I want to share a sales presentation example in this blog post. While we talk a lot about B2B sales at SalesScripter, this example is more of a B2C example and an experience that I personally had when I was at a store. Even though this example pertains to a fairly low-cost product and not really a complex sales cycle, there are still some important lessons to learn that can definitely be applied to more sophisticated sales efforts.

 

Background

This sales presentation example took place at a store where a salesperson demonstrated (demonstrated/sold) a water filtration system. To explain the product a little more, this unit sits on a countertop and is filled with water from a faucet. The system filters the water to produce better-quality drinking water.

 

The Sales Pitch

I will first outline some of the main components of the salesperson’s pitch. (Please stay with me on this; there is a clear point at the end.)

Sample of Final Product (Water)
On a table where the actual product was displayed and operational, the salesperson had cups filled with filtered water that prospects could grab and sample.

Visual Display of Filtration Working
In this sales presentation example, the salesperson had a nice visual demonstration of the filter working by putting blue water (dye or food coloring adding color to the water) into the system and seeing clear water come out the other side (blue color missing from filtered water).

Verbal Pitch
The salesperson explained how the product worked and answered questions that prospects had.

Product Information Handouts
The salesperson quickly passed out product information handouts that explained how the product works.

Sense of Urgency (Special pricing and limited availability)
The salesperson did an excellent job of pointing out that the product was discounted by $25 for that weekend only and that there were only 17 units left.

 

What is Missing in this Sales Presentation Example

While most of that is either good or pretty standard for a product pitch or sales presentation example demo, what you have here is a salesperson that has a very “product-focused” sales pitch. What she could have done better is focus more on the prospect.

One of the best ways to focus more on the prospect is to ask more probing sales questions to learn more about the prospect’s needs, interests, pain points, etc.

Yes, this is a relatively simple and low-cost product, and most salespeople who sell something like this deliver a “product-focused” sales pitch. But that does not mean that she could not have sold more by being a little more sophisticated; here are examples of probing sales questions the salesperson could have asked:

  • How much water do you drink per day?
  • How do you currently purchase or filter your water?
  • How concerned are you about drinking water that is not completely filtered?
  • How much do you spend per month on bottled water?

If the salesperson asked me or any of the other prospects questions like these, she would have gathered much valuable information. And this information would help the salesperson in two ways.

First, the answers back would tell her which prospects fit best and needed the product the most. This would make it straightforward for her to know which prospect to focus more time and attention on. The second way the answers to these questions would help is that they would help her close the sale, as specific answers would highlight the need and justification to move forward.

Again, while this is a straightforward sales presentation example, you can apply what is missing here to any sales pitch, and that is to ask more probing sales questions to learn more about the prospect.