The answer to this question is a resounding, no! A few weeks ago, I received a prospecting email that contained over 15 different links. Rather than an email, it was a syllabus for a graduate course. I was floored at the email. I’ll admit that it captured my attention simply because of its stupidity.
Your focus while prospecting is on uncovering a need and creating confidence. It’s not the time to deliver a presentation. Not only am I anti-presentation in the prospecting phase, but I have a strong distaste for formal sales presentations at any time during the selling phase.
Watch this video on the best sales presentations:
Sure, there are a few exceptions when a presentation makes sense; however, they’re far fewer than we think. The presentation is to benefit the customer not to feed your ego. Still, this only applies to a long way down in the sales process. There is ZERO reason to do a presentation in the prospecting phase.
Sales managers and marketing fuel this obsession of presentations, because they feel it’s the only way they can bring value to the process. It should never be about bringing value to the process but all about bringing value to the prospect. All presentations delivered during the prospecting phase only create more open time on the salesperson’s calendar.
Prospecting is about creating an engaging conversation with the prospect. When you create conversation early, you set the ground rules for more discussion. The discussion becomes the central part of the process. Your goal is to be so comfortable that you never need a presentation to prospect or to sell. For managers and marketing personnel, you need to change your role from creating content to creating questions and coaching the conversation. You are doing the salesperson a disservice if you coach them on a presentation; this will only give them a crutch.
Skip the presentation! Create a conversation by asking questions to engage the prospect.
Copyright 2019, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Result
