Teamwork Counts When Making Sales Presentations

As your firm goes after new business, your success often will depend on subtle nuances in addition to your capability and experience - such as the chemistry of your team, your creativity, your team presentation skills.

These skills may not be needed to make a prospect's short list, but they could be essential to getting the business.

To put together winning team presentations, keep the following guidelines in mind:

1. Do your homework. Research the decision makers and understand the key issues.

Make appointments with key people to determine their criteria for selecting a firm. Discuss their needs; ask clarifying questions; analyze their personalities; uncover interests that could be motivating decisions.

2. Select the members of the presentation team carefully. Consider experience and previous exposure to decision makers.

Be careful how many people are on the team. While less is probably better, make sure there are enough to cover every area of expertise that's necessary.

Choose a team leader. Determine your approach.

3. Outline the presentation.

Include the introductions, transitions, and how questions are to be handled. Be clear on how the leader will facilitate the process.

This includes: getting it started, making introductions, controlling to flow, concluding, calling for questions, and wrapping up the whole presentation.

4. Rehearse individually and as a team. Critique yourselves candidly about content and delivery.

Make sure that you are meeting the prospect's criteria, that you meet time limits, that each speaker is knowledgeable and appears credible. Videotape is possible.

5. Anticipate the questions you'll get, especially those really tough ones you'd rather not be asked.

Assign each team member a topic responsibility for answering questions. Prepare your positive responses and practice bridging to the key points you want to get across.

6. Look and act like a cohesive team. Present with impact and confidence.

Avoid disagreeing with or contradicting a team member. Don't interrupt each other or answer a question on a topic you were not assigned to address.