PPB June 2017

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yourself (look into video software for your
laptop, or use the video feature on your
smartphone) and review the presentation
or share it with someone you trust to give
you positive feedback. Another idea that I
have done and highly encourage is joining
Toastmasters International™. This is a safe
environment where you can practice your
presentation skills and get critiqued by
others—I really love this option.
Bringing your “A” game to presentations
is a process. You must want it and realize
that success comes from your desire to
win, exceed, excel and achieve. Before your
next presentation try some of these tips
and strive for that out-of-the-park A-game
presentation!
You know you want it; you can feel it. So
where does a winning presentation begin?
Ah … with you!
Cliff Quicksell, Jr., MAS+, serves both
as a consultant and acting director of
marketing for distributor iPROMOTEu. He
has been in the promotional industry for
more than 30 years in various capacities.
Additionally, Quicksell is president of his
own international speaking and consulting
company, speaking, coaching and consulting
on ways and methods that companies can
grow, expand and prosper. He has helped
and spoken to audiences in more than eight
countries and has published two books and
more than 900 articles on sales, marketing
and creativity. He publishes a weekly blog,
“30 Seconds To Greatness.” Contact him
to subscribe: ,
301-717-0615 or via his LinkedIn profile.
Three Proven Steps To
Avert Prospect Silence
In sales, there is nothing more
frustrating than waiting to hear back
from a prospect. We’ve all been
there—spent time researching a
potential client, had great meetings,
agreed on next steps and then
nothing, nada, just silence.
Rather than dealing with
prospect silence after it happens,
try preventing it in the first place.
Here are three strategies which can
prevent prospect silence:
STRATEGY 1
Secure a date and time for every
step of the sales process. Lock it in
before the meeting ends. Don’t settle
for “Let’s connect sometime next
week.” Try saying, “How is Thursday
at 10 to review the proposal
together?” Decision makers often
agree to a date and time if you ask
for one during the meeting or call.
After the meeting or call, all their
other priorities take over and their
attention is gone.
STRATEGY 2
Schedule a 10-minute check-in.
Your prospect may push back
on a next meeting, or it may
be inappropriate to have a full
meeting as the next step. Let’s say
your prospect agrees to a second
meeting, but needs to invite a
colleague. Without the other person’s
calendar, committing to a date and
time is unrealistic. That’s when the
10-minute check-in call is perfect.
Try saying, “I understand you
need to check with Tom about his
availability. Let’s put a 10-minute
check-in call on the calendar for
Thursday at 10 to see where we
are with scheduling. If I hear from
you before, we’ll just take it off the
calendar.” I have found prospects
easily agree to a 10-minute call. And,
the call often prompts him or her to
do whatever was promised.
STRATEGY 3
Ask questions that uncover urgency
and use that information. Asking
when a prospect wants to start or
complete a project can help you
discover priorities and urgency, which
can be used as leverage to keep the
sales process moving. Sometimes I’ll
ask, “If what I’m describing is Nirvana
for you, how soon do you want to get
started?” A good follow-up question
is, “Why is starting this project at that
time so important for you?”
Using the prospect’s exact words
as the reason to keep progressing
is very effective. After all, you’re just
helping the prospect achieve his
goals. For example, “You told me
you want to start next week. Because
today is Monday, I will send you the
contract by Wednesday. If you could
turn that around by Friday with an
initial payment, we can schedule the
work to start next week. How does
that work for you?”
By employing these three
strategies, you can shorten your sales
cycle and eliminate the frustrating
and time-consuming chase.
Remember, your prospects are busy
people. They act on and respond
to suggestions that make their
lives better.
–Caryn Kopp, Chief Door Opener® at
60 | JUNE 2017 |
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