A client recently told me that the sales cycle for their business is a “long process and it just takes time.”  I hear this a lot. In fact, it’s what I told myself in my early selling years. I was selling an intangible, high ticket service to multiple buyers. I told myself that this was a complex sale and it just takes time. That was then. Now I ask myself and the people I coach different questions.

• “What if your sales cycle is long because of what you’re doing? Or not doing?”
• “What if you could shorten the sales cycle from 8-10 steps to only 3?”
• “What if you could map out and document the shortest route possible to achieve the most profitable sale?”

It seems to me that figuring out how to eliminate this sales mistake would be time very well spent, especially if you’re a sales manager working with a team of people who are each doing their own thing. When asked to spell out the steps in their selling approach, the answers I get are often fuzzy, inconsistent and not specific. And of course, there’s nothing documented which makes it difficult to replicate. We know the risk. While sales people may be doing THEIR best, it is not THE best. And that directly impacts sales results.

Sales Cycle Example

For my business, I have ‘Sales Maps’ for 4 different scenarios. This  example is how I plan to close a complex sale in 3 steps. Does it always work? Not necessarily. But it usually does and it certainly would never work if I didn’t have the plan mapped out in the first place. Remember  ̶  your steps will be different. The key point is that you figure out and document your ideal.

1. Step One: Meeting with decision maker: The sales process within this meeting is structured, highly focused on uncovering needs and is designed to close for a meeting with other key stakeholders that will influence the decision. The goal is identify tentative dates for meeting two. Note: if asked to prepare a proposal at this point, I advise the client that the solution developed will be better if it reflects the input from key stakeholders on his team.  I also know that if I jump to a proposal after Step One, I run the risk of getting resistance from other decision influencers who have not been engaged and I may get push back on pricing. By involving the key stakeholders in a second meeting, I get their ‘buy in’ and I can demonstrate the value they will be getting and that prevents push back on price.
2. Step Two: Meeting with key stakeholders: Again, I use a well planned and structured sales process which focuses heavily on uncovering needs and gaining different perspectives. I get rich information I need to make a compelling proposal. The goal of this meeting is to book a meeting for a proposal presentation.
3. Proposal Presentation Meeting: Using a well planned and structured process, we walk through the proposal and address key questions and concerns along the way. The sale is a natural conclusion of this meeting because everybody sees their ‘footprint’ on the proposal. The goal is to close the sale by scheduling dates and initiating next steps to get the project underway.

Whatever your sales cycle looks like please, please, please! do the following:

In between each step, before ending each meeting or conversation, have a concrete call to action – a timed next step that moves the action forward. There is nothing that contributes more to a long sales cycle than leaving a meeting with next steps loosely arranged.

Always Be Closing. Obtain commitment from your client to DO something that moves the action  forward right then and there. Just get it inked before you leave.

I am eager to hear from you. Leave me a comment. And do it NOW while it’s fresh in your mind!

I was recently providing coaching feedback on the pilot of a new high stakes product presentation that was being launched for a client. The observers in the room commented that the presentation felt dry and needed more ‘sizzle.’ Here’s what we did to accomplish that:

1. Reworked the content – made the key points tighter, slashed content that added little value and reordered it to create a more logical flow.
2.  Wove in Persuasion Elements to bring the content to life – added stories, analogies, examples and evidence throughout the fabric of the presentation to transform the content from dull and boring black and white to brilliant technicolor.
3.  Coached the presenter on his delivery – voice modulation, energy, inflection and pauses all put the icing on the cake. Because this was to be a webinar, we focused primarily on vocal attributes. Had it been a face-to-face presentation, we would have also focused on how eyes, hands and body would come into play.
4. Reviewed the quality of the slides – The slides that were developed for this presentation were clear and well designed and no changes were needed.  This is usually not the case and slide makeovers are often in order.

If you want to put more sizzle in your sales presentations, remember that you have to be firing on all 4 cylinders: Content, Persuasion Elements, Delivery Skills and Slides.

Are you consistently creating the impact and results you want with your presentations? Is it worth investing the time and resources to up the quality of your presentations?

I can’t imagine doing anything else that would deliver the same ROI. If you’d like to deliver a sizzling presentation, here’s what I suggest:

Learn more about our upcoming presentation skills training, UPFRONT Persuasion Through Presentation on June 1^9th and 20^th in Toronto.

