When it comes to making a good sales presentation, everyone has their own way of doing things. Rituals may not be as extreme as sacrificing animals, dancing around in a circle or swallowing a goldfish, but salespeople and their managers across the industrial distribution landscape have their own way of making the sale.

Salespeople are individuals—they have their own personalities, and approach customers differently. Rarely will you find two who do things the exact same way…sort of like snowflakes that know a lot about industrial products.

In making a good sales presentation though, many consultants and a few distributors will say the same thing: very few salespeople put forth the proper amount of effort in preparing for them.

"Only stupid people 'wing it' when going in for a presentation," says John Graham, president of Graham Communications, a marketing services and sales consulting firm. "Those salespeople think that they are experienced, and that that experience will give them the ability to get through the appointment without all the proper preparation. But those who don't prepare, don't make sales."

In fact, preparation seems to be the mantra:

"A good presentation is 80 percent preparation and 20 percent presentation," says Linda Navarro, president/CEO of Sonnet Supply, a specialty cutting tools distributor in Hawthorne, Calif.

Adds Chip Wernig, president of Lane Supply Co., an abrasives, tape and adhesives distributor in Denver, "A good sales presentation is about three things—preparation, preparation, and more preparation."

While everyone agrees that preparation is the key, few actually follow through with it.

"Fewer than 10 percent of the salespeople out there have a systematic, religiously followed strategy to prepare," says Tom Reilly, president and founder of Tom Reilly Training, author of Value-Added Selling and Coaching for Sales Success, and INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTION's "Strictly for Sales" columnist.

If preparation is the first step in this process, it also is the most time consuming and important. The presentation itself could be considered little more than the byproduct of all the research.

Some salespeople would contend that they don't need to prepare that much for a presentation they have given several times. To them, try a confidence exercise, says Reilly. Put yourself back in school, and think back to that one final exam. You may have studied for two weeks for that specific exam, or you've waited to cram until the night before…since you've taken so many exams before. In which scenario are you most confident?

"Consider that you've spent two days preparing for a two-hour presentation," emphasizes Reilly. "On average, 10 minutes into the presentation, the decision maker has made their decision.

"Competence comes from confidence, which comes from preparation."

With the increased competition within the industry, the pressure is on salespeople even more. The culture has changed, and with that, so has the nature of the sales presentation.

"It used to be simple—have product, find prospect, make pitch," says Chuck Holmes, president of Corporate Strategies, Inc., a consulting firm for sales, sales management and training. "Now, everyone has the same products, finding the prospect is just the beginning, and making the pitch has turned into presenting information based on who the customer is and how you can add value for them. The presentation needs to be tailored to their needs."

Tailoring the presentation to the customer is, by necessity, the catalyst behind getting the initial research done.

"Our philosophy is this: seek first to understand, and listen to what the customer wants," says Navarro. "Know the account you are dealing with inside and out. Go over all the information you can find with a fine-toothed comb, and talk with everyone. I've been known to talk with not only the company president, but the receptionist, the product supervisor and sometimes the floor sweeper."

So the background research on the company is finished—but there is still much to do. Following are some more steps to take before heading into the conference room:

• Qualify your customer.
  "You ought to choose the customer as carefully as they are sure to choose their distributor," says Holmes. "Ask yourself four questions: Will they use the product? Are they worthy of you extending them credit? Are there any impediments to you working with them (i.e., a brother in-law who sells the same product)? And will they value the benefits you will bring to the partnership?"
• Put yourself in the customer's position.
  Since Sonnet Supply is a specialty distributor, and only carries products from a select few manufacturers, Navarro spends time with the manufacturer, putting herself in her customer's shoes, playing devil's advocate, "and, much to their dismay, I ask questions, challenge their assertions and point out their weaknesses," she says. "Once I'm satisfied with what they have shown me, I put it in my own language for the customer."
• Converse with the customer about what they need.
  "No one wants to sit through a canned presentation," says Graham. "This is all about what the customer wants to hear, not what you say. In most presentations, most of the information presented is about your company and not the customer's. The critical issue is understanding the customer and their needs, and presenting them with the solutions to those objectives."
• Give them a reason to work with you.
  "Customers need a quantifiable, value-add reason to work with you," says Holmes. "They want to see the benefits, and cost savings that can be had when working with you."
• Figure out your own objective.
  "I call it the 'action objective,'" says Reilly. "What do you want from the customer at the end of the call that tells you that you've been successful? Tailor the presentation with that outcome in mind."
• Prepare your catalyst or lead product.
  "You're going in to the presentation with a product in mind to sell. That product, and your presentation of it, should change the way they do business or manufacture their products," says Wernig. "It's the reason you are there. It should make an impact, and be a turning point in the presentation."
• Use all your tools to your benefit.
  "Suppliers have some wonderful product information sheets, and the wording on them is carefully chosen," says Wernig. "In the presentation, use the same words. Most customers want to see something on paper, too, and the literature will amplify the words that you are saying. The verbal and visual should be married together."
• Know how this product will make the customer's life easier.
  "This whole appointment is payback to the customer for the time they spent with the salesperson," says Holmes. "If the whole presentation is about your line card, then you're dead."
• Adds Graham, "Most sales are not lost due to price, as they are so often attributed, but to the salesperson not preparing for, or understanding, what the customer wants. This presentation is very much like a job interview, and should be treated as such."

Of course, once the presentation begins, all salespeople come up against the same roadblocks (excuses, or impediments even, call them what you will).

"Price and inertia are the two things most salespeople will come up against," says Reilly. "People don't really want change. For some, the pain of the change isn't worth the gain of the change. But really, who doesn't want to save money? Prepare for those objections in advance."

For some, the question of price isn't so much a roadblock as an opportunity.

"Price is important, I tell them, and we're competitive," says Wernig. "But for us, competitive means a proposition of value. If the product will save them time, effort or money, why not go with it?"

Finally, the time has come; the salesperson is done with the presentation, and is ready to close.

"The last thing I say is, 'I'm not going to bug you. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us,'" says Graham. "You want their business, and of course, stay in touch with them through your company newsletter, if you have one, and contact them every so often."

The majority response to the 'what do I do now' question is to not overwhelm the customer with constant calls or pressing for a result immediately.

"I suggest that when they are ready, they call me," says Navarro. "I'll bring in the manufacturer with me at that point, and we'll address their more technical support needs."

The presentation is more about establishing a relationship—as a growing account, says Holmes. "If there is no sale or order at the end of the presentation, at least leave knowing why not," he says. "Is there some reason why we can't take care of this right now?"

Agreeing on the next step is as good as any order once the presentation is done, says Reilly. "Never leave without some kind of agreement as to where the customer-seller relationship is going [next appointment, calls to be made]," he says.

Also, knowing when to leave is important. "Once you ask for, and receive the order, it is appropriate to leave," says Wernig. "Just say thank you and move on. You don't want to outlast your welcome."

But sales managers and some salespeople haven't realized that the decision-making time has lengthened.

"The customers don't want to make their decisions until they are absolutely sure," says Graham. "After the presentation, most salespeople just give up too soon. Manage the process of keeping in touch with the prospective customer. Because when they do decide to make a buy, and you happen to be off their radar, they'll go to the next person. Not managing your follow through is how sales are lost."