their business problems, as well as their wants, needs and desires.

 

Some sales professionals rely upon their ability to think on their feet and have no canned presentation. What they have is vast product knowledge and how their wares apply to various prospects, coupled with an understanding of each customer’s needs. They are able to make adjustments and adaptations to fit each presentation situation they find themselves in, thus they are more effective.

 

Just like in giving a speech, a sales presentation should follow the four-part “Ho-Hum” formula: Get their attention, tell them why you are there, give the body of the presentation and close with a summary that repeats why you are there and the key points of your pitch. Oh, and of course, don’t forget to close the sale.

 

There is an adage from “The Old Salesman’s Book of Knowledge” (unwritten and unpublished, but imprinted in the minds of all salespeople), “The facts tell, the story sells.” What this relates to is that people understand and buy-in-to a story, but facts often bore them. “The Story” can be a short recounting on how the pitchman’s company was formed or how the product was developed or how it has been applied to other clients. This part of the presentation can be part two of the four-part Ho-Hum formula. In writing, “The Story” is the narrative hook, the attention-getter that has the prospect involved in the message the salesperson is sending out.

 

The approach to presentations probably most in use is a combination of a canned pitch and improvisation. The experienced professional will have pieces of his presentation in pieces like a puzzle. The pieces have various alternative parts to cover different sales situations. He fits them together as appropriate for different prospects. Ultimately he will adapt them on-the-fly during his presentations. Flexibility and adaptability are marks of the true sales pro.