B2B Sales Presentations – When to Do It?

I’ve been getting a number of requests for information lately for how to do B2B Sales Presentations. Therefore, I will be adding some new information regarding b2b sales presentations over the next few weeks.

First, let me start by talking about When to do b2b sales presentations. There seems to be some confusion regarding the use of b2b sales presentations.

The best time to do a b2b sales presentation is never. Okay, you can quit screaming at the computer screen about how stupid that sounds.

Well, the truth is most of the average b2b sales people attempt to create a sale using the sales presentation as the tool for their success. Is it any surprise that this old school sales tactic has an extremely low success ratio? 

Look the days of the old go into a potential customer’s office and show them a power point slide show or use some product oriented board or catalog to tempt the buyer into making a decision went out of style before the beginning of the 21st century. So stop it – if you are still using this tactic.

Today’s successful b2b sales superstars are going into the potential customer’s offices and learning as much as they can about the company and the issues, problems and associated consequences AND meeting as many of the players as possible before even considering a b2b sales presentation.

In large percentage of the time, when the b2b sales person has used the Questioning Model for Sales and the decision makers have self-discovered the consequences of a slow decision or no immediate change – they do not need a sales presentation, they want you to start fixing the situation.

Now it is true with really large or major account b2b sales there will be a need for a formalized sales presentation – sometimes to the actual Board of Directors. So, they are things to learn for delivering the absolute best b2b sales presentations you can.

I will cover the Do’s and Don’t under other coming b2b sales tips for you. Until then learn the Questioning Model of Selling rather than using an old school or traditional model of selling for your success.

By the way, the traditional model sales presentation is all about you, your company’s history, and your products or services. Having overwhelmed – actually underwhelmed the decision makers with stuff about you and your company or product – there is little time to discuss the more important agenda item – what ails the potential customer and how you can improve their current situation. And, even more important is connecting the dots to their future vision and how you can get them there faster.

Final tip on when…

If you are using the sales presentation to generate interest in what you – you have missed the train and it left the station without you.

If you are using the b2b sales presentation to show the potential customer what is their root cause for under performance or results and relate the consequences of these issues to additional issues in the near future – you are on the right track. Whether or not you are able to get on their train will be determined by how well you relate the returns on investment for your solution or offering. That is the key factor in the b2b sales presentation success.

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Voss Graham

Sr Business Advisor / CEO at InnerActive Consulting Group Inc
Your Knowledgeable Partner for Business Success and Achievement. Dedicated to helping others get to their next level of success. Award winning business advisor; coach to executives and business owners; Business Growth Strategist; and experienced using assessments for hiring & selection, evaluation of teams and improving communication. Voss is available as a Speaker for your conferences or company meetings contact him at 901-757-4434 or use the LinkedIn or Facebook direct messages.

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