<I>Don't</I> Leave Them Speechless Why having a conversation--not a presentation--with a prospect is the best way to get the sale

You've found a good prospect, you've grabbed theirattention, and you think they are interested in what you'reselling. Time to pull out your best sales presentation and then gofor the close, right?

I see it on a daily basis, in every industry, at every level. Ithappens on the telephone, in the showroom, on a customer visit orsales call and even in the boardroom. New and seasoned salespeoplealike want to jump to the good part of selling--they want to wowprospects with a powerful presentation that leaves themspeechless.

Unfortunately, that is usually what happens: What used to be asolid prospect sits speechless, and you have nowhere to go in thissales relationship but back to your office. What started out as apromising sales call quickly grinds to a halt. Every salespersonhas experienced at least one of these stalled sales calls. If youare serious about selling, you have to ask yourself "Whathappened, and how can I make sure that I don't do itagain?"

What happened is, you ended the "sales conversation"and turned it into a "sales presentation." A conversationis something two or more people have; a presentation is somethingthat a person gives--where you give a canned presentation and hopethat it met the needs and buying criteria of the person who justhappened to be in front of you. A sales conversation ends when youforget to earn the right to qualify the prospect.

Traditional sales training teaches the salesperson how toadminister a series of open-ended questions. If the prospectanswered the questions truthfully, the salesperson would have acomplete list of features they needed to highlight during theirpresentation.

The problem is, you can't get real answers by interrogatinga prospect; they just aren't willing to put up with hardballtactics. To involve your customer in the buying process, you haveto earn the right to make some kind of presentation to them. Whenyou know what it is specifically that they need and want, you arein a position to give a memorable and effective presentation. Earnthe right to qualify your prospect by following these steps:

1. Do your homework before the call. Pre-call planningshould be part of all your sales efforts. Stay current in yourindustry and market. It is easy to find out about yourprospect's company with some simple online software tools. TheAlexa Tool Bar,for instance, provides you with an idea of how popular a site isand links to sites that are related. You should also have astandard way of auditing a Web site. Look for details on any of thekey products, services and contacts. Make sure to read current newsand press releases on the site.
2. Project the right image. How do you come across when youinteract with customers? Earning the right to ask qualifyingquestions means that you project yourself as being sensitive toyour customer's unique situation. Is this how you are perceivedon the phone, in the showroom or in a sales call? Ask a co-workerto comment on how you come across when you interact with yourcustomers to make sure that the image you project fits with thesituation.
3. Remove the sales tension. It's OK if the customertells you they're just looking or aren't ready to buytoday. With so many sales messages targeted at consumers each day,they're conditioned to say no. When someone suspects they arebeing sold, it's only natural to try to defend themselves.Allowing them to tell you they're just looking or aren'tready to buy releases the tension they feel and allows a prospectto be receptive to you.
4. Use effective communication skills. This builds trustand creates rapport throughout your interaction with the customer.People tend to buy from people they know and like, so use effectivecommunications skills like mirroring and matching. If you'renot familiar with these terms, mirroring means that you use thesame body language, postures, breathing and gestures as yourprospect. Matching means that you use the same style of language.Match the prospect's communication by using the same speed,tone, pitch and word patterns.
5. Take your time. The advertising industry knows that ittakes time to build trust. That's why they build a relationshipover time. How much time you have to build trust and earn the rightto qualify a prospect is dependant on your industry. Whileexpecting a sale on first contact is admirable, it may not be thebest strategy for long-term success. Research tells us that morethan 70 percent of sales come after the fifth call you make, sotake your time and get to really know who it is that you arewith.

What I am suggesting is not that you stop making presentationsto your customer, but that you slow down. Earn the right to do apresentation by finding out the real needs and wants of everyprospect you meet. Confirm that in fact they have a problem you cansolve and let them know you care about them before you try topresent any solution. Earn the right to finally present a productor service--with open and clear communication, they'll hearwhat you have to say.

James Maduk is one of North America's leading salesspeakers. He is the creator and publisher of more than 80 onlinesales training courses, and he broadcasts daily on VirtualSellingRadio. You can reach James at (613) 825-0651 or visit his Web site.