Because I am a marketing writer, a lot of prospective clients are somewhat skeptical that they need me. Oh, I can write a white paper myself. I am not paying someone to blog for my company. I can write my own website content just fine, thankyouverymuch. The problem, though, is that most people can’t write, either because they are literally god-awful writers, or they lack time, or they lack the expertise to do it properly. But because they are convinced they don’t need me, I often face a rather uphill battle to close a sale.
Though I rarely give sales presentations, when I stumbled upon this blog post that appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum blog, I saved it. In the blog post, marketing strategist Ivana Taylor provides a simple formula that can help you close a sale in 7 minutes or less.
Minute One
Open your presentation by laying out the problem: Sales are falling, marketing programs aren’t working, customers aren’t spending as much, the rising price of oil is affecting our margins, etc. This serves to get everyone on the same page; it should be no more than two or three sentences.
Minutes One – Three
Back up your opening statements with straightforward data, charts and graphs that the audience doesn’t have to analyze. For instance, title each graph with the information you want your audience to be left with: “20% Drop in Sales During Q1” instead of “Sales During Q1.” Obviously, you want to keep it brief.
Minutes Three – Five
After hearing all the bad news, your audience needs solutions. They will, therefore, be eager to hear your ideas. Present them in a tangible, visible way with props or demonstrations to engage and get buy-in.
Minute Five – Six
At this point, your audience will want to know what’s in it for them. Clearly describe the benefits of your solution, and use lots of adjectives to illustrate how great the solution is.
Minute Six – Seven
Now that your audience is excited about your solution, explain what the next steps are. Assign people tasks, present them with a timeline, and if there are forms to be signed, get signatures before everyone scurries off to their next meeting.
Image by Flickr user Earls37a (Creative Commons)
Google+
