Great news! You were able to book a sales meeting! Now you can get in front of your desired next client and impress them…but what if you fall flat? It’s one thing to get through a gatekeeper, and even to get your foot in the door and voice heard, but what about your presentation will truly WOW a potential customer?

In today’s hyper competitive market, where so many companies sell products similar to yours; it’s about time you got back in the classroom and relearned the ancient art of closing the deal. When trying to seduce a client- we are seeking to be as persuasive as we can. While some try more  aggressive approaches, others pull instead of pushing…but what is proven to REALLY WORK?

However long you’ve been in business for, it’s essential to review the way you pitch. Here are 4 ways to make your pitch…perfect (haha) and close that deal once and for all.

1. Be likeable – Dang it!

Though this may seem like something you have to be born with , believe it or not, you can actually teach yourself to be more likeable. Studies in Psychology have shown that people listen to, and buy more from people they genuinely like, and it seems that being more likeable is something you can work on and improve! Tons of articles can teach you how:

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249908

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-make-people-like-you-2016-4

http://time.com/135945/make-people-like-you/

Not all of these tips and tricks can apply to your next sales meeting, but some are key:

-Smile more- (aim for genuine- not creepy)
-Be warm and natural – not robotic
-Share a secret- share failures to make you seem more human
-Don’t be afraid to joke around

2. Be- and act- Important

How do we embody importance and convey strength?

Answer: Power Posing. Here I will reference another one of our great articles entitled:

Confidence through power posing

In a nutshell…Fake it ‘till you make it! You may think your product/company/service is amazing, but it has to show and be obvious that you are proud of what you bring to the table. If you are not the number one cheerleader of your product, then who will want to buy it?

3. Get educated and be honest

Instead of showing up for your presentation with your same PowerPoint from 2009 and your ready made spiel, be current, original and prepared. No two presentations should EVER be the same, recycling old material is amateur and a new client will notice.

So how does one prepare properly for a presentation?

Answer: truly learn about the potential client. Research them in depth. Find out everything about them from day one and try to understand their current dilemmas. Don’t just talk about the potential client’s current issues, but ask questions and address the concerns the company has as a whole, to gain additional insight and understanding.

4. Set realistic expectations you can deliver

Let’s face it, most companies are out there pounding their chests and saying that they are the best. What about you? Are you TRULY the best? Maybe you aren’t, hey, that’s ok. But tell them truly and simply what you can do and how you plan on realistically doing it. Nothing is worse for business then broken promises and unrealistic expectations so get rid of the fluff and stick to telling the truth about what they can expect when getting on board with you.

Now that we relearned closing basics, it’s time to jazz up your existing presentation, a little refresher can do a world of good. Start by making sure you are the most likeable version of yourself- be confident and assertive in your demeanor- research your potential client IN DEPTH and surprise them with something other than a generic- run of the mill and depressing sales pitch monologue. Finally, close the deal by being HONEST…even if it means telling them something they don’t want to hear, better safe than have them trash talk your network.

We’re pumped! Are you?