The National Football League’s 51st (or ‘LI’) Super Bowl takes place in Houston on the first Sunday of this month. This is an event that has evolved into something akin to a national holiday. But the league (and the teams that play in this ultimate presentation) didn’t get there by accident. The key word here is “Preparation.” Neither the league nor the teams playing in the game would be there without months — if not years — of preparation for this ultimate presentation.

So too must it be for independent manufacturers’ representatives if they want to achieve similar success in their fields of endeavor. Planning and preparation are the twin keys to success.

Unfortunately presentations don’t always hit the mark, and when that happens a finger of blame can be pointed in a number of different directions.

How about the independent agent that thinks of himself as a “quick study” or someone who’s “quick on his feet.” Chances are they think they can figure it out on the run and “ad lib” their way through any sticky situation.

Then there’s the rep with all the relationships he needs to see his way through any situation. His years of networking and relationship building let him fall into the easy trap where he doesn’t need to follow proven sales practices because “I’m friends with the customers and we’ll just work things out.”

But perhaps the central reason salespeople can fall into this trap is because they’ve never really been taught or trained on the importance of preparing for the sales presentation.

Preparing Presentations

Independent representatives — or any salesperson for that matter — who don’t take the time to prepare for their sales presentations, do a disservice to their customers and to themselves. Borrowing from an article that appeared in this publication more than a decade ago, among those practices that are a primary requirement of the job is the required practice of preparation. A salesperson who doesn’t prepare shouldn’t be in sales. Not preparing for a presentation devalues the role of the rep and disrespects the customer’s time.

Don’t think for a moment that trying to memorize something the night before a sales preparation will get the job done. Every aspect of the presentation must be planned and rehearsed in order to make sure all goes smoothly.

Two regular contributors to the pages of Agency Sales magazine couldn’t agree more.

John Haskell (aka Dr. Revenue) stresses the point that “Every sales presentation calls for the rep — especially owners of agencies — to be very skilled and effective presenters. At the outset, perhaps the most pressing need for a rep is to be a solid if not outstanding public speaker. When the rep is selling, he/she must be the best presenter the audience has ever heard. When the rep speaks to a customer — either distributor, reseller or end user — he/she must be really effective and memorable.”

In order to achieve that lofty goal, a sales presentation needs to be especially “well-organized, supported with great tools and complemented by excellent leave-behind materials. On top of that, the rep should be the best presenter the prospect hears that day for sure. Remember, it is unusual that the rep is the sole presenter. There will be competition for attention. That’s why preparation will allow the rep to shine.”

Pitching a New Line

Perhaps one of the most common opportunities for reps to engage in the practice of sales presentation comes with the pitching of a new product or new line. “This is one of the most important functions of a rep. When the opportunity to go after a good or great new line presents itself, the rep and the team must shine. Everyone must be not only good — but great. The question is how do reps get to be great? Sales personnel need to have training, practice and developmental work all the time. One of the best things a manufacturer can do is add presentation skills training to every sales meeting. No matter what the product or the sales situation there should always be time to help the reps get to be better presenters.

“Appearances in front of customers aren’t the only time the rep gets to show his presentation chops. Just as important are internal sales meetings. And it’s here that the rep who owns the firm has to be a superior presenter. He/she must command the attention of his/her audience at every sales meeting. The rep has to be well organized and very effective in the meeting and afterwards talking one-on-one with the sales team. It’s a given that the rep must always be a solid, effective, excellent presenter in order to make the company better, stronger, and more successful.”

Finally, Haskell emphasizes that “It has to be clear to every rep that their skills on their feet and in meetings are judged at all times. A rep who does a poor job does not deserve to keep a good line. The line must be supported by salespeople who are great presenters.”

The Need for Professionalism

Adding his thoughts on the important subject of effective presentations is Eddy Mindlin, who has authored articles in Agency Sales over the last several months.

According to this consultant, experienced rep and MANA member, “It goes without saying that clients/customers want reps to be consummate sales professionals; so be prepared for every meeting and keep the meeting moving by stating your points and keep moving along. It’s critical to know what you will discuss before you walk into the meeting. Have written notes to keep you on schedule. If you don’t have written notes, you will not keep the meeting moving. Also, write down what the client says so you can refer to these notes later.

“Don’t waste the clients’ time. Discuss the points you want to cover, and get out of their office. Don’t linger.”

Mindlin emphasizes the point that “Too many salespeople take way too long at client meetings. Be respectful of the clients’ time. By you kicking yourself out of the clients’ office, the client will appreciate that you are efficient with his/her time.

“Keep track of what you discuss with each client on each call. After each meeting, write down what you want to cover in the next meeting. At the ‘next’ meeting, briefly review what you discussed at the last meeting and then say ‘Now I want to show you a couple other benefits of this product/service.’ Steps such as these show the customer how much you’ve prepared for the presentation.

“Plan on only discussing a couple things about your product(s) during each sales call. This way you keep your meeting short and to the point. Clients like this. By only speaking about a couple specific points, this gives you opportunities to come back — and that’s exactly you want. As a word of caution, if you tell the client everything in the course of the first meeting, the client won’t remember everything. You will take way too much time and you won’t have a reason to come back.

It’s a fact that clients must see you five times before they will trust you. This is a major reason to keep each meeting brief so you can come back again and again. Show 20 percent of what you want the client to know in each of the first five visits. That is all anyone can remember so do not overwhelm the client.”

While typical sales presentations are a good deal of what a rep does with his time, customer service presentations can be just as important and time should be devoted to preparing for them. Typical customer service calls demand an answer to something along of lines of “The product was delivered but isn’t of the quality I demand.” That’s when Mindlin stresses the importance of follow-up for any sales call.

The Importance of Follow-up

“Follow up after each sale to make sure the client is happy,” he advises. “Most salespeople make a sale and do not follow up to make sure the client is happy. Following up after the sale will go a long way toward earning respect from the client. You need to find out right away if there is a problem or how you can help with what they just bought.

“When (not if, because it will happen) there is a problem, take responsibility and say, ‘I am sorry there is a problem and I will take action now to correct this.’ Then do it!”

“Clients want you to acknowledge the problem and they want you to say ‘I am sorry.’ You or your company has caused your client a problem and you must acknowledge that your client has a problem with something your company has done. Do not take issue with the client. Simply listen to what they say, take notes and acknowledge their frustration.”

A final area of importance that Mindlin maintains are common and important in presentations are those that involve hands-on product demonstrations. According to Mindlin “A majority of presentations are boring. So make yourself unique by doing something and allowing the client to do something. Have fun with your presentations. Smile. Get the client to smile and have fun.

“A presentation without a demonstration is just conversation. People remember much more what is being demonstrated than what is simply stated. Get the client involved so they are not just sitting there listening, or daydreaming. When you get the client involved in doing something, they feel part of the process and that is great.”

MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at [email protected].

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Additional Resources

As mentioned in the accompanying article, the importance of independent manufacturers’ representatives properly preparing for presentations is critical to their success. What follows is a partial list of articles that may be found in Agency Sales magazine or on the MANA website (www.MANAonline.org):

• “Listen While You Work,” February 2014, p. 32.
• “Top 10 Worst Things to Say to Angry Customers,” November 2014, p. 42.
• “On Preparation and Presentations,” December 2010, p. 39.
• “The Presentation Trap: Why Making Presentations Can Cost You the Sale,” February 2006, p. 52.
• “How Well Are Your Salespeople Serving Your Customers?,” June 2000, p. 63.