Winning business at the sales conference

halifax consulting Published by Halifax Consulting – 14 September 2023

For Key Account Managers, Account Executives, Business Developers and Consultants working with major accounts, good upstream work on the customer’s premises and a professional written offer are often not enough to win the business. However, these steps only allow you to move from first selection to the shortlist… in the famous bidding process.

A good business deal can be lost during the pitching ritual (also known as a “pitch” in some sectors) ….or, on the other hand, it can end up being a bad deal!

The challenges of the sales presentation – the pitch

It is during this “oral” that the decision-making group, or jury, will make up its mind, Some of the people present in the audience will aim to learn all they can about your offer, somewill try to steer the debate toward their favorite, and others will sit on the fence until they have a better idea of which way the deal may be going.  No matter what the situation, the pitch is the most vital step in sealing a good deal. This is usually where the final decision to move forward with the deal is made. It is your biggest opportunity to arouse interest with all the decision makers present. They now know all the potential suppliers and all elements that will enable a decision are in place.

“An impromptu speech was repeated three times” Sir Winston Churchill

This is the best advice you can give  a Sales team about to take run a sales pitch It’s an obvious step, yet is so rarely respected.

Here are a few suggestions for salespeople who would like to end the year with a few good resolutions and optimize their chances of success:

  • Gather final key elements from the customer a few days prior to the presentation:. That is, the rules of the game for the presentation, expectations of the participant,s and main competitors on the short list.
  • Define your persuasion strategy: What is the proposal’s angle of attack? Simply projecting the slides already communicated to the jury in the sales proposal is rarely enough to make a difference. The aim of your presentation is to:
  • REASSURE – you’ve understood them )
  • SURPRISE – you’re challenging them with the right questions and ideas
  • INSPIRE – it’ll be a pleasure to work with you.
  • A specific support is dedicated to this.
  • Preparing the presentation team: Everyone knows that the devil is in the detail, and when it comes to presentations, the devil is in the heads of ill-prepared colleagues who awkwardly answer a trick question… that should have been anticipated! Who answers what?
  • Prepare the key moments very carefully: introduction, question-and-answer sessions and conclusion.

And, of course, to train and learn as a team with excellent coaches like those at Halifax😊 including the tricks and difficulties of remote defenses, which add complexity to interactivity. May the pleasure of selling be with you!

  • Logo linkedin