The easy way is to just list the dates in bullet point form. But this is not very effective.

Why? Because by listing the dates in bullet points, it’s not easy for the audience to find a date and be able to relate it to the other dates. So you might ask, does putting the dates in a table make it easier? At least it makes the dates easier to see, because they are all in one column. But it still doesn’t help the audience to tell how far they are from today or how the dates relate to each other.

To figure out better ways to communicate date-based information, we can look to what we learned in grade school. When we were in kindergarten, one of the key concepts we learned was the calendar. We had to learn how to tell the days of the month, days of the week and how they related to each other. Once we learned those concepts, we could easily relate to when tests were scheduled, when assignments were due, and, most importantly, when school was done for the summer!

Why not show date-based information as a calendar? We understand it instantly because it is familiar to us. This is one of the tips I’ll be demonstrating in my upcoming webinar on April 11^th. You’ll see how clear the information is in a calendar format and how easy it is to create in PowerPoint.

Here are two examples, one with dates listed as bullet points. The other dates are shown on a calendar:

Another concept we learned in grade school gives us a second way to more visually show date-based information. In history class we created timelines to represent when events happened in a certain period we are studying. Perhaps it was when the first explorers arrived in the land, when they first settled the land, and when they first encountered the native people. We plotted a timeline that gave us a sense of how far the events were from each other.

If we have project-based information, using a timeline diagram can be a great way for people to instantly understand the timing of key tasks in the project.

Can we make time-based information easier to understand? We certainly can.

Today’s guest post is by Dave Paradi who will be my guest presenter on April 11^th for our  webinar on ’20 Expert Tips To Create Persuasive PowerPoint Slides’ from 12:00 to 1:00 EDT. Join us and you will see these two expert-level tips, along with at least 18 other ideas you will be able to apply immediately to increase the effectiveness of your presentations.

In my UPFRONT Persuasion workshops, I see many presenters resort to the same old approach using boring, text heavy slides which serve then as crib notes. Then they joke about PowerPoint as a necessary evil. The real problem is they aren’t aware of what’s possible with PowerPoint.

Poor design and lack of clarity in the slide message have many consequences:

For the presenter: When your slides are boring, you are boring. When your slides are confusing, you confuse your audience. You have to work so much harder to relay your message with energy and conviction. When you resonate with your slides and they ‘sing,’ then you speak to your points with infectious enthusiasm and clarity.

For the audience: We often experience the following annoyances:

1. The presenter is reading text laden slides – very boring.
2. The presenter is trying to paraphrase the text that is on the slide – totally confusing because there are two messages being delivered at the same time that compete with each other and split our focus.
3. The presenter has a complex, confusing graph and has no plan for clearly walking the audience through the critical information – total overwhelm.

When there’s a disconnect between the spoken words and the message on the slide, the audience goes into confusion. Instead of listening intently to the presenter and seeing how the slide message reinforces and augments the point, the audience tunes out. We stop listening to the presenter and start to listen to our self-talk: “What the heck is going on here? I don’t get it. I wonder how much longer I have to endure this. When’s lunch?”

My colleague Dave Paradi, author of The Visual Slide Revolution has an astonishing ability to create persuasive slides. He has a fanatical focus on making sure the slide has a clear message and can stand alone.

I was working on a project recently doing ‘slide makeovers’ for a client delivering a critical presentation. The contrast between the before and after was remarkable.

Don’t make your audience work hard to understand your key points. Don’t make them figure out what you want to communicate as a presenter.

Instead of using the same old slides that potentially detract from your message, learn how to create effective slides that inspire you and persuade your audience.

On April 11^th, I have invited Dave Paradi to conduct a webinar on “20 Expert Tips To Create Persuasive Slides.” Check it out here.

What do you find most challenging with creating persuasive slides?. Send me your comments and we will incorporate them in our upcoming blog posts and webinar.

Here’s what I tell my clients who want better sales results: Listen with the intention to hear. So often we fall into the bad habit of listening with the intention to answer without really hearing what’s said. This is flat out dangerous. It costs you sales.

For example, when coaching sales people on questioning skills, I encourage them to stay in questioning mode much longer than what feels normal to them.  And, I suggest they ask better quality questions to fully understand their clients’ needs.

