101 Best Sales and Marketing Ideas
IDEA 9:
THE RIGHT WEIGHT OF CASE
A difficulty some sales people have is in deciding how much to say about their product and service. Realistically comprehensiveness is often not one of the options: more and more buyers lay down time restraints in one way or another. You might sensible regard such a time limit as negotiable, but once you have agreed it there is merit in sticking to it, unless the prospect is so interested that they extend it, either formally or informally. Beyond that pragmatic view, however, how do you judge how much to say?
Idea
From research done by m62 visual presentations ltd….
Most of the ideas suggested here are based as much as anything on observation, but this one is based on research. This company specializes in helping create business- winning presentations (deciding on the message and creating the visual aids to convey it). In this capacity its staff must judge carefully how much to suggest is said, not least because they can be paid in part on results. So they did some research into the “weight of a case”.
The answer was clear. The greatest chance of a positive reaction is given by five key points stated in benefit form. Do not take that too literally: you may do well by using four or six, or even seven points. But outside these parameters you risk a negative reaction. Too few points, and the case will sound insubstantial; too many, and it will become tedious and people will lose interest. Of course, quantity is not everything. Naturally it matters what you say and how you say it, and what priority you give to different points. But there is guidance here, and it is worth thinking in this way about the core of your message- the case you want to present. Although the research was directed primarily at “big-ticket” selling, and situations where a formal pitch and presentation is necessary common sense suggests that it is a good general point to bear in mind.
Note: the research is described in Nick Oulton’s Killer Presentations (How to Books), which also outlines the best methodology you could wish for in creating persuasive PowerPoint presentations.
In practice
- The case you make easily becomes repetitive if you don’t give it thought. So analyze what you say, and make sure it has sufficient “weight” in the kind of way described above.