Why Rainmakers Avoid Sales Decks
(By Gil Gerretsen) Rainmakers learn to avoid sales crutches. So, if you use pitch or sales decks on your sales calls, then you should stop. There are better ways to close new revenue deals.
Let me begin by clarifying that Powerpoint presentations are a great tool for reporting but generally become a damaging crutch in the sales presentation. That’s because the presenter (salesperson) uses them like a teleprompter, which means they take their eyes and ears off the prospect. Sales decks create an environment that is too focused on the seller rather than the buyer.
Second, the only thing worse for a rainmaker than a static pitch is a generic pitch. The sales decks used in the pitch process are rarely customized for each client. Great rainmakers understand that all prospects are not the same and often have different reasons for buying. Certainly, there are common needs and threads, but skilled rainmakers find the driving motivations and customize their messages accordingly. A canned sales deck interferes with that process.
There’s a deeper problem as well. People viewing static presentations quickly lose focus. Their mind wanders and the bond between the seller and the buyer is often broken. When the bond breaks, so does the likelihood of closing the deal.
So, what should you do instead? Get rid of your sales or pitch decks. If you are meeting with people face-to-face, perhaps have a collection of one-sheet “explainer pages” that you can pull out and review with the prospect as needed. If you are meeting with folks virtually, have a bank of similar pages which you can review using the screen share function.
However, some of the best rainmakers I have ever seen in action avoid ALL prepared materials. Rather, they use the “napkin principle.” That’s a process where the salesperson converses with the prospect and supplements the process with simple notes and drawings on a restaurant’s paper napkin or a handy notebook page. It’s interactive and actually becomes a valued “leave behind” piece for the prospect because it is customized to their needs and issues. Even in today’s world of virtual meetings, instant sketches can be made and shared during, or after, the meeting.
My advice is to eschew the kitchen sink mindset that comes with sales decks and shift to an informal, customer-centric approach. Your results will improve because you’ll be doing a better job of listening to prospects.
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