subject: Targeting The Decision Maker In A Sales Presentation [print this page] When you are making a sales presentation, experts advise you to target the decision maker. They assume that if the decision maker is satisfied, then your product/service will be sold.
There are a number of articles with advice on how to find the decision maker in an organization by getting past a gatekeeper etc. The focus of this article is more on what happens next. Having found a senior person responsible; if you are given a slot for making a presentation to a group, then what happens? Is it okay to simply address the person who set up the presentation? Will they be able to take a decision in your favor? Or else would you be wasting your time?
Here are some usual assumptions sales presenters make:
1.Senior-most person: The decision maker may not be the senior most individual. He or she may defer to someone elses point of view, and you might have completely missed out addressing that person in the presentation. It is possible that you got the contact through a business card exchange. But it doesnt mean you know how his or her mind works. Sometimes just the title doesnt really determine the persons responsibility so beware of making assumptions.
2. Gender: Many times, presenters typically address only the senior men and ignore the women in the group. The man may not always take decisions even if he asked more questions or seemed more interested.
3.Single decision maker: It may be possible that there is more than one decision maker. When there are a number of people attending the presentation, it is not possible to say which factor would affect the ultimate decision.
As you can see, it is very difficult to identify such a person, especially if the group is new to you. So, what options does a sales presenter have?
Follow these simple rules:
1.Address everyone: Address all of your audience when you are speaking, ensure that you make eye contact with all of them and answer all queries equally courteously, no matter who asks them.
2.Stop when 80% are convinced: When 80% or more of your audience seem convinced then you can be sure you have addressed the decision makers in one way or the other.
This applies for the first meeting. As a sales presenter, you would usually follow up on your presentation with the group. This is the time when you can get deeper into understanding who takes decisions and nuances which lie under the surface. It will help you when you are ready to sell to them the next time.
