How can you effectively start a sales call or presentation?

Keep in mind the "Platinum Rule." Don't just treat others how you would like to be treated. Sell them the way they like to buy. Prospects in finance or accounting will generally appreciate numbers, ROI, spreadsheets, charts/graphs etc that other personality types might find boring. Executives generally do NOT want to be asked about the weather or their weekend plans, they want to get right down to business. And just about everyone's ears perk up if you mention they were referred by someone they know and trust. Or at the very least, you can tell a story about someone you were able to help that's in a similar industry (even better, their competitor!)

Review their LinkedIn profile to uncover shared experiences like common alma maters or interests. This fosters empathy, strengthening connections and setting a warm tone for conversations. Review their career journey for insights into their character and expertise. Focus on their current role and initiatives relevant to our sales discussion. Examine their summary for activators like pains, initiatives, and priorities we can address. Note shared connections, especially those you know really. Reach out for intel on their world, personality, etc.. If comfortable, ask them to put a good word for you, this is a an impactful way to influence the interaction.

Your customers receive so many calls everyday from a lot of sales with many different things, but surely if you start your call with a very good positive energy, even you can imagine you are talking face to face with that customer, you will have better first impression with them even via phone call, then you have more chance that they will continuously listen to you.

Our customers usually think that we´re a waste of time and that we´re going to bother them with things that they have already resolved. If you contact, do it right. First get them to see you as an ally who has taken interest in them and then make them fell that they can receive help from you. Good luck. Thanks

Research and see what they’re using and what issues they encounter. Build your presentation around getting over those obstacles by using your brand.

Use SalesNavigator tool and/or supporting tools (e.g. i used Crystal) to complete your map of person's information. There's a lot to learn about your counter part on the web that could help you prepare the ground of your next call

No calls before they are interested, I am not a person who wants to be harassed by commercial advertising, I think most of people don't like that.

B2B Business calling 1)Make sure you have an idea who you would like to talk. 2)Try to collect as much information as you can, no matter from linkedin or an other social media 3)During the working time to make the call 4)Try to find the point he or she cared or interested. 5)Supply the proposal to help him or her to solve some problem 6)Last one is not the less one. DO pick up the phone and make a call with smiles. The client could feel your feeling in the phone.

Research Your Audience: Know your audience and tailor your introduction to their needs and interests. Understand their pain points, challenges, and priorities so that you can address them from the beginning. Try to find out as much information as you can but don't stick to those information and go with an open mind.

Warm up! This is an often skipped part of the interaction that has massive effects on if you'll be successful. A warm up can be a compliment that goes something like "I'm a huge fun of your work on abc. What you do is incredible and I wish more people can do it like you do". Or "I read your article on LinkedIn about abc and I must say hats off to you for those great insights..". This makes the customer feel seen and appreciated and will immediately warm up to you. Sometimes something as simple as I love your tie sir goes a long way in getting someone to warm up to you. Warm the client up and bring their attention to you before you say anything else.

I suggest incorporating the objectives and agenda into the calendar invite and ensuring alignment on these before the call. During the sales call, present a slide detailing the agenda and seek agreement. Flexibility is crucial; if the customer veers into a different topic, collaborate and adjust. Remember, it's a two-way conversation.

I prepare an agenda that outlines the meeting's objective(s) and includes a list of unresolved questions or links to pertinent topics. I also create a text-only slide with these questions, which I can edit in real time as needed.

Having a defined sales process, with clear goals for each stage of that sales process is essential. This enables you to be strategic and plan effectively for each customer interaction for maximum results. If you are in B2B sales, it is likely your prospective customer has a purchasing process they follow to ensure they consider all options, potential solutions, and the implications associated with each choice. By understanding their purchasing process and their goals for each step, you can align your sales process to meet customer objectives and expectations, in addition to your own By working in concert with your customer you can problem-solve and identify solutions in a collaborative manner that enhances success for both parties.

Make your objective clear depending upon stage of the lead. For example if it is first call/in person meeting then either check with client themselves for next step or explain from your end that what will be the next step. Also set a proper agenda for the next call/Meeting.

Clearly outline the agenda or objectives of the call or presentation. This will help set expectations and provide a roadmap for the conversation. Encourage participation by asking open-ended questions that prompt your audience to share their thoughts or concerns. This will help you understand their perspective and tailor your presentation accordingly. Give a concise overview of what you will cover during the call or presentation. This will give your audience a clear understanding of what to expect and keep them engaged.

Objective may change. In sales, I think it is not wise to wait for tomorrow. But still, customers may have issues. Ultimate objective should be close the deal. And then depending on customers viewpoint and requirements may need visit again. Most important thing is whatever the objective is, need to making the customers positive towards the sales person.

