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I have always wondered what separates a good salesperson from a great one. Why is it that some require a huge number of leads to get a few conversions, while others seem to convert almost every lead that comes their way? What really creates that difference? The way they communicate. To be more precise, their presentation skills.
A few years ago, my colleague and I had gone for a client meeting. Just to give you a background, he is a behavioural trainer and has been into sales since the start of his career. I, on the other hand am more of a content development professional cum trainer, who set forth into the world of sales a few years back post joining The Yellow Spot.
Now as you may have guessed, both our sales styles are very different. And that would often come across very clearly when we went for meetings together.
Now this one time, I remember I was busy explaining the customised outline I had specially prepared for the client. I was doing my best to explain every detail of every activity to the client. Often trying even harder when I didn’t see any expression on their face! Once I was done, as always, my colleague took over. And as always, I watched him in awe while he did his magic!
I thought to myself, “How does he do it! He is so smooth. His influencing skills are something else only. I tried so hard and yet I felt like I couldn’t get through. Just look at the client’s expressions now. They are so convinced with what he is sharing.”
That evening, after we concluded the client meeting and proceeded to go home, I made up my mind. I just had to know how he did it. While I always knew sales was about knowing your product really well and presenting it well too, here was something else. Something that was beyond what I was doing or that I could even comprehend! He didn’t even know the outline the way I did and yet he could so beautifully convince the client.
So, I sat him down once we reached the nearest railway station and pestered him to reveal his secret. He smiled at me and said “Well all I do is pay attention to the client. I am completely dedicated to their cause and in seeing how I can help them get there.”
Now that got me even more curious. I asked him, “But isn’t that what I was doing too? I also created a customised outline aligned to their needs.”
“Yes,” he said, “but it’s a little different. You have to go a step further. Let me explain it to you.”
And then he revealed his 3 magical pointers. The 3 presentation skills that actually helped him create a huge difference in conversions.
1. The Connect
Not the rapport building we talk about during every sales training. That’s a given. This ones about being present. Listening to the other person. Hearing what they have said and havn’t said. Yes, listening between the lines. Helping them catch on to even those things that they didn’t know were troubling them. And then giving a solution.
So while I gave the client an amazing outline based on what their HR had told me during my conversation with them, I realised it lacked something. While the activities looked great on the face of it, the outline was actually unable to touch upon the greatest pain the client was facing. A pain that my colleague was able to unearth through the connect that he created with them in those few moments.
My Learning: Be more quiet on the inside so that you can connect with what actually is on the outside. Listen, observe, share. Go beyond the obvious.
We often think presentation skills are about speaking well. But some of the most important presentation skills actually happen before we say anything!
2. Be Flexible
And that is one that I have to learn from my colleague. He is so comfortable with change. In fact, he does that even during workshops! I create a design for him based on the inputs I have been given by the client. Now when I deliver sessions I have a tendency to stick to that design. He, on the other hand, is completely fluid.
Some of you who have attended his sessions would have heard of his concept of crystal and smoke. He says that most people are like crystal, very structured. While some amount of following rules, plans, timelines, etc. are required, it’s also important to stay flexible.
So much so, that sometimes he comes back from a workshop having done absolutely nothing that was on the agenda! While it used to drive me nuts initially, after having put it all that effort to create the content, I have learnt to accept it now. And that’s because I understand where he is coming from.
He always says “I am in service of my participants and will give them exactly what they require. And if that’s different from what the initial brief was, so be it.”
My Learning: Be more like smoke. Be okay letting go of your effort to create your customised product. Adapt to the need in front of you. When the client knows you are open to exploring every possible solution just to help them manage their pain, they will be with you.
I had customised the outline based on what the client had told me. But my colleague was willing to customise it further based on what was emerging in the room.
Well yes, I am also referring to speaking in the same language as the customer. A very obvious one which many sales professionals tend to miss out on. But again, I want to touch upon a deeper level here.
Its not just about switching your language. Its about choosing the words you use carefully in the same language to match up to your customers level.
This point actually reminds me of a conversation I overheard this morning while sitting on a swing. I had a poet sitting on the adjoining swing. He was talking to a producer, who wanted him to give a 30 minute talk to an audience.
Now what he said was very interesting. He said that he would go ahead with the talk only if he was allowed to choose what he spoke. As per him, words were very important. They had the power to mesmerise an audience. And just like the poetic language the famous Gulzar had used in a movie song, he wished to use his poetry to thrill his audience.
Coming back to sales. My colleague always told me to match the words I used in my outlines to suit the person who was going to be approving the outline. So if it was going to be an HR Manager approving it, my words needed to be different. And if it was a CEO approving, very different!
For instance, a CEO may want to know about business impact, return on investment, etc.
An HR leader, on the other hand, may want to know about the methodology, how you will build capability, etc. A business head may want to know what will change on the ground post the training. Same solution, different language.
And this is something that my colleague always followed during his meetings as well as sessions.
My learning: Speak to your audience in the language that they get. It creates comfort for them, making it easier for them to share their real problems.
Absolutely.
In fact, we use them all the time during our trainings too, which are nothing but long presentations!
We listen intently to our participants. Ask them questions. Share our observations. Create a safe and comfortable environment so that are able to unearth their pain. We love working at the root level, as that’s where the miracles actually happen!
While I am still working on being more flexible during my sessions, I have improved on the whole. And I can honestly see the difference it creates. Not only do the participants go back much happier, as a trainer you also feel more satisfied. You know you have been able to touch a chord deep inside which would not have been possible had you stayed stuck to your initial plan.
And the flexibility in words? Yes, I make it a point to use that pointer while making outlines, proposals and delivering to different audience. And now with AI here to help, it makes it easier for me to ensure that my communication speaks the language of the person reading it! Definitely a factor that’s contributed to my sales conversion and training success. Surprisingly, all presentation skills!
They aren’t restricted to just classroom or board room presentations. They are core communication skills that help you understand, connect and share with your audience.
And aren’t useful only during presentations. But can have a huge impact on sales conversations too.
In fact, based on my experience, these are the skills that help you go beyond simply selling. They take you into the arena of converting.
Because ultimately, it is not just about having a great product or a great presentation. It’s about being able to truly understand the needs of the person sitting across you, communicating in a way that works for them and giving them that which will actually make a difference in their life.
Master these skills and you’ll go from being a good salesperson to a great one!