Presenting by Phone

RSA is over and I’m headed home. While here I thought of one more important presentation topic, so continuing from the whiteboard and PowerPoint posts last week, here is an important add-on.

Sometimes you just can’t be there in person, so what do you do? I am not a fan of cold calling when it comes to high-involvement selling, however learning to use the phone is key when it comes to saving time. Especially when you cover a large geography. I cover the world with just one rep – me.

Like most, I hate cold calling, but if the call is set up through email or a referral, it’s no longer cold. The problem is, people lose their focus on the phone, so you can’t really present anything. Keep your descriptions short, use a story to draw them in, and predict objections to staying on the phone. But you need more.

Here’s a simple strategy that I’ve found to be effective. Since most of the people I schedule a call with are sitting in front of their computer of laptop at the time of the call, taking them to a website that has been set up correctly (meaning it has good content and graphics) is a great way to engage emotionally. I have descriptions of what I am doing with customer testimonies on the side bar. Without having to set up Webex and do a slide show or demo, I am able to take them to a page that outlines or pictures what I am talking about. This allows me to systematically walk through my value, filling in the gaps with a story or two, to show how I have delivered value to others.

Become great at phone selling and you’ll save an incredible amount of time. An on-sight meeting may take two or three hours with travel, waiting, meeting, leaving, and driving back to the office, and that’s best case, in town. The phone might take thirty minutes to an hour tops. And that’s only if they are really interested.