PLANNING SLAES DIALOGUES AND PRESENTATIONS

Sales call – An in-person meeting between a salesperson or sales team and one or more buyers to discuss business

Sales dialogue – Business conversations between buyers and sellers that occur as salespeople attempt to initiate,
develop, and enhance customer relationships
- Should be customer focused and have a clear purpose

Sales presentations – Comprehensive communications that convey multiple points designed to persuade the customer
to make a purchase
- ADAPT process

ADAPT:

-Assessed
-Discovered
-Activated
-Project
-Transition

To focus on customer value and implement the trust-based selling process, sales people must:

-Have a basic understanding of the value they and their companies can deliver to the customers
-They must recognize that what constitutes value will typically vary from one customer to the next
-They must work continually to increase the value their customers receive

Sales Communications - Is the process and messaging that keep sales teams informed, engaged, and productive while
encouraging their feedback

Types of sales communications:

-Canned Presentations
-Written Sales Proposals
-Organized Sales Dialogues and Presentations

Canned Presentations

-Include scripted sales calls, memorized presentations and automated presentations

-Can be complete and logically structured
Do not vary from buyer to buyer; should be tested for effectiveness

Written Sales Proposals

Proposal - it is a complete self-contained sales presentations

-Written proposals often accompanied by sales calls before and after the proposal is submitted
- Thorough customer assessment should take place before customized proposal is written
- A written sales proposal should follow a strategic sales process
Writing Effective Proposals

Reasons why proposals might fail

-Customers does not know the seller

- Proposal does not follow the customer-specified format
-Executive summary does not address customer needs
-Proposal uses the seller’s company jargon
-Writing is flat, technical and without passion
-Generic material does not match the targeted prospect, indicating lack of customer-focused consultative selling
-Proposal is not convincing, and does not substantiate claims made
-Proposal has poor layout and glaring grammatical errors
-Proposal does not address key decision criteria
-Proposal is vague, lacking specifics in key areas such as pricing and buyer/seller roles and responsibilities

Executive Summary – This summary precedes the full proposal and serves two critical functions
-It should succinctly and clearly demonstrate the salesperson’s understanding of the customer’s
needs and the relevance of the proposed solution
-It should build a desire to read the full proposal

Customer Needs and Proposed Solution – It should consist of the situations analysis that concisely explain the
salesperson’s understanding of the customer’s situation, problems, and needs
-It should also have the recommended solution

Pricing and Sales Agreement – This information is often presented in the form of a sales agreement for the buyer to sign
off on and complete

Implementation and Timetable – A timetable that details a schedule of key implementation event should also be
included

Evaluating Proposals Before Submission

-Because the stakes are usually high when written sales proposals are used, it is a best practice to evaluate proposals
carefully before they are submitted to the customer

Organized Sales Dialogue – also known as he organized sales presentation, unlike canned sales presentation, organized
sales dialogue has a high level of customer involvement

(STATE EXAMPLE)

Organized Sales Presentation – a sales presentations that allows a salesperson to implement appropriate sales
strategies and tactics based on customer research or information gathered during previous sales calls
(STATE MORE)
Organized Presentation Process
1st – The need development stage (which is devoted to a discussion of the buyer’s needs)
2nd – The need awareness (which is to verify what the buyer thinks his or her needs are and to make the buyer aware of
potential needs that might exist)
3rd – The need fulfillment stage (where the salesperson must show how his or her product and its benefits will meet the
needs of the buyer)

Sales Dialogue Template – A flexible planning tool that assists the salesperson in assembling pertinent information to
be covered with the prospect (The template can be used either to plan a comprehensive organized sales presentation or
o guide sales dialogues of a more narrow scope. It is meant to be an aid in planning and assembling the information
required of the salesperson)

Nine Sections of the Sales Dialogue Template:

Section 1 – Prospect Information

The section is used to record specific information on the prospect such as the company name, key decision maker’s
name and job title, and the type of business

(it is important that the salesperson make sure that all of the key players are receiving the appropriate information and
getting the proper attention they deserve)
4-4 Section 2: Customer Value Proposition

Customer Value Proposition – A statement of how the sales offering will add value to the prospect’s business by
meeting a need or providing an opportunity

In writing the preliminary customer value proposition, sales people should attempt to:

1.) Determine the primary business reasons that customers would use your offering
2.) Keep the statement fairly simple so that the direction for the upcoming sales dialogue is clear
3.) Choose the key benefits likely to be most important to the specific customer who is the audience for this
particular dialogue
4.) Make the value proposition as specific as possible on tangible outcomes
5.) Reflect product or service dimensions that add value whether or not the customer pays for them
6.) Promise only what can be consistently delivered
7.) Use action verbs that show a departure from the status quo
8.) Be as specific as possible about key metrics, including time frame, financials, and percentage targets
9.) Practice the verbal communication of the customer value proposition with people not familiar with your
business

Example of a good customer value proposition:

“ABC company can improve its market share by a minimum of four percentage points in a one-year period in its San
Francisco and Dallas markets by implementing our customer satisfaction and retention training for is customer service
personnel.”

