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Sales Presentations For Dummies

Sales Presentations For Dummies

by Julie M. Hansen
Publisher: For Dummies
Release Date: October 2015
ISBN: 9781119104025
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Book Description

Are your sales presentations stuck in the 20th century?

Sales Presentations For Dummies rises to the challenge of guiding you through the process of engaging and persuading busy buyers in a world that's constantly bombarding them with sales pitches. Motivating today's buyers to pull the trigger on a new deal requires a certain set of skills, and this straightforward text guides you through what you need to know to create and deliver compelling presentations. Pulled from examples and experiences of thousands of actual sales presentations, the information in this innovative resource offers the tools and tips you need to keep your leads engaged from hook to call to action.

Today's business landscape is competitive. When your sales presentation is being compared to countless others, it's important to stand out for all the right reasons. Instead of using dated sales approaches, update your understanding of the art of selling—and create compelling, engaging presentations that hook audience members from the beginning.

  • Leverage a proven, blockbuster formula that engages audiences in any industry

  • Use the power of storytelling to connect with prospective clients and soften their resistance to your sales pitch

  • Understand and apply customer insights to ensure that your solution is top-of-mind in purchasing decisions

  • Update your professional skill set to encompass today's most motivating sales tactics

    • Sales Presentations For Dummies brings your sales style into the 21st century and connects you with the skills you need to excel in today's complicated business landscape.