But when I observe them in the field or during role-play, I notice that it isn’t just questioning skills that need attention. They aren’t listening deeply to the answers that their clients are offering them. Instead,  they’re focusing on their next question. A golden nugget is offered up by the client or prospect, and the sales person doesn’t even hear it. They miss the opportunity to dig deeper and go for more gold.

Poor listening also shows up when responding to objections. Instead of getting defensive and reacting to the objections with quick answers, ask more questions first to fully understand the concern and what lies beneath it. And then, again, really listen to the answers.

When you listen with the intent to hear, the next logical question will appear.  Resist the temptation to answer too quickly. When you ask several questions and really listen to the answers, the client will feel heard and you will both stay calm while you try to resolve the concern together. And the key benefit is that you now have a much deeper understanding of their concern which sets you up to respond to the objection more successfully.

Questioning and listening skills go hand in hand together like a horse and carriage. You can’t have one without the other.

Listening is one of those critical sales skills that we can always hone and get better at. To find out how well you are doing, take the listening self quiz. Better still, give it to a significant other to rate you. I dare you!

What is your experience of listening? Drop me a comment. I would love to hear.

What are the top 3 things that annoy you in PowerPoint presentations? Dave Paradi, author of The Visual Slide Revolution, asked people this question in his research study. Here’s what he found:

1. Speaker reading slides – 73.8%
2. Full sentences on the slides – 51.6%
3. Text too small – 48.1%

If you want to use PowerPoint to your advantage then you need to:

1. Learn how to design slides for maximum impact on the audience
2. Learn how to speak about your slides and integrate them seamlessly into your presentation

Many people approach a presentation as though the slides are the presentation and they are there to support the slide deck. The reverse is true.  As a presenter, YOU are the presentation and the slides are there to enhance your message and make you more persuasive.

Remember, the slides are for the audience, NOT for you. Do not use slides as your crib notes. Your slides should keep your audience focused and enhance their understanding of your content. If it doesn’t help accomplish that goal, don’t include them.

Most presenters don’t use audio visual aids properly.  In fact they use them very poorly. In my UPFRONT Persuasion presentation skills training and coaching, I observe one of two things:

1. Presenters avoid using PowerPoint or visual aids because they are afraid of technology or don’t know how to use them effectively
2. Presenters misuse PowerPoint by overusing slides, reading them and using slides that are poorly designed. PowerPoint Fatigue, Death by PowerPoint, PowerPoint Slapping, Whipping and Abuse are common descriptors.

If you fall into the first category of avoidance, do what you need to do to get comfortable with PowerPoint technology.  There’s ample evidence that supports the use of visuals for persuasion. ”A picture is worth a thousand words” holds true, in that a single image can save a presenter from speaking a paragraph of descriptive details.

• A study done by the Wharton School of Business showed that the use of visuals reduced meeting times by 28 percent.
• Another study found that audiences believe presenters who use visuals are more professional and credible than presenters who merely speak.
• And still other research indicates that meetings and presentations reinforced with visuals help participants remember, reach decisions and consensus in less time (source Wikipedia).

Getting comfortable with PowerPoint technology is only the first step. If you want to avoid the mistake of falling into the trap of PowerPoint abuse, learn how to use visual technology to enhance your impact rather than to distract or annoy your audience.

I would love to hear from you. What are the things that most annoy you?  What are your favourite tips and tricks for effectively using YOUR visuals?

With a bit of coaching, she began using her ‘real voice’ and in doing so, revealed a much more authentic voice that was engaging, passionate and clear. Nancy went on to deliver one of the most persuasive presentations of the workshop.

Your voice is a killer persuasion tool. When delivering presentations, the tone of your voice and the vocal variety you use can have more impact than all other presentation skills combined. If people focused as much on their voice as on their power point slides, my bet is they would see a dramatic impact on their ability to move their audience to take action.

When I observe presenters who present using a presentation mode voice it sounds phony. And that makes it hard to trust the presenter and connect at a genuine level. And of course trust and connection are basic ingredients for persuasion.

What makes a presentation even worse is when people fall into the trap of reading from their slides. When this happens, it’s next to impossible to use your voice authentically and to truly connect with your audience.

Seth Godin, bestselling author, entrepreneur and change agent, isn’t about sales per se – just brilliance and insight. Here’s what Seth has to say about voice and persuasion in his post Your Voice Will Give You Away.

