Sell The Hole, Not The Drill! How To Make A Successful Sales Presentation

Blog Sell The Hole, Not The Drill! How To Make A Successful Sales Presentation Liam AndersonAugust 01, 2022 Man makes a sales presentation at work

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As a sales trainer and observer, I have watched many sales presentations.

Inexperienced sales professionals often tell customers everything they know about their product as if they were being examined at school. The problem is customers don’t want to hear everything. They lose interest. Then they buy from a different vendor.

They key is to focus on the customer, not on the product.

Sell The Hole, Not The Drill Woman makes sales presentation at work

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Unless you’re selling a luxury product, such as a Rolex watch or a Ferrari, customers do not really want your product. They want what the product can do for them. This is why we say customers buy the hole, not the drill. So how do we apply this to making sales presentations?

The “Hook” Man give a sales presentation to potential clients

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Unless you have been recommended, or you use advertising, you need to attract your customer’s attention. You do that with a “hook.” Mention what your customers usually want, then offer to tell them how they can get it.

Why do most people buy broadband packages? They want to call relatives in remote locations, consume entertainment through streaming services, or work from home.

Ask your customer something like this: “Mr. Jones, how much does it cost you to call your daughter in Alaska? How about if we could cut that down to only twenty-five dollars a month?”

Suppose you’re selling speech analytics to a bank. Start by asking the contact center manager: “Do you worry about compliance?” Then ask: “What percentage of calls do you monitor in an average month?” Follow that up with: “And how many non-compliant calls do you think you miss?”

Find Out What They Want Woman gives a sales presentation to potential clients

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Now you have your customer's attention. You need to find out what they really want. Look for your customer’s top three requirements. Prepare your questions in advance. You should be able to identify her needs with three or four open questions.

For the broadband scenario, you can ask: “How many people live in your house other than yourself?” Follow that with: “What do they like doing with the internet?” Your final question will be: “Suppose you had the best internet connection in the world. What would you use it for?”

For the speech analytics scenario, you can ask the contact center manager: “How many contact center agents are there?” “What kind of calls do they handle?” “How do you monitor compliance now?” and “What would you investigate if you could listen to every single call that is handled?”

In both cases, your questions will reveal the current situation, the desired future situation, and the size of the solution required.

Now it’s time to tell the customer what you have to offer.

Keyhole Surgery Woman gives a sales presentation to potential customers

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Surgeons often killed their patients in the past. They made massive incisions into their bodies. The shock and trauma they produced were often deadlier than the problem they were trying to solve.

Inexperienced sales professionals kill just as many deals by telling their customers more than they need to know about their products.

Before starting your presentation, restate their top three needs and confirm your understanding.

Tell the customer “This is how you can <<insert first need here>> with our product.” Then tell, or show, the customer how they can meet the first need with your product. At this point, ask the customer if they have any questions. Stay silent and give the customer a moment to think, and respond.

If they have doubts, it’s better to get them out into the open where you can talk about them.

Questions show interest and engagement. If a customer isn’t asking questions, he is probably not interested. This works slightly differently in Asia, where you may find that the questions come later, and from a third party.

Move on to the second need and repeat the procedure. Instead of asking if the customer has any questions, ask what their thoughts are at this stage. Once more, give the customer time to think and respond.

Use the same procedure to talk about the third need. Once you have shown them how your product meets their needs, you can ask them: “Have I met your needs with our product?” Give your customer time to think and react.

The close and objection handling stage are beyond the scope of this article.

Monitoring The “Patient” Man gives a sales presentation to potential customers

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When talking to customers, don’t forget to watch them carefully. Don’t just listen to the words that they say; listen to and watch how they feel.

How closely are they paying attention? Is the customer listening or looking at his phone?

How would you describe the expression on the customer’s face? Does she seem interested? Does she seem friendly?

Is the customer asking questions? In most parts of the world, an unengaged customer who does not ask questions is not a good sign.

If you are dealing with a “poker-faced” customer, look at how closely she is paying attention to you. Is she taking notes? If she is going to ask you detailed questions later through a third party, she will need to listen very carefully to do so.

Wrap-Up

Do you present your products or services to customers? Do you present your ideas to your colleagues? Either way, I hope this article will give you some food for thought. Tell me what you think. How do you present your product/service/ideas?

Further reading...

