1. Planning Sales Dialogues and Presentations6
Planning Sales Dialogues and Presentations

2. Learning Objectives L 1 L 2 L 3
Explain why it is essential to focus on the customer when planning a sales call.
Understand alternative ways of communicating with prospects and customers through canned sales presentations, written sales proposals, and organized sales dialogues or presentations.
Discuss the nine components in the sales dialogue template that can be used for planning an organized sales dialogue or presentation. L 2 L 3

3. Learning Objectives L 4 L 5 L 6
Explain how to write a customer value proposition statement.
Link buying motives to benefits of the seller’s offering, support claims made for benefits, and reinforce verbal claims made.
Engage the customer by setting appointments. L 5 L 6

4. Key Thoughts
Professional salespeople rely on organized sales dialogues and written and/or oral presentations.
Poor grammar and spelling will severely diminish the effectiveness of a written proposal.
Successful professional salespeople develop a sales call strategy prior to initiating the sales dialogue.
Sales call strategies include a plan for asking questions and uncovering and understanding the buyer’s buying motives.

5. Sales Dialogue
Business conversations between buyers and sellers that occur as salespeople attempt to initiate, develop, and enhance customer relationships.
Sales dialogue occurs over time and includes sales calls and other forms of buyer-seller communication.

6. Customer-Focused Sales Dialogue
Sales Presentations
Need Discovery
Follow-Up; Build More Value
Sales Calls
Customer-Focused Sales Dialogue
Initiating Customer Relationships
Developing Customer Relationships
Enhancing Customer Relationships
Sales dialogue occurs over time and includes sales calls and other forms of buyer-seller communication.
Throughout the process, selling strategy must focus on customer needs and how the customer defines value.

7. Q. 1. What are the types of sales presentation formats?

8. Canned Presentations Include Should be tested for effectiveness
Scripted sales calls
Memorized presentations
Automated presentations
Should be tested for effectiveness
Must assume buyers’ needs are the same
Hello ___,
My name is _____.
I want to tell you about . . .

9. Organized Sales Dialogues and Presentations
Address individual customer and different selling situations
Allow flexibility to adapt to buyer feedback
Most frequently used format for sales professionals

10. Written Presentations
The proposal is a complete self-contained sales presentation
Customer may receive proposal and a follow-up call to explain and clarify the proposal.
Thorough assessment should take place before a customized proposal is written

11. Types of Sales Presentations
Canned Presentation
Little training is required; inflexible/not customizable; difficult to build trust
Organized Presentation
Extensive training is required; customizable; interactive; fosters trust
Some training is required; customizable while being written but not once delivered; may be perceived as more credible
Written Proposal

12. Sales Communications Formats

13. Written Sales Proposal

14. Q. 2. What are the seven deadly mistakes to keep in mind when writing proposals?

15. Proposals Not writing a proposal
Not fully understanding the customer’s business
Missing a deadline
Producing a proposal with little ‘drive up’ appeal
Not saying anything that will make a difference

16. Q. 3. What are the components of an effective proposal?

17. Components of a Written Proposal
Executive Summary
Customer Needs & Proposed Solutions
Seller Profile
Pricing & Sales Agreement
Suggested Action & Time Table
The quality of a salesperson’s written document is a surrogate for that salesperson’s competence and ability.

18. Q. 4. What are the twelve simple rules of writing?

19. Twelve Simple Rules for Writing1
Double check company names, titles, and individuals’ names.
The spelling of words you are not sure of should always be looked up. Do not rely on your word processor’s spelling checker. 2

20. Twelve Simple Rules for Writing
Write the proposal and get away from it before proofreading. Give your mind some time away from the document so that it will be fresh when it is time to begin the editing process. 3 4
Proofread and edit for improvements rather than to simply catch mistakes. How can the message be improved in clarity and crispness?

21. Twelve Simple Rules for Writing
Repeat the proofreading process and, when possible, have a third party read for meaning, clarity, grammar, and spelling. A third set of eyes can find problems that the writer often overlooks. Don’t submit your first draft, as it won’t be your best. 5 6
Use hyphens to avoid confusion, but do not place a hyphen after an adverb that ends with ly.