“It’s extremely difficult to read a speech (presentation slides) and sound as if you mean it… You must do one of two things if your goal is to persuade:

1. Learn to read the same way you speak (unlikely)
2. Or, learn to speak without reading

Learn your message well enough that you can communicate it without reading it. We want your humanity.”

Here is a tip on how to break the pattern of using presentation voice.

When I video tape and coach presenters in my training program UPFRONT Persuasion Through Presentations  I stop the presenter who is using presentation voice. To interrupt this pattern, I ask them a few questions and they immediately start using their genuine conversational tone. I then stop them again and point out that this is the voice, their ‘real’ voice that they need to use. This exercise helps them ‘get it’ at a body level.  What is even more powerful is when they view the video afterwards and see the difference between the two voices.

The next time you have an important presentation to deliver, rehearse it with a friend as follows:

1. Get them to video tape you on your smart phone or flip camera to establish a baseline.
2. After about two or three minutes, ask them to stop you and to start asking you a few related questions to engage in a back and forth conversation. i.e. “Why is this presentation important? What did you do to prepare for this presentation? Who is in the audience? How do you think they will react?”
3. Compare the differences. First what felt different between the presentation tone and the conversational tone? Then view the video and observe the differences.

I have heard countless times how impactful this exercise is during my workshops. It works to stop the phony pattern and to start using a conversational, genuine tone.

Remember – being an effective presenter is not about being slick. It is about being ‘you,’ and being the best ‘you’ that you can be.

What about you? How do you make sure you are using a conversational tone? What tips can you share back with me?

“If I could show you a way to easily solve your problem, would that be of interest to you?”

Let’s look at this question and examine why it isn’t effective.

Here are just a few reasons:

1. The intention behind the question is not one of curiosity about your customer’s needs; it is a leading question that is about you.
2. It is a closed question and the only information you will glean is a “yes” or “no”.  More importantly, it is a ‘gotcha’ question because the only logical answer is yes.
3. It is a question that leads right into a pitch.  As soon as the customer answers the question (yes), the next words that will come out of your mouth will be pitching words.

I call these types of questions ‘Pitches that are disguised as questions.’ I sometimes hear such questions during our role play practice in our Intentional Selling  sales training. People who pitch their products or solutions too early in the sales process are guilty of falling into this trap and using these types of questions.

Does that mean you should never use such questions? No, not necessarily.  Although leading questions are not my personal favourite during ‘Discovery’, they can be used to direct the conversation to where you want to go.  For example, after you’ve asked questions and uncovered the client’s needs, this type of question can be used as a way to transition to your pitch or message.

Here’s another example of how this might fit into your questioning approach:  When you hear an objection, resist the temptation to respond until you’ve asked several questions.  First you need to get clarification, check assumptions and get a deeper understanding of the stated concern. You could then use this leading question to transition to your response. However, do not let it be the first and only question.

The key point is to be clear about the intention of your question. Is it to understand their needs or to lead the person to your message?  If it is to understand and learn more, this question is not the best.

Tip: Create a ‘Questioning Toolbox’ which documents examples of high value, open-ended discovery questions. This best practice enables you to have proven questions on hand for easy reference. You can add to your toolbox, share with peers and hone your questioning skills as you explore the impact of new questions with different clients.  In my sales pursuits I am amazed at how a small tweak in a question can dramatically alter the response I get from clients.

What questions do you use that might lead to pitching too soon? How could you change it to discover more about your client? Leave a comment, or send me an email with your thoughts.

If you want to be more strategic with your ‘Discovery’ questioning skills, call me. Let’s talk. 905-877-5808.

Jim participated in the Intentional Selling™ program as part of a company wide initiative. Part of the training process includes identifying limiting assumptions that might unconsciously block sales success. Jim became aware of the following limiting beliefs:

• Since he was already achieving sales success, he was open to a “refresh,” but he assumed he would not learn anything new.
• He believed he already knew his clients and their needs, so honing questioning skills would yield little added value.
• He believed his relationships with his clients, along with periodic product updates, golf treats, and lunches were enough to create new sales.

