Ten Points to help in Selling with Powerpoint June 15, 2008
I’ve talked about PowerPoint before. I don’t like it so much, but many companies insist on using it for everything.
One such company I was recently working with used it for all sales presentations. That’s right; a ‘Death by PowerPoint Sales Pitch’.
I watched one of the presentations, and the sales guy came a distant second to the slides. This destroyed his sales abilities. He was a good salesman when able to interact directly with his clients, but stuck behind PowerPoint, he really struggled. Is it any wonder the companies sales were low?
In an ideal world, we wouldn’t be forced to use PowerPoint in our sales presentations. If we are, there are things we can do to improve the results we get.
So we sat down and devised a new set. This set used his sales skills directly in the presentation, with the slides to back him up. This slide set also used little known persuasion techniques from a variety of sources to improve his sales results.
So what did we do? Here is a list of what and why…
1. Each slide is given a unique headline that describes a benefit to the client in one single sentence. This benefit is then expanded within the slide itself. The only time you’d mention a feature is if in direct reference to the benefit the client gets. Some example titles might be:
- Increase your customer satisfaction by 32%
- How XYZ can increase your IT hardware ROI
- Decrease downtime by at least 22%
2. These headlines are written in an active voice. Drop the cold wet fish of business language and use active, first person language. Doing this actively involves the readers brain, and keeps their attention longer.
3. Make the slides about the client, not about you or your company. How can your product and service help the client directly? They don’t care about you or your product and service. They only care about how you can help them.
4. Each slide is to have no more than 5 bullet points (Each point written in active, first person language). The reason for 5 points only, is because there are volumes of research on how the human mind can only deal with 7 +/- 2 chunks of information. Some people in the room might be able to deal with 9, but the actual decision maker might only be able to deal with 5. Why risk it?
5. Each and every slide and each and every point of every slide must defer to the sales person to explain and expand on. If the points are well written, everyone in the room with is waiting with anticipation for the sales person to discuss it.
6. If you must read the slides out loud, then use a laser pointer so people can follow along. Otherwise they’ll be reading at different speeds, and starting to get annoyed as you fight directly with their own reading style.
7. This goes for every sales situation, but get excited! Your excitement in the slides will be directly transferred to your listeners. If you are sitting at a desk, watching your laptop, it’s hard to get excited. You might have to stand up and move around.
8. Make sure your regular set of objections are covered somewhere in the slides! The more regular, the sooner you cover it.
9. Have different endings to your presentation. There is a well known adage in sales; “When the customer is sold, stop selling”. It’s difficult to do this with another 15 PowerPoint slides remaining. Within PowerPoint you can create a web site like structure, so instead of going from one slide to the next, you can jump around. Giving more details on a direct benefit the client is interested in, and skipping the ones they’re not.
10. On each slide as the last point, ask a question that is answered by ‘yes’. This can help test for closing and uncover objections on each slide.
Bonus Extra
11. Use pictures. If you can’t find a good picture that describes what you want, then use a picture of a face. Humans are hard wired to recognize and respond to faces. Doing so will keep attention focused and make the slides more memorable.
There are a few more subtle methods we used that were directly related to his client’s problems, but these should get you started on redesign.
Any other ideas or pointers you have used to get good results?
How do you make decisions? March 18, 2008
If you are like most people, you don’t know the process you go through to make a decision. It happens quickly, naturally, and without our awareness.
The easiest ways to discover how you make a decision, is to take 4 of your friends out to dinner.
When you are handed a menu, place it closed in front of you and watch your friends. Notice how one might ask what someone else is going to have. Notice another might read through every item. Another might glance at the menu and close it. The fourth will do something different.
Once they have made their choice, pick on one of your friends with these questions. (I’ll leave the decision of which one to pick up to you, but if you’ve worked with me before, you’ll know my selection criteria).
“What have you chosen?” Listen closely to the answer. They will likely tell you everything about their decision process. Once they finish, ask:
“What made you choose that?” And again listen to their answer.
If you’re lucky, they’ll say something like “I looked through the menu till I found the dish I had before,” or “I opened the menu and picked the first thing I noticed.” If you’re unlucky, they’ll give you a long rambling story about their childhood. Both will tell you how they made that decision.
