specific time to follow up.

Relater. Must be sensitive to the people side of the business. Ask for opinions and feelings and show how your solution will be compatible with other departments within the company. Use lots of references and testimonials. Relaters need to know that other customers support your product or service. They tend to follow the norm, guided by routine, so dont make your solution too bizarre or outlandish.

When presenting to a committee or to more than one individual, tailor your presentation to the style type of the decision maker among the group. Identify who the key individual is prior to the meeting, and design your presentation and your approach to reflect his or her style. You cannot be all things to all people, so dont even try. It makes for a very awkward presentation if you try to satisfy everyone by floating among the four styles. I caution you. Dont present until you have determined who will be there and why. Dont ever go into a presentation blind; do your homework. If you cant meet committee members prior to the presentation, at least talk to them on the phone to determine their style and their role in the decision-making process.

4. Involve the senses. A Chinese proverb says: Tell me, Ill forget. Show me, I may remember. Involve me, Ill understand. Up to 82% of what we learn is through sight. Take advantage of these findings and include visuals where you can, within reason. The more senses you can engage in your presentation, the better-visual, auditory, or kinesthetic (touch it, feel it). Research demonstrates that visual input makes the greatest impact. Psychologists agree that viewing something three times has a lasting impression and improves retention and recall. However, dont show up to your next presentation with 56 overheads colorfully presented on PowerPoint.

5. Be benefit-oriented. People dont buy what something is, they buy what something does. Avoid presenting your features, they do nothing to stimulate the customer into action. Benefits will. By talking about benefits you keep your customers attention focused on the whats in it for me aspect. A sobering thought to consider when presenting: Your average customers will immediately forget 50% of what you told them and after only 48 hours will forget up to 75% of your message. Ouch! All the more reason to captivate your customers attention by using all their senses, presenting benefits, and having fun.

6. Avoid corporate jargon. Nothing loses customers faster than confusion. Dont use gobbledegook that may confuse them; use their language and their lingo and provide explanations where appropriate. My suggestion is to present simple concepts first, then complex ones later in the presentation. Presenting simple concepts early will help warm the audience to your style and make it easier for them to understand the complex ones later. Customers are sceptical of razzle-dazzle presentations; straightforwardness and honesty should be your guideposts.

7. Exceed expectations. The first step is to know what 100% is, then exceed it. Know what your customer expects from you. You only learn that by asking. Unless you clearly understand what the 100% mark is, you run the risk of delivering a solution that falls short of expectations. Delivering a solution that you are excited about does little to advance the sale if it is only at 90% of customers expectations. Once again, that may be the reason you get beat up on price. A 90% solution doesnt cut it, not nowadays.

To exceed expectations, you only have to go an extra inch, not an extra mile. All it takes is a little extra effort, giving customers something they didnt expect. Exceed expectations by delivering an extra unexpected 1%: The 1% solution. It really doesnt take much to exceed expectations. Just as little things can turn a customer off, little things will turn a customer on. An example of a 1% solution would be just as you are leaving the store with your new CD player, the salesperson you dealt with stops you at the door and says, Thank you for your business, I appreciate it. Why dont you go over to the rack and pick out a free CD of your choice? Its on me. Would that impress you? No doubt it would. The potential return on positive word of mouth is certainly worth the investment of giving away a free CD. Keep in mind, though, no two customers are alike. Not every customer will appreciate a free CD so you will need to vary your 1% solutions. Each customer comes with a unique set of expectations and perceptions that must be revealed during the Discovery step. It stands to reason, then, that no two presentations or solutions will be the same. I suggest that from now on you deliver a solution that is 101% of expectations-under-promise and overdeliver. Dont simply satisfy your customers-surprise them.

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8. Be professional. Your only option as a sales entrepreneur is to be guided by a professional code of conduct: walk the talk. It is critical that your verbal presentation be in sync with your visual presentation. That means sound professional and look professional. Dont show up looking like a bum but sounding like a pro, or vice versa. Also, use professional language, dont swear or use slang. Even if your customer is using colorful superlatives, dont lower yourself. Maintain a level of conduct that says you are a professional, a true sales entrepreneur. Yes, be yourself, but dont engage in activity or conversation that erodes your credibility or your professional conduct. Also, be consistent. Customers are sceptical and suspicious of inconsistent behavior. You have worked hard to get to the presentation stage. Dont blow it by being inconsistent throughout the sales process. The Sequential Model demands professional consistency at every step-no missing pieces.

