From time to time, a client will share a frustration with me regarding a new sales initiative or sales program that, on the surface, sounds reasonable, if not brilliant. The sales team is awarded incentives or bonuses for scheduling product or service demonstrations. The managers report the prospect’s activity levels exploding.
Teams fan out across the state, nation or world to perform these demos. The vast majority of these events are widely successful and prospects are amazed. Travel and entertainment expenses go out of control, and new sales do not materialize.
What went wrong?
The sales managers blame the prospects, the salespeople, the demonstration team, the economy, the president, the phase of the moon, and the latest Survivor voted off the island. In other words, they have no clue as to why their sales did not take off after all of these highly successful demos.
The answer is very simple.
When the demonstration is first discussed with the prospect and scheduled, does the salesperson begin with the end in mind? Does the salesperson set the proper expectation if the demo is successful?
When setting up the event, what if the salesperson simply asked the prospect, “If the demo is successful, what happens next?”
Let’s brainstorm on the possible responses from the prospect:
- “If it works, we’ll file your information away for future projects. We always want to see the latest and greatest developments. We have no immediate need.”
- “We just want to see if the technology works and to show our own R&D folks what they should be developing.”
- “If it works, we will insist our current vendor develop this technology. We won’t switch suppliers.”
- “If it works, we will give you an order.”
The only reason to do the demonstration is the last bullet point. The others are a waste of time.
So, what are the ground rules for your sales team’s next demo?
sales and sales management with Fortune 500 companies as well as small, family-owned organizations. He has held positions from sales to senior management with companies such as Conoco/Vista, Amresco and Ohio Awning, and owns his own business. He earned his MBA with a concentration in Marketing from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. You can reach him at [email protected] or (888) 448-2030.
