How many times have you talked yourself out of a sale?
You know what I mean.
You work hard to "wow" your prospect with your superior knowledge of your offering. You educate them until they know almost as much as you.
Then, they say "no."
They don't see the value in what you offer.
There's a reason for that.
You might be giving them too much information.
It's a common mistake.
Simplicity is the key when you're delivering an effective sales presentation. If you don't keep it simple, you run the risk of overwhelming them with information. This decreases the chances of them buying from you.
This post is going to help you avoid this mistake. When you read through this post, this is what you'll learn:
- How to tell when you're overwhelming your prospect.
When you implement the advice given in this post, you will see how much easier it can be to influence a prospect. Let's get started.
Signs That You're Overwhelming Your Prospect
Simplifying your sales pitch means knowing when your prospect is being overwhelmed with information. If you're thinking this may be happening, you should watch out for these signs:
- They are gung-ho at the beginning of the conversation, but then they start to get that "eyes glazed over look."
Do Your Due Diligence Beforehand
If you have been selling for any significant amount of time then you know how important it is to understand your prospect. You have to know what makes them tick.
But that's not all you need to know.
You also need to know how much your prospect knows. Their level of familiarity with your industry will determine how you should tailor your presentation.
Are they experts in your industry? Have they used products or services like yours before? What's their level of experience?
If you don't understand your prospect's level of knowledge, you may end up overwhelming or underwhelming them. It can seriously hamper your sales efforts. Do your homework beforehand, and you can avoid this.
Beware The Curse Of Knowledge
Authors Chip and Dan Heath wrote a book entitled "Made To Stick." If you haven't read this book, you need to buy it. Right now.
Wait. Finish reading this post first, then buy the book. In the book, they discuss the "curse of knowledge."
The curse of knowledge is a situation where you have learned your industry and offering so well that you have forgotten what it feels like to be ignorant. While possessing this knowledge is valuable, it can also become a great obstacle.
Why?
Because it makes it much harder to explain your message to your prospect. It's one of the main reasons people become confused by the information you're giving them. For me, this has been one of my biggest sales challenges.
It's like a Star Wars nerd attempting to explain what a Z-95 Headhunter is to someone who has never even seen any of the Star Wars movies. It's not easy!
Yes, I really did just make an obscure Star Wars reference in the middle of a blog post..
Here's what you need to do: try to explain your offering in terms that you would have understood when you didn't know anything. Try to avoid jargon or slang that might confuse your prospect.
Sometimes, this can be unavoidable. But it doesn't have to be a hindrance. When you know you're going to have to use some industry terms, make sure you explain these terms in as succinctly as you can.
Trim The Fat
Okay, what I'm about to say may bruise your ego a bit. But I know you can take it.
Nobody cares about your impressive wealth of knowledge.
Sorry, but it's true. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for building credibility and showing that you know what you're talking about, but at the end of the day, you're not going to impress them by showcasing your knowledge.
Don't believe me?
How much do you know about what makes your car run? Are you intimately familiar with all its inner workings? Unless you're a mechanic, the answer is probably no. You don't care about all of this stuff, do you? All you care about is whether or not your car will get you from point A to point B.
Your prospects are the same way.
The only thing your prospect cares about is whether or not you can help them. You have to ruthlessly cut out each part of your pitch that isn't essential to influencing your prospect's buying decision.
Now don't fret. This doesn't mean you can't talk about the other stuff. You just need to be smart about it.
Your knowledge can come in handy when you need to act as a consultant. Using your knowledge to benefit your prospects will deepen your relationships with them.
Tell them enough to get them interested. Tell them enough to want to buy. After you have reached a certain point in your sales process, you will be able to leverage your knowledge to educate them a little more.
Check For Understanding
How many times have you dealt with a salesperson who just yammers on and on about their product or service? It's annoying, isn't it? You find yourself wondering when they will come up for air.
Don't be that person. You're better than that.
When you're discussing your offering, take some time to make sure the other person understands what you're saying. Ask them if what you're saying is making sense. Ask them if there's anything that you need to clarify. Do this at various points during your presentation.Not only will this ensure that your prospect isn't becoming overwhelmed, it will also send the message that you are actually trying to help them.
Conclusion
It's not easy to convince a prospect to become a customer. However, if you follow the tips in this article, you will be able to simplify your communication with your prospects. You will become much easier to understand. When you do this, you will drastically increase your chances of closing more prospects.