hile effective oral skills are paramount to a successful presentation, practicing your written skills will translate to a powerful pitch as well. Before you leave your office to meet with that prospect, you need a solid command of a well-rehearsed script that not only portrays your products and services in a positive light but also has space for your prospects to present themselves as well.

Set aside time today. Find a quiet place. Grab a pad and pencil and write these questions down on a piece of paper: "Why would this merchant want to buy from me instead of my competitors? What sets my products and services apart? Even more important, what sets me apart?"

Now, using benefits and results statements rather than a list of product features, answer those questions clearly and simply. Remember your audience. Merchants don't have the time or patience for a long soliloquy. They want concise and compact conversations.

Distinguishing features from benefits is easy. Take for example, your briefcase. A feature of it is the case lock. The benefit of the lock is that your documents and business tools stay inside the briefcase and don't fall out. The result is you can conduct business securely and effectively.

Writing down the benefits of your products and services together with the results your prospect can expect fortifies your presentation and supports your sales position.

Adjectives in your pitch outline such as "quicker," "more efficient," "less expensive" or "easier to use" are benefit words. Descriptions such as "less time to process a transaction," "more time to process additional transactions," "less chance of error," "lower operational costs" and "increased revenue" are result phrases. Write 'em down!

Now that you've answered your sales pitch questions, it's time to put to paper basic questions to ask your prospect. The following queries create an opportunity to uncover the merchant's needs. The answers will let you know which of your solutions will meet those specific needs:

• Are you happy with your current services?
• What is working for your business?
• What isn't working?
• What type of service are you looking for?
• What do you expect from that service?
• What other services have you considered?
• Are you planning new services right away?

There's one final question that needs to be part of your script. The best time to pose it is after your prospect has shared his needs with you and you have shared your solutions with him. The question is: "What do you think of my services?" The answer will let you know if it's time to close the deal or continue the process.