(By Pat Bryson) Our presentations to our clients should be DIALOGUES not MONOLOGUES. Far too often, we ask for money by spouting all we know about our stations and our advertising in general. We talk about us, us, us instead of them, them, them.
Turning monologues into dialogues is not difficult. We can begin the path to “Yes” by getting small agreements throughout our presentation. We get these “mini-contracts” by using “check-in” questions. Here are some examples:
- Does this make sense to you?
- Could you agree with this?
- Are these the needs we talked about?
- “Have I left anything out?”
- “Do you like the way we’ve scheduled your messages?”
- “Is there anything you would change about your commercial?”
- “Are we in agreement so far?”
- “Does this commercial get your message across the way you want it to?”
As you move through the important points in your presentation, you should stop at each juncture and ask a question. I actually handwrite a question on the bottom of each page of my copy of a presentation to make sure I remember to stop and ask the question. This involves your prospect in the buying process. It creates a dialogue between the two of you.
It also allows you to know if your client is tracking with you. Are they in agreement? If at some point they disagree, you’ll know where, can find out why, and make the necessary adjustments to still close the sale.
If throughout your presentation your client has agreed with you at each step (mini-contracts) then how can they say, “No” at the end? SMALL agreements lead to BIG orders. Learn to use these questions and your closing ratio will improve!
Happy Selling!
Pat Bryson is the CEO of Bryson Broadcasting International, a consulting firm that works with sales managers and salespeople to raise revenue. She is the author of two books, A Road Map to Success in High-Dollar Broadcast Sales and Successful Broadcast Sales: Thriving in Change available on her website. Read Pat’s Radio Ink archives here.
