The best presentation you give should be the one that your prospect never sees. Although this seems counterintuitive, you must first understand where your prospect is coming from in order to give them the best presentation they will ever see. This approach is about understanding, it’s about diagnosing a problem before prescribing a solution. Imagine if you went to your doctor and said “I’m sick”, and he looked at his notepad and just prescribed medicine for you. You wouldn’t feel like he prescribed the right thing. You wouldn’t feel cared for, you wouldn’t feel seen, and ultimately you probably won’t feel better after you take that prescription. In the same way, as a salesman, you must understand first where your prospect is and why he is in front of you, then you can figure out how to solve this problem. Because ultimately as salespeople, we exist to help people solve problems. And the best thing that we can do for them is solve that problem quickly, and to the full extent.
This approach of diagnosing the problem before prescribing a solution involves shifting your focus from talking to listening, from presenting to engaging. You must ask the right questions and actively listened to their answers. You must think outside the box to solve their problems to the farthest extent. This allows you to fully tailor the solution you provide to exactly what they want, leading to a more meaningful solution for your client, but also the perceived value of your solution will be higher, increasing the likelihood that you close the sale. This is why the best presentation you’ll ever give is the one the prospect doesn’t see.
BoweryJE22
Great post. The concept of the unseen presentation challenges traditional sales wisdom, giving professionals the urge to prioritize understanding over just pitching the prospect. By engaging with the prospects needs, salespeople build trust and tailor solutions effectively. Shifting from persuasion to connections makes the transactions much more meaningful. Embracing this approach elevates the sales process by delivering personalized value and creates long lasting relationships.
Yes, great post. It is about doing some research around the person you are talking to before even talking to them. this allows you to get to their pain easier, rather than just pitching the same thing over and over again. Doing this makes the selling process unique to every customer. This will lead to more sales since it sounds different and the customer gets to hear a new approach than other companies or sales people.
I love this concept. Never have I thought that giving a presentation or a dog and pony show as Professor Sweet calls it better than someone else would not be the most beneficial way to show what I or my product can do. I think there is truly a better way, and I am excited to hear that I do not need to present to a group a full “dog and pony show” but rather a solving of needs. I love the connection to entrepreneurship and being need seekers and problem solvers rather than great salesmen by selling.
Nice post! I agree that by prioritizing understanding before being understood, sales professionals can establish genuine connections with prospects and uncover their underlying needs and aspirations. People don’t like to be sold too, they like to buy, Listening is the best tool when engaged in conversations, well done!