By Chuck Coté

At the start of every football season, legendary Green Bay Packers football coach, Vince Lombardi, would gather all his players into a conference room.  Walking into the room, Lombardi would hold up a ball and say “Gentlemen, this is a football.” He had a very good reason for this approach.

Lombardi believed that to achieve excellence you had to be great at the fundamentals like blocking, tackling and discipline.  As a result, they were the primary focus of the Packers’ practices.

The same principle applies to preparing and delivering your sales presentations.  Salespeople who execute the fundamentals well put themselves in the best position to close more sales and get more business.

But how can you distinguish yourself from the competition when what they’re offering is so similar?  That’s the critical question to ask as you prepare to stand and deliver a sales presentation.

Five Key Sales Presentation Pointers
Here are five key sales presentation pointers that will help you differentiate yourself in the eyes of your prospects and close more sales.

1. Focus on Your Prospect’s Business Problems.
   Most prospects are not interested in your firm’s history or your business experience.  They want to know how you can solve their business problems.  The best presentations are tailored to propose a real solution that prospects can easily understand and readily buy.  Show them how yours will do that.
2. Make Your Presentation a Conversation.
   One of the best ways to ensure that you connect and engage with prospects is to make your presentation a conversation.  When your presentation is interactive, your prospect’s concerns, objections and questions will come out in a relaxed manner.  You set yourself apart by showing them that you understand their business and how you can help solve their problems.
3. Tell & Sell a Message with Three Main Points.
   Make these three points the focus of your presentation and use stories, examples and illustrations to bring them to life.  Sticking to three points will separate you from 90% of your competitors who present too much information with little or no focus.
4. Show Passion for Your Product or Service.
   Many salespeople don’t present what they are selling with genuine passion, especially during difficult times.  Attitude drives behavior and we behave as we believe.  How you look, sound and act is critical if you want to make successful presentations that get more business.
5. Make Your Presentation Clear, Concise and Compelling.
   If your presentation is too long or too detailed, the prospect can lose focus and get bored.  When you present too much information the prospect may get confused and lose track of where you are going.  How many times have you sat through a long-winded presentation and wondered what it all meant?  Make sure your prospect knows exactly what you want them to do.

Use these five pointers to set yourself apart from the competition and get your prospect to decide that your solution is the best choice in today’s competitive marketplace.  Execute them well and you’ll get more business!

Chuck Coté is a Public Speaking Coach and Sales Presentations Expert.
He works with people and organizations
that want to get more profitable business.
Contact him at www.ChuckCote.com or by phone: (800) 350-7695.