Black In Business

Let’s pretend, you are a designer of a homeland sercurity device, and work for a mid sized company. Your company wants the US government business. You are a Morehouse graduate in chemical engineering and have been with this firm for 4 years. Acquiring this deal will establish your 10 year old company as a major player.

Your CEO has shown more and more respect for your intimate knowledge of the system and your growing business acumen. You have attended other presentations but have not  said much and in fact only answered a couple of Questions. You have been in the room but silent and for the most part invisible. The CEO approaches you and declares,”Malik, this deal is of paramont importance to us, and you know the system the best, I want you to do the presentation and bring home the bacon! This is an important opportunity for you and us, I have complete faith in you.” You know the commercial, where they say, “never let them see you sweat,”being a brother, it is too late, you are sweating but also excited and proud. What do you do?

There is a 7 step process for presentations or sales demostrations. If you follow these 7 steps, It will ensure your success. Today, we will review the 7 steps and next post go into a script.

1. Initial benefit statement, why should The President and his staff take the time to litsen to you, what is in it for them?

2. Establish the selection criteria, this should be a confirmation of data already gained.

3.Ensure that there are no new developments that would add to or change the criteria

4. Summarize criteria and precommit, if our design best meets your critical criteria, is ther any reason for us not to be selected? If your answer is no, you know what you have to present, if there are reasons not to select your design, find out what and minimize the effect.

5. Give your presentation with passion, energy, and conviction. After each criteria for selection has been addressed, gain agreement,that your design is best  for achieving that important need.

6. Ask for clarifications or questions

7. summary of presentation and close or ask for the business

I wrote in an earlier post, “An Inspiring Salesman” that everybody sells, how would you do your presentation? I will work on a script for a later post of this story. Let me hear from you!