Looking for a new approach to sell? Want to pump some life into your sales presentation and, at the same time, deflate the competition? Picture This! a powerful new way of presenting your product or service. Paint a picture of your product or service already in use and fulfilling the dreams and expectations of the new owner – your prospect.

How do you sell things? The way everyone else does? A bunch of boring features and benefits? Stop! Don’t sell the product…paint a picture of the use of the product. If you sell the idea of help, productivity, use, success or resolve, you can make the sale far easier than selling features and benefits.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you’re in the temporary help business trying to sell a prospect on your services. You could give a bunch of standard crapola about the quality and experience of your people, or your competitive rates. Yeecch! OR, you could say to the prospect, “Picture this, Mr. Jones. It’s 9:00am and your receptionist doesn’t show up for work. The phones are ringing. You call InstaStaff with your dilemma, and in one hour, an experienced receptionist arrives at your door ready and capable to start work at the pivotal front desk. She handles the phones and assists others in the office so that there is no loss of productivity, or reduction of service to your customers. Does that sound like a problem solved Mr. Jones? How may we be of service to you when your next absentee occurs?”

“Picture This” is a creative way of presenting your product or service so that the prospect can imagine it already in use. You tell a story of what will happen after the sale is made. It’s a “sales story” of success in which everyone lives happily ever after (really).

The “Picture This” method of presenting serves three distinct purposes:

1. Gives the prospect a window of understanding (and confidence) of how much better things will be after the sale. How to employ your product.
2. Gives your prospect a chance to see the benefit of buying from his own perspective.
3. Separates you from the competition.

“Picture This” is powerful, BUT it’s not so easy. It requires preparation. There are ground rules. Before you can do a “Picture This” presentation you must…

• Know what your customer perceives as your competitive advantages.
• Know how your prospect’s business serves their customers and how your prospect’s business uses your product.
• Know how using your product or service impacts your customer’s business.
• Take a factory or office tour at your prospect’s place of business. Look for applications. Look for solutions. Look for the results of use.
• Get your prospect to agree that there’s a need.
• Select real life scenarios that don’t make it too conceptual. Keep the buyer’s vision clear. Keep the illustration believable, and let the customer see himself in the application.

After you gather this information (and only then), are you qualified to paint a picture (tell a story) of a solution or a solved problem.

Here’s how to construct your “Picture This” presentation…

1. List your opinion of your competitive advantages. Write down areas that you think are head and shoulders above your competition and your market.

2. List your customer’s opinion of your competitive advantages. Write down what your customer feels are the prime reasons he buys from you. Why he recommends you. Why he does not buy from someone else.

3. Write down how you solve problems (how is your product used). Cite several examples of what happened after your product was installed.

 

4. Select one prospect. Write down his present situation. Write down your recommendation for product use. Write down what will happen as a result of the solution implementation.

 

5. Place the answers from all four questions in front of you, and begin to construct a story about “solution implementation.” Construct a story that begins “Picture This…”

 

That’s not too tough is it? Once you’ve compiled this information the solution becomes ultraclear. Visions of Picture This stories will begin popping into your head. Now you can begin to paint a picture of a solved problem. Now you can say…“Picture This.”

Here are a few hints on telling your story with impact…

 

Be animated Wide eyed, as though you just had the most fantastic thing just happened to you.

Use lots of hand gestures Not wild handwaving, but pointed compelling gestures. Pantomime (act out) the words as you speak.

Use a wide range of vocal variety Loud and soft voices. Not singing, but close.

Stand up when you present It ads impact to your gestures and to the story (even if you’re on the phone).

Be prepared Rehearse it a few times before you present it. Get comfortable with the process and the story.

 

Like any new concept, only a very few of you will try or use “Picture This” as a method of making a sale. I challenge you to go beyond your normal humdrum selling. I further challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and into your fun zone. The only thing you have to lose is a sale. Picture that.

FREE GitBit… Want to jumpstart your picture this presentation? I’ve developed a form to facilitate constructing your picture this story. Just go to www.gitomer.com click FREE STUFF then click GitBit register and enter the secret words, , “Picture This“.

I’d also appreciate your faxed success stories after you try it.

 

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, and Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. President of Charlottebased Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. He can be reached at 704/3331112 or email to salesman@gitomer.com

1999 All Rights Reserved Don’t even think about reproducing this document without written

permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer 704/3331112