Example of a bad customer value proposition:

“By adopting our customer satisfaction and retention programs, ABC company will see a dramatic increase in its market
share.”

This second proposition opens the salesperson into a potential barrage of questions:

-Dramatic increase in market share? What’s dramatic?

-We operate in 22 markets. Are you saying that we will increase market shares in all 22 markets?

-What do you mean by programs? Are you referring to training programs?

Section 3: Sales call objective

-This section asks the sales person to determine the objective for his or her sales call
-Salespeople should have an objective for each sales call
-This states what salespeople want customers to do as a result of the sales call

Section 4: Linking, buying motives, benefits, support information and other reinforcement methods

In this section, the prospect’s buying motives are linked to specific benefits offered. For each benefit identified, the
salesperson will also assemble the information needed to support the claims to be made in the upcoming dialogue
Buying motive – A need activated drive to search for and acquire a solution to resolve a need or problem

Rational buying motives – Typically relate to the economics of the situation, including cost, profitability, quality, services
offered and the total value of the seller’s offering as perceived by the customer

Emotional buying motives – Includes motives such as security, status and need to be liked

Features – A quality or characteristic of a product or service that is designed to provide value to a buyer

Benefits – The added value or favorable outcome derived from features of the product or service the seller offers

Section 5: Competitive Situation

-This section of the planning template asks the salesperson to identify key competitors and to specify their strengths and
weaknesses

-Buyers make competitive comparisons in their decision processes while the sales people should be prepared for it

Section 6: Beginning the sales dialogue

-During this period, salespeople will greet the prospect and introduce themselves if necessary

-In the first few minutes of the sales call, salespeople should remind themselves to be friendly and positive

-They should also remain flexible in terms of their proposed agenda

-The salesperson should be prepared to make an adjustment on the spot

Initiating Contact

Rules when planning the first few minutes of the sales dialogue:
-Following an adequate introduction of the salesperson and the salesperson’s company, the salesperson should use
questions, careful listening, and confirmation statements to clarify and define explicit customer needs and motives as
related to his or her offering

-The salesperson should present benefits in order of importance according to the prospect’s needs and motive, and
these benefits may be repeated during the presentation and at the conclusion of the presentation

-If the sales presentation is a continuation of one or more previous sales calls, the salesperson should make a quick
summary of what has been agreed on in the past, moving quickly into the prospect’s primary area of interest

-As a general rule, the salesperson should not focus on pricing issues until the prospect’s needs have been defined and
the salesperson has shown how those needs can be addressed with the product or service being sold

Section 7: Anticipate questions and objections

-Prospects will almost always have questions and objections that salespeople must be prepared to answer

-By anticipating these issues and preparing responses, salespeople can increase their chances of ultimate success
Section 8: Earn prospect commitment

-Earning a commitment from a customer should be a natural step in the versation, not forced or high pressure attempt
by the salesperson and if the commitment is sought at the right time, buyers appreciate that effort from the salesperson

Section 9: Build value through follow-up action

-The salesperson must always be looking for ways to enhance the relationship and move it in a positive direction

-The salesperson should always make a note of any promises that he or she has made during the sales calls and
especially during the presentation

-Using this template will make the task of customizing sales dialogues and presentation easier

Engaging the customer

Most initial sales calls on new prospects require an appointment

Requesting an appointment accomplishes several desirable outcomes:

-The salesperson is letting the prospect know that he or she thinks the prospect’s time is important
-There is a better chance that the salesperson will receive the undivided attention of the prospect during the sales call
-It is a good tool to assist the salesperson in effective time and territory management
-Prospects may not appreciate salespeople who drop in unannounced, as their visit could be an unwelcome interruption
in the prospect’s busy work day

Salespeople can improve their chances of getting an appointment by following three simple directives:
-Give the prospect a reason why an appointment should be granted
-Request a specific amount of time
-Suggest a specific time for the appointment

Be specific

Do

“You can realize gross margins averaging 35 percent on our product line.”

Don’t

“Our margins are really quite attractive.”