Selling and Sales management - Chapter 10: Demonstrations and prosposals

Sales demonstration

When a salesperson delivers a presentation to a prospective customer that shows an offering’s features, value, etc to show the merits

Sales demonstration (con’t)

Varies on the offering being provided

e.g. A construction company showing a miniature model of a building, a software company will give a guide on how to use their software

Where could a sales demonstration be held

Virtually over software like Zoom or Teams

Relationship between the sales person and sales engineer

The salesperson should always be present, but the sales engineer should carry out the demo if need be

Preparing with the prospect in mind

• Remember the point is to solve a problem

• Know who’ll be taking the call, and introduce yourself beforehand if need be

Plan which features to discuss

Demo each point the product wants to see and go over how they’ll be demo’d with the sales engineers

Follow an agenda

Write an agenda that can be sent to the prospect before the meeting

Plan for potential objections

Spot potential objections the prospect(s) might bring up during the meeting and practise resolving them via role-play

Use client success stories

Use a story format to convey how a similar client found success with the offering

Identifying clear next steps

Planning for what happens after the meeting, such as a follow up meeting to discuss the proposal stage

Humanizing the demonstration

Giving the demonstration human traits and personality to connect with the prospects

How to humanize the demonstration

• Have a slide which explains your role in the company

• Turn on your camera and microphone during video calls

• Invite the audience to introduce and share facts about themselves

How to make the demonstration more interactive

Ask the audience questions about their interest, understanding, things they may not know about, etc

Sales proposal

A document that clearly outlines the offering and what the customer will get from it, as well as how much they need to pay

Elements of a successful sales proposal

1. Cover page with the client’s logo and name

2. About us which talks about the company’s products, mission, etc

3. A clear outline of the challenge

4. A solution that’s easy to understand

Elements of a successful sales proposal (con’t)

5. Client testimonial

6. Cost(s)/investment(s)

7. Terms and conditions

8. Next steps of what’ll happen after the proposal

9. Signature

How to write a good and compelling proposal

• Use organizational practices like bold headlines and bullet points

• Use spacing and white space to define sections and give structure clearly

• Make it clear what you want the customer to know about

• Use images, graphics, and videos when possible

Proposal meeting

Having a meeting that allows the client and salesperson to go over the proposal together for enhanced understanding

Legal approving process

Asking the customer for ways to limit the barriers and long review times for proposals imposed by the customer’s legal department

e.g. Breaking up/reducing the sale price if company policy requires that sales over a certain amount must be reiiewed by a legal team