Sales Presentation Training

"Why you should consider sales presentation training?"

E ffective sales presentation training is important because making pursuasive presentations is a critical tool in every successful salesperson's toolkit. However, presenting a product or service solution to a group of people is not a natural skill for most people.

As a Sales Executive, helping your team become more effective during critical sales presentations results in a positive impact for your company. Developing your team's ability to motivate your client to purchase your solution is a skill that should be continually developed. Your win rate will go up and your image as a knowledgeable resource and advisor with your clients and customers is enhanced.

How To Choose Sales Presentation Training

The first decision when choosing sales presentation training is to decide what are the areas your team needs help. What are their experiences? What are the biggest needs to help them be more proficient? Also, there are many types of presentations that are given during a complex sales cycle. Each one has it's own considerations.

Unfortunately, there is not a "one size fits all" workshop that will work for all members of your extended sales team. You'll have to do your homework to find the best fit for your need.

Types of Sales Presentations

There are many types of sales presentations that contribute to sales success. At different points in the sales cycle you will present different information. And, the purpose of each presentation might be slightly different. You can have presentations to educate, inform, persuade and clarify. And in a large company, each group can have a slightly different purpose to their presentations. Below are some of the types of sales presentations that are given in companies every day. It is up to you to decide what type of presentations you want to focus on when you are looking to select a presentation trainer or training program. Consider the following different areas:

Telesales

Telesales and telemarketing teams make many important presentations. First, there are special considerations for making presentations over the phone or via the web. Then there are differences based on the specific activity e.g.; telephone sales, inbound telemarketing, outbound telemarketing, cold calling, or service presentations.

Business Development and Prospecting

Business development involves developing interest in doing business with your company. Sales presentations for business development also require a unique focus. These presentations require you to evaluate a client's business and tailor the content and delivery in hopes of moving the sales process forward. If you are selecting presentation training for your business development group, consider the unique requirements needed to help them achieve their objectives.

Live Sales Calls

Live presentations are the ones that are done primarily during the qualification and discovery phase of your sales process. In each sales call, there is information about your company, products, or services you want to provide the prospective client. If you make effective presentations during each of your sales calls, it helps your discovery and helps you gather information that can be incorporated into your solution presentation.

Solution Presentation

Solution presentations link the customer's business issues and needs to your product or service. These are often the make-or-break presentations where you need to capture interest and motivate towards. Solution presentation training is where the majority of sales presentation training companies focus their deliverables.

Closing Presentations

There are generally other presentations that need to be done in the process of closing the order and implementing the business. Presentations during this stage of the sales process generally focus on specifics, terms and conditions, legal boilerplate, and gaining final agreement. There can be multiple presentations during this time that address the uniqueness of a specific action items.

Technical presentations

Technical presentations are sometimes required to provide proof your solution performs as stated. Technical presentations obviously require much more specific detail, but that detail needs to be focused on the customer's requirements and not just on technology in general. When researching a sales presentation training for your technical team, make certain that it is linked back to the sales process, and the customers business issues.

Executive Presentations

Presentations to executives generally revolve around higher-level issues. Executives want to understand their investment relative to their business objectives. They want to understand how your proposed solution meets with their strategy. They're also interested in the results of how the plan was implemented and how the metrics and benefits they hoped to achieve were impacted. Presenting at the executive level requires a different thought process and presentation skills to achieve credibility.

Customer Service Presentations

When training your customer service group to present sales presentations to the client, make certain that it is done from their perspective and point of view. Customer service sales training needs to help your team provide a clear vision of successful implementation, training, usage, and success.

How To Measure Training

Sales presentation training needs to deliver a positive ROI. Training without a measurable result is usually a waste of time and resources. There are four ways to determine the effectiveness of any training in event.

1. Did the participants enjoy the presentation? However, having them enjoy a training event is not your primary goal.
2. Did the participants learn new information?
3. Were behavioral changes affected in a positive manner for those participants.
4. Have you observed and measured new results as a result of the training process.

When you're interviewing potential vendors to deliver the training, ask them for help in measuring behavioral and results oriented changes. In addition, make certain that part of the training process involves helping your managers coach the process with their teams.

Format Choices

There are many different ways of delivering sales presentation training. Here are a few of the choices.

• Books provide a good introduction to presentation training, but they don't supply any feedback, coaching, or custom tailoring.
• Videos can give you much more graphic view of good presentation techniques, but like books, they are lacking in feedback, coaching, and tailoring.
• E-learning programs are a lot like videos, with the added benefits of them having the ability to put in tests and alternate branches of learning if participants want to go deeper into a certain aspect of the training.
• In my estimation, instructor led training is the best way to deliver sales presentation training. Participants can engage in role-play and video critiquing that provides instant feedback and learning. In addition questions can be answered as they come up, and tailoring can be integrated at all levels.

Questions you should ask when selecting a training process

Here some key questions to ask when selecting sales presentation training for your team.

• What facets of training do you cover?
• What is the flow and process of your delivery?
• Does the training focus on the specific group and requirements that you are trying to develop?
• How can the training be tailored for my requirements?
• How do you measure success of the training?
• Do you have referrals from customers with the same issues as mine?
• How do you help ensure that the training sticks within our organization?

How to implement sales presentation training

Any training as a stand-alone process is usually not successful. To gain maximum return on your investment, make certain that the training becomes part of your selling toolkit. Your Managers need to coach the behavioral changes and refresh the knowledge and skills that are obtained in the training.

Conclusion

Sales presentation training is very important for helping your team become more effective. Making effective presentations that inform, inspire, and motivate your client during all aspects of the selling process is important to your overall sales success. Having each of your sales and customer facing teams be proficient at making sales presentations will help you increase your win rate, and enhance your image as a knowledgeable resource and advisor with your clients and customers.

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