My final sales presentation was my first time in the hot seat in front of the class, and if I’m being completely honest, I really enjoyed my time there. Going up was really nerve-wracking, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but once I was on, I really settled in. Sales is mostly improvisational, so there is really no way to prepare for a conversation like this, but there were a few things that I kept in mind going into it:
- Always, ALWAYS, keep asking questions. Sales is all about getting to know your clientele, and just like you would when meeting a stranger for the first time, you want to ask as many questions as possible to get to know where they are coming from.
- Do not talk about yourself. This is not about you! If the buyer has a legitimate question about your business, they will ask you about it and you can talk logistics, but there is no real need to explain unless they ask. The buyer does not want to hear about you, YOU want to hear about the BUYER.
- Know how to control the conversation. The asker always has the most control! In a sales conversation, you want to be able to ask questions that push the customer in the way that you want. Knowing how to ask pointed questions in a certain direction can aid in this task.
- Be genuine and honest. Customers can sniff out dishonesty faster than a police dog can smell marijuana, and it is neither difficult nor taxing to just be frank with the customer. Try to work with them, try to figure out where they’re coming from, and if you can make a deal, make a deal! If not, there’s always another customer around the corner.
BoweryJE22
Hey Katie Rose. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed your time on the hot seat, that is a really good thing, and I think that you did a good job up there. The ideas you expressed here are definitely all so valid, and I loved the dog sniffing out marijuana analogy.
My hot-seat experience was very similar. I was nervous but then kind of forgot I was in front of the class and just had a conversation. It’s a good way to start out because if you can handle a pitch in front of the entire class, it will be much easier to handle a pitch one-on-one. Nice reflections!
You did a fantastic job with your pitch! You were really great at keeping to the topic at hand and just rolling with the curve balls that were thrown at you. I like how you said to know how to control the conversation. That is definitely easier said than done but you did a great job at it.
Katie, you did great on the hot seat, I remember you stating how nervous you were at first, but I am glad to hear that you enjoyed it after settling into it. Those are some really good tips to take from that experience.