9. Take the customer to the presentation. Rather than struggling to take all your stuff to your customers, it can be easier and a bit more exciting to take your customers out of the office on a field trip. Take them on a tour of your facility or perhaps show them your product already in use at one of your other customers locations. I have known salespeople who have flown potential customers to tour their head office and meet the president and some of the personnel who will be involved in servicing them. Once again, most people are visual, so take advantage of that and show them anytime you get the chance. Its worth the trip and the investment.

This approach also communicates pride and clearly demonstrates your commitment to the relationship as well as the conviction that your solution is right for them.

10. Action plan. Dont limit your role to that of a presenter. As an entrepreneur you are there to present an entire package, which includes a next step-an action plan. Dont finish with, Thanks for having me in. Ill call you next week. Ask for feedback, then determine a specific call to action. This could be a specific day and time to follow up, an appointment for a follow-up visit, a tour, a meeting with the design people, and so on. Dont leave empty handed.

Decker, Bert. Youve Got to Be Believed to Be Heard: Reach The First Brain to Communicate in Business and In Life. Page 84, 1992. St. Martins Press.

Managing Objections: Friend or Foe?

If only my customers would quit raising objections, selling would be a lot easier. No doubt this statement reflects the thoughts of many sales representatives, especially those with limited experience. One thing is certain about objections: they have a nasty habit of popping out of nowhere during the sales call. They can appear anywhere, at any time, and usually without warning. Nothing strikes fear in a sales representatives eyes faster than an unexpected objection.

Selling today involves an array of sophisticated skills. Many sales experts agree that the moment of truth of closing wont happen until you have listened to, understood, and successfully resolved any objections the customer has. Overcoming objections is your ticket to sales success-the gold medal. Objections are strange things. Most objections are really questions or concerns in disguise. They are often smoke screens protecting the customer against possible buyers remorse or the wrath of management for making a wrong purchasing decision. Although the customer may be totally honest and sincere, you may not clearly understand what the concern is.

Sales representatives view objections as the enemy, as traps that customers set to sabotage the sale and get rid of them. Sales representatives feel challenged by objections because they require an on-the-spot, unrehearsed response possibly derailing their well-rehearsed, canned pitch. You never know what the customer might object to or challenge you about. However, objections are an integral part of the whole business of selling. Without objections, youd be just an order-taker. The career opportunities for professional order-takers are dismal and the pay is about the same. I suggest that well-prepared sales entrepreneurs anticipate and welcome objections. They have learned the value of objections and view them as a friend, an ally to the conversation. This means that managing objections should be planned for, just as with any other step of your Sequential Model. Rather than regard an objection as an obstacle, regard it as an asset to the sale. It depends on your attitude. Even though objections tend to sound like verbal attacks, you cant afford to have your response sound defensive or confrontational. With a positive attitude youre more likely to respond without any hint of hostility, which makes your customer more receptive. A positive attitude can be communicated by use of a cushioning statement, an empathy statement, such as: Youre right, our price is higher than most, but what exactly is your concern? This helps build rapport and encourages trust. Remember, it is your reaction to the objection that counts, not the objection itself.

Give some thought as to how you view objections. How do you respond to objections? Whats your attitude? Youre on the right track if, upon hearing an objection, your immediate response is to ask yourself, What exactly does the customer mean by that? If theres any doubt, and often there is (dont assume), simply clarify the concern in one of these ways:

What do you mean by that?

Is this what you mean?

Tell me more.

Please elaborate.

Im not sure I understand.

The cardinal rule for managing objections is: Never offer a response to an objection until you fully understand how it relates to this particular customer and this particular situation. The cause of objections is somewhat universal. Its an uneasiness brought on by unsatisfied, unanswered, or undeveloped expectations. Remove the cause of an objection and you remove the concern. Objections may stem from political reasons (my sister works for your competitor), personal biases (I prefer to deal with XYZ company), or from prejudices (Ive heard bad things about your company). Most, however, come from unsatisfied personal or corporate expectations. The probing skills developed in Chapter 7 will help you explore customer expectations. We all feel uneasy about purchasing something that hasnt dealt with all of our concerns and expectations, voiced or unvoiced. Its impossible to effectively anticipate all possible objections. Objections are as varied as customers themselves. I suggest you develop strategies (responses) for the more common objections you may encounter.

However, objections are good barometers for the sales call. They show your customer is listening and they provide a means of clarification while stimulating conversation. Simply consider objections as conversational speed bumps, slowing you down long enough to grasp what the customers concerns are. Look at each objection as a spotlight on a particular concern. Once satisfactorily resolved, each