Sales Professionals everywhere are challenged to “hone” their presentation skills; often required to record their pitches for review and comments from management. Corporate PowerPoints are in a constant state of revision in attempts to perfect the “message.” But is presenting really the most important aspect of sales? I’d suggest no…listening is.
While I will never state effective communication is not important, too many reps focus on “the pitch” and not the customer. They make certain all key features are explained and that every value proposition(s) is clearly stated and described. Yet, they fail to listen to the customer and really hear their concerns. What are their objectives? What are their plans?
By failing to listen, sales professionals fail. They fail to qualify the prospect – is this prospect worth spending time on? They fail to hear and understand the prospect’s pain points and therefore are unlikely to present their offering in the most compelling way. Finally, they fail to hear how the prospect purchases, which could be more of a limiting factor than any lack of features.
Go ahead, ace your “elevator pitch” but for most sales presentations, be sure to listen as well as present.