How do you prepare for a sales presentation that involves multiple stakeholders or a panel of evaluators?

A sales presentation that involves multiple stakeholders or a panel of evaluators can be a challenging and high-stakes situation. You need to convince not only one decision-maker, but a group of diverse and sometimes conflicting interests, personalities, and expectations. How do you prepare for such a scenario and deliver a persuasive and effective sales pitch? Here are some tips to help you plan, execute, and follow up on your sales presentation.

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1 Know your audience

Before you design your sales presentation, you need to research and understand your audience. Who are they, what are their roles, what are their pain points, what are their goals, and what are their criteria for evaluating your solution? You can use tools like LinkedIn, company websites, social media, or referrals to gather information and insights about your prospects. You can also ask them some questions in advance, such as their preferred format, duration, and agenda of the presentation, their expectations and concerns, and their level of familiarity with your product or service.

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Loren Reale

Water Management / Citizenship and Passports in USA, Canada & United Kingdom
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Know your audience ? Okay. Don't forget to have them know you and demonstrate how much you care to validate how much you know. All during the discovery process, consistent validation of the value of information received allowing us to do amazingly great work. Email, letters and thank you notes across multiple layers that communicates that with their guidance and information, an accurate quotation and concise proposal would be made. Thsis level of engagement helped us recover from the no one knowing who we were, at the start.

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2 Tailor your message

Once you have a clear picture of your audience, you need to tailor your message to address their specific needs, interests, and objections. You need to craft a compelling value proposition that shows how your solution can solve their problem, benefit their situation, and differentiate from your competitors. You also need to adapt your tone, language, and style to match your audience's preferences, level of expertise, and decision-making process. For example, you may need to use more data and facts for a technical or analytical audience, or more stories and emotions for a creative or visionary audience.

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Aravind Malla

Marketing Manager with Expertise in Revenue Growth, Team Motivation and Digital Marketing.
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In my experience to effectively engage your audience, it is essential to tailor your message to resonate with their unique needs, interests, and potential objections. Demonstrating precisely how you tackle their specific challenges, enhances their circumstances, and distinguishes itself from competitors. Adapting your tone, language, and style to align with your audience's preferences, expertise level, and decision-making approach is paramount. Employing data and facts may be crucial for technical or analytical audiences, while integrating narratives and emotional appeal may be more impactful for creative or visionary individuals. The effectiveness of your communication and increase the likelihood of achieving your desired outcomes.

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3 Structure your presentation

A well-structured presentation can help you guide your audience through your sales pitch and keep them engaged and focused. You need to have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion that follow a logical and persuasive flow. A common structure is the problem-solution-benefit approach, where you start by identifying and empathizing with your audience's problem, then present your solution and how it works, and finally highlight the benefits and outcomes of your solution. You also need to include a strong call to action that tells your audience what you want them to do next, such as signing a contract, scheduling a demo, or requesting a quote.

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4 Engage your audience

A sales presentation is not a one-way monologue, but a two-way dialogue. You need to engage your audience throughout your presentation and make them feel involved and valued. You can use various techniques to interact with your audience, such as asking open-ended questions, soliciting feedback, using polls or surveys, telling stories or anecdotes, using humor or metaphors, or showing demonstrations or testimonials. You also need to pay attention to your audience's verbal and non-verbal cues, such as their body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, and level of interest, and adjust your delivery accordingly.

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Loren Reale

Water Management / Citizenship and Passports in USA, Canada & United Kingdom
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I was told there would be three people in a conference room. The client had a corporate engineer who was trying to rig the game. I walkedinto an auditorium of thirty. My colleague was 'beside himself' as we weren't prepared for that type of presentation.My only thought was that I was not going to ruin things because they really did need us to be the supplier. I hopped up on the table which was a wide counter and said,"Let's have a conversation instead of a presentation". I worked and walked the entire room explaining what we were doing and asking each person how would our ideas effect them. Finished with a review of what not hiring us would cost, in not attaining the goals they said were important. We won

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5 Handle objections

One of the most challenging aspects of a sales presentation is handling objections from your audience. Objections are inevitable and natural, and they can indicate that your audience is interested and curious about your solution. You need to prepare for the most common and likely objections that you may face, and have ready responses that address them effectively. You also need to listen actively and empathetically to your audience's objections, acknowledge their concerns, and provide relevant evidence or examples that support your claims. You also need to avoid being defensive, confrontational, or dismissive of your audience's objections, and instead use them as opportunities to build trust and rapport.

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6 Follow up

The sales presentation is not the end of the sales process, but rather a crucial step that leads to the next stage. You need to follow up with your audience after your presentation and reinforce your message and value proposition. You can send them a thank-you email, a summary of your presentation, a proposal or quote, or any additional information or resources that they may have requested. You also need to keep in touch with your audience until they make a decision, and address any questions, doubts, or issues that they may have. You also need to ask for feedback on your presentation, and use it to improve your skills and performance for future opportunities.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you prepare for a sales presentation that involves multiple stakeholders or a panel of evaluators?

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1 Know your audience

2 Tailor your message

3 Structure your presentation

4 Engage your audience

5 Handle objections

6 Follow up

7 Here’s what else to consider

Sales Presentations

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