Now comes the real challenge. Pick up your menu and use their method to choose food for yourself. This doesn’t mean choose the same dish (although you might). If they choose something they have had before, then you do the same. If they choose the first thing they see, do the same.
Doing this can give you a powerful insight into your own decision method (and might have you eating something new - always a bonus!).
So after doing this, what does that get you?
- It gives you skills to notice someone else’s decision method. This in itself is useful for sales, negotiation, business or making your partner happy because if you know how someone makes a decision, simply give them the information they need to make the decision you want.
- You get insight into your own process. Even though you are only choosing what to eat, the chances are this is the same process you go through to pick a car, house, shoes or a pen.
- You now have another way to make a choice. Chances are you may not like this new method - thats ok, you don’t have to use it. You can keep it in your back pocket when you want a change, or are faced with a very difficult decision.
Notice how the people around you make decisions. Notice how you make your own decisions.
Technorati Tags: Business, CEO, Decisions, Group Dynamics, Learning, Management, Motivation, Negotiation, Persuasion, Psychology, Sales
Bad training gives information, good training gives skills May 29, 2007
I’ve been to many training sessions. In business and out. Most are glorified information transmission. The 8 hours I spent in the room would have been better spent with a book.
Then there are training for sales, negotiation, management, leadership that expect to transfer skills via this same method. The instructor stands in front of the class and lectures using powerpoint slides. Unfortunately a lecture is a very poor method to transfer skill (or anything else, for that matter). If you are lucky, you get a short, contrived exercise that gives you a false sense of the skill.
Even worse are these leadership and group bonding situations. They claim to improve group dynamics, yet all they do is have the group use exactly the same skills and behaviour in a different context. So if the group didn’t work in the office, chances are it’s not going to work outside.
Ideally, training requires a mix of theory combined with challenges and exercises. The theory is to transfer the “how” of the skill. The exercises designed to practice the theory, and the same time stretch the experience of the students and allow then to practice the “how”. The percentage of each needs to be managed with the outcomes of the course and current student skills.
The metaphor I like to use is: describe to someone how to ride a bike. You can read all the theory in the world, talk to BMX and Tour de France experts, and watch thousands of hours of video. Then, when you get on a bike you realise it’s not as easy as it looks. Learning how to ride a bike contains about 2 minutes of ‘theory’ (this is how you steer, this is how you go forward and stop). Then about 30 to 60 minutes of direct experience, trial and error. From then on, it’s practice.
So next time you attend a training seminar that claims to teach a skill ask yourself the question. “When I finish this training do I know how to ride a bike, or can I ride a bike?”
Communication is Manipulation March 26, 2007
Most people have this strange thought that manipulation is evil, bad, and should never be done. Unfortunately we can’t escape it.
I had a discussion with a sales manager the other day about some of the standard sales closing tactics. For example, do you want the product delivered on Thursday or Friday? This sales manager didn’t like to use these methods because he calls it manipulative.
It took me a little while to explain that all of sales is manipulative. That’s how sales people do their job. They manipulate their client into purchasing the product. In the end he understood when I explained that asking a question - or any communication - is manipulation. You’re changing the listeners state, getting them to accept your idea, alter their perspective or just sending their mind down a different path. For example: On what side are the hinges on your front door?
You have to stop your current thoughts, imagine your front door and then answer the question.
Now I’m sure to get many complaints and comments that sales people don’t manipulate, or that some do, but I don’t. These comments and complaints are another form of manipulation - attempting to get me to change my idea or alter my perspective (but send them anyway). I am doing the same manipulation back at you right now.
The reason it seems most people shy away from manipulation is because they think it removes freedom of choice. What really removes freedom of choice is when someone refuses to accept the responsibility for the manipulations they engage in. They’ll happily excuse away abusive behaviour because “it’s natural and genuine” or “that’s just how I am”. You’ll often hear “Genuine people don’t manipulate”. As some counter examples, Stalin was natural and Hitler was genuine. Being natural is no excuse for bad behaviour. So not only do these people limit the choices of people around them, they remove choices from themselves as well. Being responsible for your own communication creates more choice for you and your listeners.
