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A sales presentation isn’t a motivational speech. You want your prospect to do more than feel good after your presentation. You want him to take action. Building and delivering a persuasive presentation requires a different strategy and approach than other types of presentations. You need more helpful advice than “Make good eye contact and don’t read from your slides.”

A sales presentation isn’t a dull data dump either. Today’s buyers are more informed than ever. Engaging today’s busy decision makers – and keeping them engaged – is mission critical. Attention spans are low and distractions are high. Buying cycles have increased in length and complexity. Competition is fierce. Cookie-cutter presentations and long corporate overviews have gone the way of the fax machine. Yes, you can still use them, but your audience members will roll their eyes.

I wrote Sales Presentations For Dummies after training sales teams all over the world and recognizing that most are operating off beliefs and techniques from the 1970s, ’80s, or ’90s – well before prospects were able to escape to their smartphones or tablets the second they weren’t engaged. With this book I hope to help you rise to the challenges of presenting in today’s selling environment. Whether your presentation or demonstration is formal or informal, virtual or live, this book gives you the strategies and tactics you need to win more deals, more consistently.

About This Book

Regardless of industry, location, or company size, salespeople face three common challenges when giving a sale presentation today:

✔ How do you keep your prospect engaged long enough to hear your message?

✔ How can you differentiate your solution in a crowded marketplace?

✔ How do you present your product or service in a way that inspires your prospect to take action or is remembered when buying decisions are made?

In Sales Presentations For Dummies, you find the tools, techniques, and best practices for addressing those challenges and more. The techniques here are proven to shorten your sales cycle and have a dramatic impact on your win ratio. I organize this book around the sales presentation process, from planning your presentation to using discovery to closing with a strong, clear call to action, from developing a tailored message to delivering that message with confidence and skill. Along the way I explore a variety of contemporary presentation scenarios: virtual presentations, product demos, team presentations, and more. You also see examples drawn from real-world sales presentations and get step-by-step instruction on how to make your presentation more compelling, persuasive, and memorable.

Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you’re reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as it’s noted in the text, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist. If you’re reading this as an e-book, you’ve got it easy – just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.

Foolish Assumptions

Just like you must do for a sales presentation, I have to make a few assumptions about you, my audience. You don’t need to check all the boxes to qualify – all you need is one and this book is for you. Here are the assumptions that I make about you:

✔ You didn’t arrive here by accident. You’re in sales. Your title may be business development manager or sales engineer, but you have a role in persuading a prospect to purchase or lease a product or service.

✔ You give presentations or demonstrations. Formal or informal. Virtual or live. Long or short. No matter the kind, you engage in a purposeful sales conversation with the goal of closing or advancing the sale.

✔ You have sales experience but recognize you need new tools to engage and persuade today’s busy decision makers in a highly competitive market.

✔ You’re new to sales and you want to start off with best practices for today – not 1980.

✔ You have picked up a few good presentation basics. But because your competition has too, you need to up your game.

✔ You’re not technically in sales, but you need to make a persuasive case that inspires someone – a manager, a committee, a partner – to take an action or change a behavior. Forget the fact that this is the definition of sales, and let me just say, Welcome. You are also in the right place.

Several of the preceding assumptions, a few, or just one may apply to you. No matter what, this book can help you elevate your sales presentation to start winning more deals right away.

Icons Used in This Book

I use the following icons in the book’s margins. Use them as a roadmap for important information.

These are tricks, shortcuts, or best practices that separate you and your presentation from your competition.

These are points you need to become familiar with in order to build and deliver a persuasive case to today’s busy prospects.

Watch out! This icon focuses on things that you can do to make your prospect question your credibility or cause you to lose valuable attention.

This icon directs you to free supplemental information at www.dummies.com/extras/salespresentations.com.

Beyond the Book

You can find some free articles online that expand on some of the concepts in the book, like the power of your opening to influence the sale, seven tips for storytelling success, and how to gamify your sales presentation. You can find links to the articles on the parts page and on the Extras page at www.dummies.com/extras/salespresentations.

In addition to the material in the print or e-book you’re reading right now, this book also comes with some access-anywhere goodies on the web. Check out the free Cheat Sheet at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/salespresentations for helpful tools like the performance tool checklist, props checklist, a list of opening hooks to get you started, and how to remember the difference between features, benefits, and value. Print them and keep them handy for when you’re working on an opportunity.

Where to Go from Here

Ready to get started? Jump in! The great thing about For Dummies books is that you can begin at any point and not feel like you missed a day at school. This book isn’t linear – so feel free to focus on a subject that you need some expertise on right away. If you have a new sales presentation opportunity, find out what you need to know to get started in Chapter 1. Tired of competing with your prospect’s smartphone for attention? Find effective new ways to keep him engaged in Chapter 14. Need help coming up with a killer opening? Check out Chapter 5. If you have a product demonstration next week, check out Chapter 18. Have a web presentation coming up? Get right to it in Chapter 17. Want to leverage the power of storytelling in your presentation? Find innovative tips in Chapter 12.

This book is chockfull of techniques and ideas. I suggest you try a few at a time and add as you go. Keep this book handy so you can check out new ideas and continue to grow your presentation tool kit.