Chelsi Nakano
January 28, 2016
The sales process has changed a lot in recent years, and sales professionals face an increasingly competitive landscape. These changes have brought big challenges, but also great opportunities for teams to adopt more innovative processes and technologies.
As SAP’s Solution Center Cloud Manager in Latin America, Roger Kock is one example. He first came across Prezi while doing his master’s degree abroad, and today uses it for a variety of presentations at SAP, including sales calls, partner meetings, and large conferences. “I recommend Prezi to my colleagues as a way to differentiate themselves from competitors,” he told us.
We sat down with Roger to learn more about what it takes to give a great (and quick!) sales presentation, and how Prezi helps him do just that every day:
What are the biggest challenges that sales professionals face today?
The biggest challenge is to connect your product to the customer’s needs, showing them what value you and your product will bring to his or her business.
Is this particularly true in the technology sector?
The sale of technology, especially software, requires a thorough analysis of the challenges—in other words, the customer’s problems you need to solve, or the goals you need to help them to achieve.
This process can take months, or even years, and requires the salesperson to have an advanced level of knowledge of the area (industry / department) to which he or she is selling.
What do you think makes for a great sales presentation?
A presentation is nothing more than the transmission of information and emotions. If you are confident and believe in your product, that will come across in your presentation, and the customer will end up feeling the same way.
The most important mission of any presenter is to transmit the message directly and clearly, while keeping the audience attentive and engaged.
How has Prezi changed the way you present?
When it comes to content, Prezi provides a greater interaction between the audience and the presenter. It is much easier to deliver a message that is memorable and to build a connection with them when you use it.
Specifically in our case, we sell products in the cloud, hosted in SAP’s Data Centers. Meanwhile, Prezi allows me to deliver and share my presentation in the cloud—so I’m practicing what I preach, so to speak. The architecture of Prezi aligns perfectly with our products and our sales message.
What tips do you have for professionals who need to “make a sale in 5 minutes”?
Always start with the wow factor. Show the most impressive features of your product first. There is a very small window of audience attention at the beginning of each presentation. You have to take advantage of it to the fullest, by showing how you and your solutions can help the customer in a clear and straightforward manner.
But never forget that whatever you show, it must be relevant to who you are trying to sell. If you lead with features that aren’t highly relevant, your audience will check out and absorb very little of what you say.
What, in your experience, is the best way to make sure you’re successful while pitching?
Always return to what your audience is looking for. Aligning your presentation to your audience’s needs is the key to success. Because of this, preparation is essential—you need to know your prospects and what they want to hear.
You also need to make sure you’re talking to the right people at the right time in the right way. When you stand out from your competition with a memorable and engaging presentation, you’ll definitely increase your chances of making a great and long lasting impression.