All communication is manipulative whether it’s purposeful or not. All great communicators know this. Because of this knowledge these great communicators know they are responsible for the results of their communication. They know that when you talk with them, and you get benefit from it, you’ll do it again.
So how are your manipulating your listeners?
Technorati Tags: Business, Communication, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Negotiation, Presenting, Psychology, Sales
How to stop the upsell January 5, 2007
I am sitting in a cafe awaiting my coffee. I considered ordering more, but was ‘persuaded’ not to by the waiter.
The interaction went like this:
Waiter: “Are you being served?”
Me: “Not yet. Can I have a decaff cappuccino …”
Waiter: Cutting me off “That’s it,” with a horizontal chopping motion with his hand.
I was going to order more, but he stopped me. His statement (not question) combined with a hand motion that is often used to show boundaries or where things stop lost the cafe money. Now I’m trained to be aware of and use these behavioural patterns, yet even though one part of my brain notices this interaction the response coming out of my mouth almost involuntarily is: “Yes. That’s it.”
And I’m sure the waiter wonders why he doesn’t get many tips.
P.S. Happy New Year.
Technorati Tags: Business, Communication, Persuasion, Psychology, Sales
The secret to overcoming any excuse… August 21, 2006
… from anyone, anytime. Including your own excuses that cripple your motivation.
Everyone seems to want more motivation. Often I hear from people that some days they just can’t seem to get out of bed, go to the gym, or eat healthy food. Yet those same people don’t connect the excuses they use to their lack of motivation.
There is a very easy method that you can used to immediately drain the power from any excuse you have (or, for everyone in sales, any excuse you are given by someone else).
This will work with _every_ excuse. Though be aware that once you reduce the excuse, that does not necessarily mean you are motivated. You have only taken the hand brake off, you still need to press the accelerator.
Before I explain how to nullify an excuse, I have to explain a little about the structure of an excuse and how it hamstrings motivation. Every excuse can be described in the form of:
Not action because of excuse
This can be said in many different ways, but can all be boiled down to that structure. Some examples are:
“I can’t go to the gym because I’m tired.”
“I would like to go to the gym but I’m too tired.”
“I’m too tired to go to the gym.”
Now the secret here is to change the relationship between action and the excuse. With the examples above there is a direct relationship between the action and the excuse and the excuse stops the action.
I’ll give you another example:
“I can’t go to the gym because I’m sitting on the couch.”
Now if you are like most people, you might start to wonder about the validity of the excuse. I should go to the gym because I’m sitting on the couch. This example starts to show how the excuse - any excuse - is in no way required to be related to the behaviour being avoided.
So knowing this, how do we change this? Once you know how, it’s very easy and you will no longer have an excuse to have an excuse.
The simple method is to use the word ‘and’. So you would change the structure of the excuse to:
Not action and excuse
So changing the above examples you would have:
“I can’t go to the gym and I’m tired.”
“I would like to go to the gym and I’m too tired.”
“I’m too tired and [would like] to go to the gym.”
Say these changed excuses to yourself and take notice how you feel about the action. Next time you hear yourself give an excuse, change it and take notice of your feelings. I’m sure you’ll be surprised to find yourself being much more motivated.
And as I hinted at earlier, you can use the same technique on others and here’s how. When someone gives you an excuse reply with the exact words they used for the action and excuse, replacing the linkage words (because, but, or others) with ‘and’. Often they will nod, as if you have agreed with them. Try it, and let me know your results.
Technorati Tags: Brain, Change, Communication, Marketing, Motivation, Persuasion, Presenting, Proactiveness, Productivity, Psychology, Sales, Stress
Stupid business policy that costs over $10000 per month June 13, 2006
This happened last week.
A company policy states: ‘…any order less than $10000 is charged freight. Any order over $10000 is not charged freight.’
This month’s order was only $9950. The company, following the policy, charges the $150 freight. So, after a few phone calls, it becomes apparent that this policy is immovable. Buying $50 less will actually cost $150 more. So, doing what any customer will do when they think they are overcharged or treated poorly, they move their business elsewhere. So after 3 years of business worth over $10000 each month, the customer takes their money elsewhere.
