SalesPresentations: The Biggest Mistake

Let's call herSheila.  Like many in the financial services industry, she sells with theaid of a pitch book, printed in landscape format and containing informationabout the history of her firm, her team of colleagues, their range of services,the historical performance of their funds, and their fees. It's a handsomepiece, with beautiful thick card stock for covers, and full color graphs andpictures throughout. It took her firm a year to produce it.

When we sat down to role play, she directed me to the firstpage, which was covered with bullet points enumerating the key features andbenefits of her firm. I was soon lost in a jungle of terms, ideas, and serviceswith which I was not familiar.

When she paused, I jumped in and asked her if I could tellher about my situation and what I thought I needed. She apologized and allowedme to describe the situation I faced.

As I was speaking about helping my aging parents with theirfinances, she stopped me and referred me to p.18, Tab 3, to show me her firm'strust and estate capabilities.

I listened to what she said about their long history helpingpeople preserve assets across generations, but still I felt as though I wasn'tbeing heard, or I wasn't hearing what I needed.

I stopped the role play and said that I felt that I wasbeing drowned in information, and that I wanted her to show some bedsidemanner. I instinctively trusted that she knew about investing--after all, I wasreferred to her by a friend who used her services--but I did not feel that shehad learned enough about me.

As I was saying this, Sheila interrupted me to say thatthis was just a role play and that of course she would do that in real life. Iasked if she was aware that I found it difficult to get a word in. She said no.I began to explain my experience and she interrupted me to tell me that othershad told her the same thing.

"What have they told you?" I asked.

"They've told me that I interrupt people," shesaid.

"Did they tell you how they felt about beinginterrupted?"

"I assume they don't like it," she said."But some people are just slow. They need to be straightened out."

"What about your prospects? What happens when youstraighten them out?"

"I suppose they think that I know more than they do.That's what they're paying me for."

"To interrupt them?  To show them how smart you are?"

"Well, I don't have all day. People shouldn't be sosensitive."

I began to ask her again how people might feel about beinginterrupted when she cut me off to say that she thought I wanted her to use thepitch book--and that was why she hadn't asked me questions.

I said, "You interrupted me again."

She acknowledged that she had, but said she had to say whatcame into her mind before she forgot it.

"But if you do that, you cut the other personoff," I said, "And they feel that you're dictating the flow anddirection of the exchange."

Our session continued in this manner, and every time Sheilainterrupted me, I pointed it out and asked her what she should say.

"I'm sorry?" she asked.

"Yes. What else?"

"I'm sorry? I interrupted you? Please continue?"

"That's a good start," I said. "If you can'tchange your habit of interrupting right away, at least become mindful of it,and apologize."

According to a poll conducted by the Gallup Organization,the number one most disliked habit in conversation is "people whointerrupt." The second is "people who use profanity." The thirdis "people who mumble."

And along the same lines, the four biggest mistakes thatsales people make?

1.    They talk too much

2.    They don't ask enoughquestions

3.    They don't listen well

4.    They are too quick tooffer solutions

Let's call her Sheila, but let's understand she's like mostof us. We all have our pitch books and boilerplate. We think selling is abouttalking. We think listening is easy. It's not, because to listen well requiresthat we drop our self interest momentarily and help the other person articulateclearly what they have not been able to say so clearly before.

Believe it or not, that's a great service.

Sims Wyeth is a private speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in executive speech coaching and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.