• Unit 3: Sales Presentations

    At the heart of every sales position, there is a component of skill. Ultimately, successful sales persons must be able to develop a sales presentation, present it to prospects, and then ask for the order. Knowing when and where to find prospective clients is the start of the process. Once a potential client base is identified, the sales professional must then adapt a presentation for that target audience that presents their product or service in a persuasive manner. This unit will help you learn to prepare for and present an effective sales presentation. As part of this process, you will be asked to prepare a short sales presentation and record it. You will then post the video to the discussion forum and make it available for critique by your classmates. You will also be asked to reflect on your own sales video and evaluate your work.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 7 hours.

    • Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • explain how to prospect for sales clients;
      • explain the importance of sales territories;
      • explain how audience analysis functions in the sales process;
      • recognize persuasive strategies in sales presentation;
      • create sales presentations with persuasive strategies;
      • identify material to supplement a sales presentation; and
      • create a close to a sales presentation.

    • 3.1: Prospecting for Customers

        • 3.1.1: Sales Territories

          • Sales Territory URL

            As you read through this brief article on sales territories, try to define a territory where you live for selling a product or service with which you are familiar.

        • 3.1.2: Audience Analysis

          • Audience Analysis URL

            This chapter addresses audience analysis from a general perspective. As you read, think of yourself preparing for a sales presentation to a group of prospects or clients. Think of the questions you would have to ask yourself and research you would have to do in order to identify the characteristics of your likely audience members.

      • 3.2: Understanding the Sales Presentation

          • 3.2.1: Persuasive Sales Strategies

            • Persuasive Strategies URL

              This section deals specifically with persuasive strategies. As you read, consider how you could implement the strategies discussed in a sales situation.

          • 3.2.2: Overcoming Objections

          • 3.2.3: Feature vs. Benefit Distinctions

            • Features vs. Benefits – Making the Complex Simple URL

              This article gives a clear and useful explanation of the differences between a feature and a benefit. Think of items you own and pretend you are going to sell them. Identify the features and benefits of the items and decide how you would promote them.

        • 3.3: Creating the Sales Presentation

            • 3.3.1: Sales Speech Structure

            • 3.3.2: Presentation Considerations

              • The Presentation – The Power of Solving Problems URL

                This is an extensive chapter with video support that thoroughly addresses the topic of preparing for a sales presentation. The author goes into great detail about considerations to be made, ranging from your appearance to room set up to materials you should make available. The SPIN technique will come into play and this information will be helpful later in the course.

            • 3.3.3: The Close

              • Closing the Sale – The Power of Negotiating to Win URL

                This is an extensive chapter with video support that thoroughly addresses the topic of closing the sale. The chapter offers a number of narratives and illustrations that clearly explain the process of closing a sale.

          • 3.4: Sample Presentation and Student Created Sales Presentation

          • Unit 3 Summary

            • The persuasive sales presentation is at the heart of the sales profession. Presenting material to clients and prospects is the fundamental skill that must be developed in order to flourish in your career. You should now understand that a successful presentation includes prospecting, research, material preparation, learning how to overcome objections, and practice. This unit gives you an outline for how to develop a sales presentation. You will need to spend significant time in preparation and practice to be able to deliver compelling sales presentations.