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Writing Presentations That Win Business

Submitted by Mitch Seigel on Tues, 10/27/2015

In today’s fast moving world, it is still recommended that you take the time to write a proper presentation for a customer. It is so easy to essentially do an estimate, to give your prospect an idea of their investment. This is done way too often, and reduces the value of your brand to a commodity.

If that’s all you want, a pricing battle with the competition, for most likely, one time orders, then go ahead and continue to do estimates. If you want top dollar, the dollar your company deserves, and do not want to be reduced to a commodity, then it is worth the time to insert the steps needed to write a proper written presentation.

It all starts with the needs assessment. If you are asking your client the proper questions, you will be acquiring the key information to formulate a presentation that wins business. With the many at-the-tip-of-your-finger resources today, you can learn the answers to your questions before meeting with your client.

So you may be thinking, and then if I can find out all the answers to the questions, why do I need to ask the client? Good question! In a sense, it is an act to show your sincere interest to your client, and to see if the research you uncovered is correct. If it is on track, you can proceed.

In geometry we all learned that if A=B, and B=C, then A=C. To develop a winning presentation you are using that formula. If your client has needs, and those needs can be found in your products and services, then your client needs your products and services. Your presentation should be written in that order. Start off by re-stating the client’s needs, then state what the features and benefits are of your products/services, then bridge the two, to show how each need can be met by the use of your products and services. If you did the first part correctly, asking the questions, your client will be in a position to say yes every time. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

Amazingly enough, more than not, salespeople do not follow these steps and try and take the easy way out and cut corners when writing presentations. These salespeople are not the top 10% and will not be in their positions for long!

Remember, take the time to do a needs assessment. Write the presentation to repeat what you learned in the needs assessment. Attach the needs of the client to your features and benefits. Now you have a winner.

What are your challenges when it comes to writing presentations that win business? I look forward to hearing your comments. Until next time…