Learn how to improve your persuasive skills by writing: Why Writing Is The Foundation Of Persuasion

Learn how to build business cases: “What’s In It For Me?” The 3-Stage Guide To Answering This Question

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how to make a sales presentation {"customDimensions": {"1":"Executive Community, Liam Anderson","2":"blog","3":"how to make a sales presentation, how to make a good sales presentation, how to make a great sales presentation, sales presentation, sales pitch, sales, salesperson, how to give a sales presentation, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:30339839, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:30339900, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:30339928, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:30339949, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:30339955, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:30340017","4":"08/01/2022"}, "post": {"split_testing": {}, "providerId": 0, "sections": [0, 473333499, 544324100, 544398581, 479660731, 544398590], "buckets": [], "authors": [21030904, 25006587]} } Get Some LeverageSign up for The Work It Daily NewsletterEnter emailSubscribeFollow window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.defineSlot('/22278042776,22664312254/wit/wit_multiplex', ['fluid'], 'wit_multiplex').addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.enableServices(); googletag.display('wit_multiplex'); }); Popular How To Effectively Demonstrate Your Value In A Job Interview Margaret BujAaron SanbornJenna ArcandJuly 29, 2022 Woman demonstrates her value in a job interview

Woman demonstrates her value in a job interview

One of the most common reasons candidates get rejected after a job interview is that they don't provide enough relevant, tangible examples of what they've done in their current/previous job that would be relevant to the position they are seeking.

When you're looking for a new job, you need to provide specific concrete examples of the competencies listed on a job description—whether it is problem-solving, influencing, taking initiative, or managing change.

A lot of job seekers will give generic examples or just talk about what they've done—but without mentioning specific accomplishments. You could be very good at your current job, but if you struggle to effectively demonstrate your expertise and value in a job interview, you may miss out on your next career opportunity.

Here are a few tips to help you overcome any blocks you might have about talking about your achievements:

Discussing Accomplishments Isn't Bragging

One of the reasons candidates shy away from talking about their accomplishments is because they don't want to sound arrogant. However, the job interview isn't the time to be too humble. Talking about your accomplishments and using facts and numbers isn't bragging—it's telling a story.

You have to remember that a potential employer wants you to do well in an interview. They are literally looking for an excuse to give out the job! So, tell them what they need in a clear, factual manner.

Demonstrate How You Overcome Challenges Man demonstrates how he's overcome challenges in a job interview

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A great way to answer questions while highlighting your skills and accomplishments is by using the "Experience + Learn = Grow" model and/or the STAR technique (situation, task, action, result).

What was the situation/problem? How did you solve this problem/overcome this setback? What did you learn from this experience? How did you apply what you learned to your career?

These methods are particularly beneficial when you're answering behavioral interview questions that hiring managers ask to see if a candidate has enough self-awareness to know what they're good at, and what skill sets need improvement.

Use Numbers To Your Advantage A job seeker discusses some of her quantifiable accomplishments in a job interview

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Numbers are great for demonstrating your skills and expertise. Did you increase revenue, or save time/money? Did you improve a procedure and, if so, how much time did you save? How many clients did you win in your last job? Don't just tell the employer what the result was. Tell them how you got the result and what your decision-making process was.

Prepare several examples of quantifiable results for your next job interview and you'll significantly increase your chances of getting that job offer!

Need more help preparing for your next job interview?

We'd love it if you joined our FREE community. It’s a private, online platform where workers, just like you, are coming together to learn and grow into powerful Workplace Renegades. More importantly, we have tons of resources inside our community that can help you prepare for your next job interview.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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Does it feel like some days you can’t seem to catch a break, and you just want to throw your hands up in the air? Stop, close your eyes, take a d-e-e-p breath, and count to 10. There will be good and better days and having a positive attitude will help get you through those difficult times.

Whether you believe in fate or luck, I believe everything happens for a reason. When something bad happens, I may not understand why, but know that the universe will take care of me, and everything will be ok. Sometimes it’s a matter of being able to put things into perspective.

3 Ways To Maintain A Positive Attitude When You're Feeling Stressed thoughts destiny graphic

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Here are three things you can do when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed:

1. Clear your head - take a walk around the block, play some music (and dance like nobody is watching), download a relaxation app like Calm, etc. Being able to take a time out and come back calmer will do wonders to energize your mindset.

2. Think of three (3) things you’re grateful for daily – your health, having a roof over your head, eating dinner together with your family, being able to pay it forward to someone who needed help, etc. There are others who probably had a worse day than you.

3. Talk to a friend who can give you a dose of optimism – get a perspective different than yours. That positivity can be contagious.

Life Is Like The Four Seasons Seasons (spring, summer, winter, fall)

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I was going through a tough time early in my career, and my mom told me that life was like the four seasons. When I was at my lowest (winter), it would get better (spring), and then I’ll hit a high (summer), which will eventually slow down (autumn). Although my mom has passed, I always remember her words of wisdom when I’m faced with that next winter.

Nothing lasts forever. I know that being determined and persistent will make me keep my eyes on the prize and that I’ll get through those tough times. You can too!

For more information on the power of a positive attitude, follow me on LinkedIn!

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J.T. O'Donnell reflects on lessons professionals can learn from athletes.

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Sell The Hole, Not The Drill! How To Make A Successful Sales Presentation

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