Do you make this mistake in your sales presentations?
The other night I was reminded of a common error I encounter when coaching clients on sales presentations. I called tech support because I was having an issue with my emails. After a bit of a wait, a representative answered my call. As he was figuring out the issue and doing some research, he said he would need to put me on hold to trouble shoot. That was expected. But then he said something that totally surprised me. The representative said he would shut off the music while I was holding. I get emotional during technology breakdowns. The thought of being on hold without knowing someone was still on the line felt like abandonment.
I could feel the panic rise as I immediately said “NO! I like the music and it let’s me know that you’re still on the line.” And there it was - the mistake. He assumed that I would prefer silence and would be bothered by the music. He was thinking of his own preferences and not mine.
I call this being “Speaker-Centered” and for many presenters this is their default approach. They begin with what’s important to them instead of asking about the preferences of the listener. Think about telemarketers. They launch into a pitch without knowing anything about you.
Speaker-centered presentations are fairly standard. And that’s why I train my clients in Listener-Centered Communication. To be listener-centered, you must ask questions. A friend relayed a story of a person who called her with an urgent sales issue. He was about to give a presentation but he wasn’t confident about his slides. My friend told him not to worry about the slides and to probe during the presentation to discover the listener’s needs.
How often do presenters slap together a deck and rattle through the slides hoping they’ll gain audience buy-in to their message? You’ll recognize a speaker-centered presentation because it starts with what’s important to the speaker. It’s usually about their program, product, or service with little thought or mention of the audience interests.
A listener-centered presentation starts with knowing the audience and beginning with a hook. What’s a hook? It’s a headline, grabber, or benefit. You’ll know you have a hook when you see the audience nod. When you start with what’s important to them, you’ll capture their attention.
Listener-centered communication is powerful. When clients learn this process they watch their presentations transform, they feel more confident, and they become more influential. So put your focus on the audience and not what you want.
To learn how to build a powerful presentation using listener-centered communication, read chapter 7 in Knockout Presentations. Or contact me at DiResta Communications Inc.