Sales Presentations

Relating features to benefits

After identifying the customers needs and problems, the salesperson needs to deliver a presentation so that the thoughts of the prospect will flow naturally from the prospect's thinking to the salesperson's product. The prospect's thinking must be guided to see the salesperson's product as the solution to a problem or need.
- Pederson, Wright, Weitz (1984)

The four major approaches to designing sales presentations are:

• Stimulus-response
• Mental states
• Need satisfaction
• Problem solution

Stimulus-response
"Psychological experiments show that subjects will respond in a predictable manner when exposed to a specific stimulus. When subjects are rewarded for correct responses, the responses may become automatic.

Salespeople using the stimulus-response approach concentrate on saying the right thing (the stimulus) at the right time to develop a favorable response from the prospect. A standard memorized sales presentation is used to ensure that the tight points are made at the right time. Knowing how prospects normally respond to certain stimuli helps salespeople build a sequence of favorable responses. …

The stimulus-response approach is most appropriate in simple straightforward selling situations such as selling a vacuum cleaner in a home. The approach is also useful when selling time is limited, as in selling (detailing) pharmaceuticals to a doctor."
- Pederson, Wright, Weitz (1984)

Mental states
"Attract attention, maintain interest, create desire and get action."
- E. St Elmo Lewis (1898) quoted in Pederson, Wright, Weitz (1984)

"…the salesperson must plan and deliver the sales story in order to advance the buyer from one mental state to another until the sales has been completed."
- Pederson, Wright, Weitz (1984)

Need satisfaction
"A salesperson using this approach first determines the customer's need. After securing the prospect's agreement that the need exists, the salesperson offers a solution to satisfy the need.

The major advantage of this approach is that it forces the salesperson to practice the marketing concept. The emphasis is on satisfying the customer's needs, not on the product or service being offered.. …

The need satisfaction approach is designed for more experienced and sophisticated salespeople. Salespeople using this approach must understand the psychology of communication and persuasion. They must also spend time and effort to determine the prospect's needs and to demonstrate how their product satisfies those needs."
- Pederson, Wright, Weitz (1984)

Problem solution
"…the problem solution approach begins with the sales person identifying the prospect's need. The sales person then helps the customer to list possible alternative solutions and to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative. Finally, the salesperson works with the customer to select the best alternative. In using this approach, the salesperson builds a relationship with the customer that resembles a consultant-client relationship.
- Pederson, Wright, Weitz (1984)