The Blatant Truth Weblog

We’ve all had those sales presentations where everything went right. You captivated the audience with your words, and they nodded in agreement. You left the room feeling like a rock star, confident that you’d soon have a sale. Then, the romance quickly ended when you tried to close the deal. They fell off your grid, wouldn’t take your calls, and basically disappeared without even an explanation. Hmmmm!  And, you thought they loved you?

Yes, it sounds more like a one-night stand than a sales presentation, but too often seemingly productive sales presentations end up going nowhere fast. Why? Well, there are four primary reasons why your once captive audience is not really into you anymore. Here they are:

Oops! You Romanced the Wrong People

Often times, the people who seem like they are sure bets during a sales presentation are just those who don’t have any buying authority. It’s easy to get positive response from individuals who aren’t authorizing the checks, but you’re spinning your wheels by focusing on them. Do your homework ahead of your meeting and make sure that the decision-makers will be listening to what you have to say.

You Didn’t Probe For Information

You’ve memorized the features and benefits of what you’re selling and can probably even recite them in your sleep. But, no one is sold by a running monologue. To captivate them enough to get them to buy, you better be finding out how you can help them. Without this information, you have no ability to offer them an improvement of their current situation. This translates into them having no reason to return your call.

You Didn’t Present Enough Value

You could have the flashiest, most innovative product or service on the market, but if you can’t communicate its value to your prospect, they’re not going to buy it. Sure, they’ll ooh and aah over the fantastic things that you’re showing them, but if you’re not explaining why they need to have it, you might as well pack up and go home.

You Didn’t Ask Enough Questions

Besides determining their specific needs, you still need to find out much more before you have the sale. Do they have the budget for what you’re selling? What’s their timeline? How does the purchasing process work? How best to follow up? What else can you do to help them?

Like going on a first date, you need to play it smart if you’ll continue on towards a relationship. Find the right people, ask them the right questions, and you’ll go a long way to preventing being jilted again.

A healthy ego is certainly a good thing to have if you want to be a successful salesperson. Yet, some of us are simply off the chart when it comes to self importance. You might know who you are, and the rest of us can certainly spot you from a mile away. But, if you’re not quite sure if you’re the poster child of the blatantly autocratic sales approach, answer the following questions and find out for yourself.

Do you frequently catch yourself saying or thinking “It’s my way or the highway”?

Sure, you may or may not be able to use this tactic with your kids who are living under your roof. However, if you’re not giving your customers options and choices, and don’t bother to negotiate or work to meet others’ needs or wants, you’re guilty!

Guess what? This lack of flexibility translates into you being deemed “difficult” and a “jackass”. Sure, you can stick to your guns, but the people who you’re trying to sell to aren’t going to feel the need to put up with your attitude.

Do you demand that they sit through your presentation or else?

You’ve diligently developed your PowerPoint presentation, honed your speech, and have memorized every benefit and feature of what you’re selling. Of course, your audience is going to listen intently from start to finish without interruption. You don’t need to accommodate their pesky time constraints or questions. Right?

It’s time for a wake up call. Maybe you have a busy schedule, but so do those you’re selling to. Most likely, they have lots of salespeople who want them to sit through presentations just like yours. Unfortunately, there’s probably much more to their day than just listening to their vendors. Hey, give them a break. Make your presentations short and sweet, and do your best to work with their schedules.

Do You Not Really Care All That Much about What Your Customers Want?

It’s all about your needs. You have a commission, a quota, or a boss breathing down your neck. You just don’t have time to focus on what your customers want.

Whether you once cared about your customers needs and have just become jaded over time, or you’re just naturally a selfish, rude salesperson, this attitude is a surefire way to lose customers very quickly.

Sometimes, it’s hard to take a self-assessment and find out that you’ve become the jerk that everyone loves to hate. However, in these tough economic times, can you really afford to take this approach with your clients? Don’t think for a moment that your customers don’t recognize these behaviors.

The good news is that you can change for the better. The best salespeople really do care about their customers and want to do their job well by being helpful, informative, and professional. You can, too! Take the ego down a notch and roll your sleeves up to start working with them not just for yourself. You’ll be glad that you did!