One of the objectives can also be to Build a bridge of trust. Selling should not be top of the list, at least not obvious. Sharing common values and principles, might be a very good start.

Every step in the sales process needs to have a clear and defined sole objective. The objective of my first call is only to get time on their schedule where we can have a discovery call. - First call/contact is to schedule a time in the future to have a discovery call. For example: “Hi John, I’m sure I caught you an inopportune time so the reason for my call is to see if we can schedule a time next week…..”

What is important while on a call is to be a good listener and make sure what has not been said also call control and leading the call equally matters with sound energy reflecting the call.

This would be an inappropriate time to use a hook and will make you come across as salesy. If this is a discovery call your customer may have seen a hook like 'How you can increase your sales by 25% in the next quarter' in the ad creative or initial outreach that peaked their interest, making them want to take part in a discovery call. It is however worth being aware of the hook that peaked your prospects interest and make sure the conversation aligns with that.

I tend to avoid explicit hooks in the conversation,it may work, especially if you know exactly what they are going to need in the near future. But, if not, better to elaborate on their needs first, to discover inner or hidden necessities. This will give a better perception of you.

The “Hook” should only be used to get a discovery call. An effective hook is aligning three things that your product/service does for your customers comparatively to their pain points.

I have reservations about that, particularly in a discovery call. Using such hooks might be off-putting if they're irrelevant to the buyer. It's essential to begin with the customer, take an outside-in perspective, incorporating the research you've conducted—your homework about them and their business. Validate the accuracy of the information, ask clarifying questions, and then provide insights, data, and trends that truly matter to the buyer. Otherwise, you risk sharing information that holds little relevance.

To be most effective, first fully understand the prospective customer's needs, goals, desired outcomes, etc. This results from first doing your research and from having an excellent probing (and listening) strategy. Strong business acumen also plays a role in your ability to capture interest, build credibility, and demonstrate you can bring meaningful solutions and improvements to your customers. Combined, these elements enable you to understand exactly what your value proposition should be, and how to align it and present it according to your customer's needs. This is a more powerful approach than a simple statement or question that may feel unsubstantiated to your customer and create unwanted doubt that you must then overcome.

I generally don't believe in Hook because it seams like you are pitching and pushing. Instead of that just Listen carefully, Give empathy and suggest some solution. This will gain the trust and create a very good repo with client.

I emphasized the significance of building rapport earlier. I would add though that it must be authentic. Cheesy and inauthentic approaches to building rapport can be off-putting. It's important to be genuinely curious as you work on establishing that connection. For example, did they publish a research paper that you read an found interesting? Mention that paper and mention specifics about what you took out of it. Show them that you genuinely care.

I think the most effective way to build rapport with customers is identifying additional requirements and problems and solving them.

It's also vital that your agenda doesn't overwhelm the buyer. Prioritize the agenda in order of importance; this way, even if you don't cover every point, you address the priorities. Additionally, ensure your agenda includes "next steps" so you can establish from the outset that, if appropriate, you'll be discussing the way forward in the conversation.

" An Engaging Opening Statement" The opening statement of a sales presentation should be engaging and captivating. It should aim to grab the prospect’s attention and communicate the value proposition in a concise manner. An effective opening statement often addresses a pain point or challenge that the prospect may be experiencing, demonstrating an understanding of their needs. Moreover, incorporating success stories can further pique the prospect’s interest. By sharing compelling statistics or case studies related to their industry, you can position yourself as a knowledgeable resource who can provide valuable solutions.

Transparency is key. If you are cold calling a prospect, when they answer the phone be up-front about why you are calling and don't go straight in-to your pitch. I had a recent cold call where the caller started with: Cold Caller – "Hi Matthew, just to let you know this is a cold call from a company called XYZ, how are you today?" Openly stating that it's a cold call reduced the immediate resistance that people have to such calls. It eliminates the need for the prospect to be defensive or dismissive and opens the door to a more genuine conversation. Being transparent distinguishes you as a genuine sales person. It shows that you're not trying to hide your intentions and are confident in the value you bring.

The two huge mistakes often made with demos are: - Not directly asking the prospect what they would like to see or discuss (at the start of the demo). - Not asking for the prospect's thoughts throughout the demo, to maintain engagement. I've seen many demos end with the prospect mentioning what they wanted to see, which wasn't covered (and would have been if they were asked at the start). It's very easy for a prospect to attend a demo, and to start writing emails, surfing the net, thinking of other things etc. during the demo after realising their engagement is not encouraged or required. - Always start a demo by asking the prospect if there's anything in particular they'd like to focus on. - Always ask for input during the demo.