Q1 Sales Performance Poll Results

Does sales presentation training matter?

One recent client found that increased sales presentation skills doubled their sales reps chances of closing a deal when compared to their less skilled peers.

Many top-performing sales organizations have built their sales presentation abilities into a source of powerful competitive advantage. To truly create a true competitive advantage through sales presentations, your clients must clearly understand what you have to offer, see the explicit value for them, and trust that you can deliver on your promise.

According to our recent Q1 Sales Performance Poll, 45% of sales executives are most concerned with “Getting New Business.” Their second greatest concern (22%) is “Expanding Current Clients.” While many components need to go right to win and expand current accounts, we continued to be surprised by the lack of presentation and communication skills when it comes to both formally an informally influencing decision makers when the stakes are high. This is especially true when it comes to influencing executives.

To ensure that you are set up to succeed, make sure that your sales teams can consistently:

1. Recognize target clients
2. Communicate a clear value proposition
3. Follow your go to market strategy
4. Identify their client’s “care-abouts”
5. Link your solutions to their most pressing needs
6. Articulate how you can help them in a way that creates trust and makes your value visible

All it takes is a few “ride-alongs” or video-taped sessions to understand that most sales forces do not have what it takes to influence your customers when the stakes are high. Don’t take these important (and often underappreciated) skills for granted.