    Table of Contents

      1. Cover
      2. Introduction
        1. About This Book
        2. Foolish Assumptions
        3. Icons Used in This Book
        4. Beyond the Book
        5. Where to Go from Here
      3. Part I: Getting Started with Sales Presentations
        1. Chapter 1: Embracing the Future of Sales Presentations
          1. Understanding What an Effective Presentation Can Do
          2. Planning a Killer Presentation
          3. Devoting the Necessary Preparation
          4. Dealing with Potential Problems
          5. Preparing for Special Presentations
        2. Chapter 2: Discovering What You Need to Know Before You Begin
          1. Evaluating the Presentation Opportunity
          2. Determining the Nine Things You Need to Know
          3. Getting the Information You Need
          4. Creating a Presentation Plan Checklist
        3. Chapter 3: Tailoring Your Value Proposition to Fit Your Audience
          1. Understanding Why Value Is King
          2. Developing a Value Proposition
          3. Applying Insights to Determine Value
          4. Prioritizing Benefits to Structure Your Presentation
          5. Recognizing Value and Benefits by Decision-Maker Type
      4. Part II: Building a Blockbuster Presentation
        1. Chapter 4: Structuring a Persuasive Presentation
          1. Understanding How Your Audience Thinks
          2. Building a Persuasive Structure: The Key Parts to Your Presentation
          3. Framing Your Presentation through Theme
          4. Putting Together a Persuasive Presentation in Ten Steps
        2. Chapter 5: Unleashing the Power of a Strong Opening
          1. Understanding the Importance of the First Minute
          2. Identifying the Qualities of an Effective Opening
          3. Knowing the Building Blocks to Create a Strong Opening
          4. Making Your One Thing Sticky
          5. Developing an Attention-Grabbing Hook
          6. Keeping Track of Some Key Do’s and Don’ts for Openings
        3. Chapter 6: Ratcheting Up the Tension as You Build Your Case
          1. Defining the Elements of a Persuasive Case
          2. Developing Customer-Focused Topics: Focus on Value
        4. Chapter 7: Creating Closings That Make Your Prospect Take Action
          1. Prioritizing the Mighty Closing
          2. Defining the Key Elements of a Persuasive Closing
          3. Avoiding Cliché Closings
          4. Delivering an Encore Inspiring Closing:
          5. Providing the Right Leave-Behind
        5. Chapter 8: Crafting Your Agenda, Intro, and Company Overview
          1. Maintaining Attention during Transitional Sections
          2. Letting Your Audience Know Where You’re Going: Your Agenda
          3. Building Credibility with Your Introduction
          4. Reimagining the Company Overview
        6. Chapter 9: Designing a Winning Presentation
          1. Figuring Out What Presentation Materials to Use
          2. Weighing In on Presentation Software for Your Slides
          3. Determining Slide Content
          4. Following the Ten Rules of Visual Presentations
          5. Picking the Best Graphics
          6. Turning Video Into An Asset
          7. Using Animation to Create Movement
      5. Part III: Delivering an Impactful Presentation
        1. Chapter 10: The Presenter’s 3 Cs: Credibility, Connection, and Confidence
          1. Understanding Why You Need Presence
          2. Boosting Your Credibility
          3. Establishing a Connection with Your Audience
          4. Displaying Confidence
          5. Bringing Presence to Your First Impression
        2. Chapter 11: Leveraging Your Voice and Body for Impact
          1. Unleashing the Power of Your Performance Tools
          2. Keeping Your Audience’s Interest with Vocal Variety
          3. Eliminating Five Vocal Bad Habits
          4. Communicating Effectively with Body Language
          5. Following Some Easy Body Language Guidelines
          6. Applying Guidelines for Movement
          7. Warming Up for a Winning Performance
        3. Chapter 12: Increasing Emotional Engagement through Storytelling
          1. Understanding Why Stories Work
          2. Leveraging Storytelling Super Powers in Your Presentation
          3. Defining Purposeful Storytelling
          4. Determining What Type of Story to Tell
          5. Incorporating the Elements of Drama in Your Story
          6. Sharing Your Story with Skill and Confidence
        4. Chapter 13: Managing — and Surviving — Stage Fright
          1. Comprehending Stage Fright
          2. Reducing the Likelihood of Presentation Jitters
          3. Handling Stage Fright When It Takes Hold
      6. Part IV: The New Rules of Engagement: Interacting with Your Audience
        1. Chapter 14: Engaging and Managing Your Audience
          1. Engaging Your Audience and Why Interaction Fails
          2. Considering Different Engagement Tools
          3. Using Props to Move the Sale Forward
          4. Interacting with Your Prospect
          5. Regaining Attention with Movement: Staging
          6. Creating an Audience Engagement Plan
          7. Managing Your Audience and the Clock
        2. Chapter 15: Handling Objections Like a Pro
          1. Defining Objections
          2. Identifying the Types of Objections
          3. Overcoming Barriers to Handling Objections
          4. Picking Up on Verbal and Nonverbal Signals
          5. Preempting Objections
          6. Knowing How to Handle Objections
      7. Part V: Focusing on Special Types of Presentations
        1. Chapter 16: Presenting as a Team Sport
          1. Bringing in the Team
          2. Preparing For a Team Presentation
          3. Planning Your Presentation
          4. Practicing Your Presentation like an Ensemble
          5. Delivering Your Presentation as a Team
        2. Chapter 17: Mastering Web Presentations
          1. Understanding the Differences between Live and Virtual Presentations
          2. Getting Started with Web Presentations
          3. Improving Prospect Attention
          4. Interacting with Your Prospect
          5. Mastering Your Technology
          6. Preparing For Your Web Presentation
        3. Chapter 18: Delivering a Product Demonstration That Drives Sales
          1. Planning a Successful Demonstration
          2. Tailoring Your Demo to Your Prospect
          3. Building Your Demo around Your Prospect
          4. Applying a Proven Structure
          5. Delivering Your Demo
        4. Chapter 19: Adjusting for Specialty Presentations and Audiences
          1. Delivering Full Day and Multiday Presentations
          2. Presenting for the Strategic Sale
          3. Making In-Home Presentations
          4. Shining as a Team in Interview-Style Presentations
          5. Presenting for Large Groups
          6. Adjusting Your Message on the Fly
      8. Part VI: The Part of Tens
        1. Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Recover from Presentation Disaster
          1. Staying Cool under Pressure
          2. Using It, Losing It, or Laughing at It
          3. Enlisting Help
          4. Blocking the Projector
          5. Taking a Break
          6. Having Handouts
          7. Engaging with Your Audience
          8. Telling a Story
          9. Doing an Activity
          10. Whiteboarding Your Presentation
        2. Chapter 21: Ten PowerPoint Tips You Must Know
          1. Going to Black
          2. Transitioning to Another Program or File
          3. Jumping to a Slide
          4. Turning Off the Pointer
          5. Drawing on Screen during Your Presentation
          6. Preparing Final Slides
          7. Stopping a Video
          8. Removing Picture Backgrounds
          9. Adjusting Your Slides for the Projector
          10. Using Presenter Mode
        3. Chapter 22: Ten Things You Need to Know When Presenting with Your Tablet
          1. Using a Stand
          2. Keeping It Clean
          3. Disabling Notifications
          4. Connecting to a Projector
          5. Choosing Your Presentation Platform
          6. Controlling Your Presentation with PowerPoint or Keynote
          7. Showing Your Presentation with SlideShark
          8. Using Your Tablet as a Whiteboard
          9. Planning for Blackouts
          10. Getting the Right Slide Aspect
      9. About the Author
      10. Cheat Sheet
      11. Connect with Dummies
      12. End User License Agreement