22. Twelve Simple Rules for Writing
Separate things in a series with a comma, and set off nonessential clauses with a comma. 7
Use that in restrictive clauses, use which in nonrestrictive clauses. (e.g., The sales quota that he announced is too low. He announced the new sales quota, which is too low.) 8

23. Twelve Simple Rules for Writing9
Avoid starting sentences with the words and or but. 10
Use like for direct comparisons; use such as for examples.

24. Twelve Simple Rules for Writing
Use a dash to set off and end a thought in a sentence that differs from the preceding concept or thought. 11
Periods, commas, and question marks go within quotation marks; semi-colons go outside quotation marks. 12

25. Evaluating Sales Proposal (Five Important Dimensions)

26. Evaluating Sales Proposal Reliability and Assurance
reflects your (the seller’s) ability to identify creative, dependable, and realistic solutions and strategies and match them to the buyer’s needs and wants.
builds the buyer’s trust and confidence in your ability to deliver, implement, produce, and/or provide benefits.

27. Evaluating Sales Proposal Tangibles, Empathy, & Responsiveness
enhance and support the communication of your message and invite readership by its overall appearance, content, and organization.
confirms your thorough understanding of the buyer’s business and his or her specific needs and wants.
developed in a timely manner and demonstrates a willingness to provide solutions for the buyer’s needs and wants and to help measure results.

28. Organized Sales Dialogues

29. Discovering Needs – Review ADAPT

30. Sales Dialogue Template

31. Sales Dialogue Template (cont.)

32. Sales Dialogue Template (cont.)

33. Customer Value Proposition
Customer Value Proposition: A statement of how the sales offering will add value to the prospect’s business by meeting a need or providing an opportunity.

34. Creating a Value Proposition

35. Ethical Dilemma

36. Q. 5. What are the various components of the sales presentation checklist?

37. Sales Dialogue and Presentation Template
Section 1: Prospect Information
Section 2: Customer Value Proposition
Section 3: Sales Call Objective
Section 4: Linking Buying Motives, Benefits, Support Information and Reinforcement Method

38. Sales Dialogue and Presentation Template
Section 5: Competitive Situation
Section 6: Beginning the Sales Dialogue
Section 7: Anticipate Questions and Objections
Section 8: Earn Prospect Commitment
Section 9: Build Value through Follow-up Action

39. Q. 6. What are the steps in the sales presentation?

40. Sequence of the Sales Presentation
Introduction
Need discovery – use questions, careful listening, and confirmation statements to uncover explicit needs
Present benefits addressing buyer’s explicit needs

41. Sequence of the Sales Presentation
Continuation of prior sales calls should start with a summary of earlier calls
Pricing issues should not be focused on until the customer’s needs have been defined and addressed

42. Q. 7. What are the components of the sales mix model?

43. Sales Mix Model Presentation Pace Scope Depth of Inquiry Use of
Visual Aids
Two-Way
Communication
Prospect

44. Q. 8. What are the steps in approaching a customer?

45. Approaching the Customer: Getting the Appointment
Setting appointments . . .
Demonstrates respect for the prospects time.
Increases the likelihood of receiving the prospect’s undivided attention.
Improves time and territory management.

46. Engaging the Customer Request an appointment
Give the prospect a reason why an appointment should be granted
Request a specific amount of time
Suggest a specific time for the appointment

47. Approaching the Customer: Starting the Sales Call
Introductory Approach
Product Approach
Benefit Approach
Question Approach
Referral Approach
Compliment Approach
Survey Approach

48. Buying Motives
Rational Typically relate to the economics of the situation, including cost, profitability, quality, services offered, and the total value of the seller’s offering as perceived by the customer.
Emotional Includes motives such as security, status, and need to be liked; sometimes difficult for salespeople to uncover these motives.

49. Features and Benefits

50. Features and Benefits

51. Ethical Dilemma