Technorati Tags: Business, Policy, Companies
Social conditioning binding March 25, 2006
Steve Paulina has an interesting write-up about how you can get many benefits in your life by expanding your perspective.
You can read it here.
Interestingly, he does not talk about changing your perspective. Usually the most useful and powerful method to help you sell more, get you out of a depressed state, understand someone else’s motives, relieve stress, reduce performance anxiety, learn new skills and much much more.
I’m working on a nice write up of how to actually change your perspective in a useful and effective way. I’ll put a link up here once it’s finished…
Technorati Tags: Brain, Persuasion, Presenting, Psychology, Stress
Turn performance around… March 18, 2006
Do you know how CEO’s can change the morale of their company, turning around a poor performing company into an outstanding example of Change. On the flip side, do you know how a company that is doing great, can suddenly be hamstrung by plummeting employee morale?
Being able to observe these changes is one thing. Knowing what is causing them is a different. Knowing how to make it happen is another different thing entirely. And can be learnt.
Malcom Gladwell in The Tipping Point gives us a hint or two on how to do this. He discusses the very interesting topic of epidemics and contagiousness. Though he goes on to elaborate:
“If I say that word to you, you think of colds and the flu or perhaps something very dangerous like HIV or Ebola. We have, in our minds, a very specific, biological notion of what contagiousness means. But if there can be epidemics of crime or epidemics of fashion, there must be all kinds of things just as contagious as viruses. Have you ever thought about yawning, for instance? Yawning is a surprisingly powerful act. Just because you read the work ‘yawning’ in the previous two sentences - and the two additions ‘yawns’ in this sentence - a good number of you will probably yawn within the next few minutes. Even as I’m writing this, I’ve yawned twice. If you’re reading this in a public place, and you’ve just yawned, chances are good that a good proportion of everyone who say you yawn is now yawning too, and a good proportion of the people watching the people who watched you yawn are now yawning as well, and on and on, in an ever-widening, yawning circle.”
–Gladwell, Malcom. The Tipping Point. Little, Brown and Company (2000).
Just think of that for a moment. A personal act that has no connection to anyone else can cause a profound change in someone else’s behaviour. That is, however, not the most surprising part. The most surprising is that you can cause someone whom you have never met or seen to yawn. And while making someone else yawn is probably low on the list of useful things to do, the mechanism inherent in that ability can profoundly change how you communicate and persuade.
What would your working life be like if, as a salesman, every time someone looked at your card they felt an urge to dial your number? Or what would your working life be like if, as a CEO, every time your employee talks about your company, they are filled with the same infectious passion you have. What would your life be like if you were able to, intentionally, have your (positive) reputation precede you?
A month or so ago, I started playing around with this idea. Have you ever had a song stick in your head? Of course you have. It might have been a song on the radio, or a TV add jingle but regardless of where it came from you might find yourself humming the tune at different times during the day. Firstly, I played around with how to implant a song into someone’s head. I also wanted to find out if it’s possible for that song to then infect someone else.
I had some success. Not as much as I’d like, but I’m still playing with it. I discovered there are a few rules for doing this:
1. The song or tune has to be known. Thought it is possible to teach the tune.
2. Installation of ‘patient zero’ has to be done at the right time. You need their attention, but not their full attention on the tune.
3. Once ‘patient zero’ is infected, you need to step away. Observing too closely will distract ‘patient zero’ and anyone around.
4. The tune needs to be installed in a specific way. Sing only 1/2 the tune. For example, if I type “Mary had a little lamb”, chances are you finish the sentence.
5. It is possible to inoculate others against transfer.
I played with transferring a tune, but it can be anything as the underlying method is the same. A joke, for example, uses the same method. And in fact, telling the right story makes it much easier to infect others than a singing a tune. Just look at the popularity of myspace and Robbie Williams.
So what does this mean? It means that if done right, your communication can infect the listeners, and they can propagate this message to others. Which can make your life much easier, or much harder, depending on what your infect your listeners with.
Technorati Tags: Brain, Business, Persuasion, Psychology, Change