With a record of sales success and strong relationships, it was initially difficult for Jim to see a need to change anything in his selling process. Nevertheless, he listened and participated in the training program but without any clear intention to do anything differently. However by the end of the training, his curiosity was peaked and he made the decision to apply what he learned in his next client sales meeting.

Jim had the opportunity to meet a long standing client for lunch the day after he completed the Intentional Selling™ workshop. Afterwards, he called me (and his VP) to report on what happened:

After friendly rapport building and catching up, he quickly shifted the focus of the lunch meeting. During the Intentional Selling training session, he learned the importance of setting context for sales success in meetings and presentations using a structured approach. The ‘Engage’ structure helped him set the stage for strategic questioning by stating the purpose, plan, pay off and expectations for the meeting. He then proceeded to ask questions strategically, something he had not done for a long while because he assumed he already knew this client and her needs. He was typically in a pattern of pitching new products when he met with her.

He reported that he was astonished with what followed and what he learned. As he was asking questions and gathering information, he resisted the temptation to jump in with solutions. He forced himself to dig deeper and ask the “question underneath the question.”

He kept in mind this phrase from his selling workshop: “The quality of the question determines the quality of the answer.”

Jim learned all kinds of things about his client and her business which both amazed and surprised him. His client gained new awareness and insights about her business and she told Jim he created a lot of value for her just with the questions he asked her.

After the meeting, she called Jim and thanked him again for a very productive meeting and told him it was the best meeting she had ever had.

As a result of the meeting, Jim came up with some very creative and big solutions that were spot on and she was on board! That meeting took their relationship to an even stronger level.

Jim attributed the successful sales meeting to clear intention to establish focus about the meeting purpose and to ask strategic “Discovery” questions in a new and structured way.

Have you fallen into the same trap of assuming you know what your client needs? I would love to hear from you.

This sales success story is an excerpt from my article ‘Intentional Selling for Professionals – 3 Common Mistakes Smart People Make‘. Click here to read the full article.

In my sales training and coaching,  I’ve seen even seasoned sales professionals lead with their product, solution or ideas rather than leading with questions. Pitching product (showing up and “throwing up”) is hoping that if I talk about my product enough, something will stick. But it will annoy, overwhelm and cause your client to shrug and think “So what?” Whether you’re conducting sales meetings or delivering presentations, product pitching simply does not work. If you do not take the time to fully uncover the real needs of your client or audience, you are sabotaging your sales success.

Many sales people are under the misguided assumption that they do ask questions. But I have seen the most seasoned sales professionals fall short time and again. While they may start off asking a few questions, the minute they hear “a need,” they jump in with how their solutions will address the concern rather than asking more questions to get underneath the concern and to understand the impact of the problems.

Early in my sales career, I met with the VP of Sales for a company that sold textbooks and educational productions to schools, colleges and universities.  After creating rapport and setting the context for the meeting, I spent the first 30 minutes of our time together in questioning and note-taking mode. I asked a broad spectrum of questions to fully understand his challenges, what was working, and what was not.

When I asked him about his desired outcomes, he said “I want my sales people to do what you are doing with me. Ask questions to know their clients’ needs. They bring out their text books and materials far too early in the sales meeting.”

Neil Rackham of the Huthwaite organization and author of Spin Selling conducted extensive research on the selling behaviours of high performing sales people. What he found through his research was that high-performing sales people did three things very differently during meetings from those people who were not effective. High-performing sales people:

1)      Asked a lot more questions

2)      Allowed the client to do most of the talking

3)      Waited much longer before jumping in with a solution

Just like a good doctor does a thorough diagnosis before prescribing a remedy, sales people have to take the time to do a thorough ‘Discovery’ before recommending a solution. They have to ‘earn the right’ to talk about their products and solutions by asking questions first. This allows them to position their products and solutions in the context of their clients’ needs. Instead of feature dumping, they can use benefit statements, stories and examples that are relevant and targeted to needs. Instead of “So what?” their clients and audiences will say “Ah-hah!”

To follow up on my earlier story about the VP of sales, my relationship with this client thrives to this day. They continue to  embrace the concepts of Intentional Selling and ‘Discovery’ questions are used company wide in their sales process.

If you want to learn more about selling mistakes to avoid, click here to read “10 Tips That Work For Truly Persuasive Presentations.”

Love to hear from you. How have you used questions in your selling strategy? What might stop you from using more questions?