Page 43 - GS170902

Inspiration
ChapterTitle

First, determine your objective

f you're using the same basic presentation with target company's merchant vertical, corporate culture and
only nominal variations each time you meet with a history, current business volume, goals for the future,
prospect, it's probably time for you to rethink your current POS system and payment processor, particular
I approach. Instead of going through what amount to pain points, etc.
rote motions time after time, consider letting your goal for
each meeting determine its shape and focus. There is no substitute for researching your prospect
beforehand to learn as much as you can about the business
According to Paul H. Green, founder of The Green Sheet and identify gaps in your knowledge that you can fill
and author of Good Selling! SM: The Basics, the first step in during the meeting. The knowledge you glean about the
preparing for a presentation is to ask what the meeting's company through research combined with clarity on what
purpose is. Possibilities include, for example, to: your specific goal for the meeting is should put you in a
Inform the prospect position to make a good, productive connection with the
merchant.
Introduce your company
Introduce your service With solid preparation under your belt and a tailored
Get the sale presentation prepared, keep in mind the following tips,
offered by Green, which will further improve your success:
Not every presentation's goal is to walk away with a 1. Look your prospect in the eye.
closed sale, Green pointed out. "Sometimes, providing all 2. Use your prospect's name just two or three times
that data about your company, your service, the industry, during the presentation.
the need for your service, and asking for the sale is just too
much for the prospect to absorb," he wrote. 3. Avoid the passive voice.
4. Open up the floor to comments.
Green further suggested that to begin the process of 5. Listen actively, but don't interrupt.
tailoring your presentation to your prospect's specific
needs, you can ask yourself the following questions: 6. Use "we" instead of "I."
1. Have I met with this person before? 7. Use "try," "could," or "may" in place of "need," "have
2. Has this person met with any of my competitors? to" or "must."
3. Have I met with this company in the past, but 8. Smile.
with a different person? Keep these in mind when preparing for your next
4. What do I want to walk away with? presentation so you can make the best impression
5. What will I settle for? possible and build your business relationships one unique
presentation at a time.
6. Will this presentation be a step in a longer
process or is it the entire process?

These obvious questions are sometimes overlooked when
focusing on other essential factors to address, such as the Kate Gillespie, President and CEO
43