Closing Sales on the First Presentation

This book will do a number of things for anyone in the selling business, especially sales representatives who expect to close sales on first presentations; however, the principals included here apply to all sales.

If you are new to sales, or if you have been struggling with a less-than-stellar closing ratio and want to double it, or you are a superstar and you want to move to the next level, this book is for you. It takes a fresh look at what really works and what you may need to change in order to close a sale on the first presentation.

Many people need help in making decisions, especially buying decisions. This book will aid you in helping your customer make their buying decisions while they are with you for the first time, which will enrich their lives and yours in the end.

There are a number of magic moments, or “ah-hah” moments, in the sales presentation process. Moments when you move a lot closer to the sale, and you know you are on the right track. This book will help you make them occur much more regularly as well as show you how to look for them, to recognize them, and to learn how to take advantage of them.

You will also see how the author’s simple, four-step plan for your presentation is what it takes to make a sale, and that the key to closing on the first presentation comes through the discipline to stick with that plan. You may have to adjust elements of the plan to suit your industry, but if you adjust the intent or process, the plan won’t work the same. Your target should be to double your first presentation closing ratio.

This book will:
- show you how to set up your pitch in such a way that your customer will often ask what you think they should do, about buying your product, when you are finished presenting
- cover how to discover their OBM (“Only Buying Motive”) and not their DBM (“Dominant Buying Motive”) which is the wrong concept even though most sales trainers say that finding the DBM is the key to closing
- explain why there is always only one reason, not two or three, why people buy, and it’s usually a different reason than you might think
- point out that, contrary to conventional wisdom, studying a customer’s needs is a mistake
- demonstrate visualization techniques so your buyer will see themselves using your product and feeling like they own it even before you finish presenting
- explain that, contrary to most sales training, there aren’t 15 steps to a sales presentation, there are only four, but those four must be understood, believed, and followed, in order, for your customer to make a buying decision while you are with them. If you skip a step, or get these steps out of order, you lose your customer and you lose the sale
- explain how the sales process is much simpler and easier than most sales reps, sales trainers, and sales managers make it out to be; remember that they really need you to rely on them and buy more of their books, or attend more of their seminars and sales meetings
- explain how and when to use mirroring and matching effectively
- explain the role of fear in sales which is often the most powerful motivator to buy
- explain the concept of price vs. value, and explain that making a sale is never about the money
- explain why your customer needs to understand that you work on commission
- explain many other powerful concepts to master

This book also provides a number of specific examples of how to set up your presentation for the most effective implementation of the four-step plan.
Study everything you can by as many “experts” as you have time for, and absorb what they have to say. Then, when you begin your presentation, forget it all and simplify the process down to its essence. Learn to communicate with your customer in a natural, easy way. This book will help you to do all of these things.