Remember that last really bad sales presentation you made? You remember it: you lost focus; you weren’t prepared to overcome objections. When you asked for the business – if you asked for it at all – you sounded stilted and forced. And naturally, you didn’t get the business.

There’s an easier way. Create a planned presentation. This process works well whether you make your presentations face to face or over the telephone. Many people leave the mechanics of getting sales up to chance. “Make a few calls”, “ask for the business” we’re told. But how should we ask? What should we ask? It often feels as though a sales call is a black hole.

Just as we write out our business plan we must take the same effort to create a sales presentation. Doing this is more than just outlining your conversation points beforehand and knowing your product’s benefits. You must also script out the words you will use and how and when you will use them.

Many people balk at the idea of writing out a presentation. They equate it with bad telemarketing calls – and so they can be when not done correctly. Here are some tips to creating an effective presentation that will help you get more clients. First, begin by thinking about what your goal is for this call. What do you hope to accomplish? Write it down. You may find you have more than one goal. Rank them and recognize you may not accomplish all of this in one call.

Next, think about the calls you’ve made in the past. Write down what worked for you and what didn’t. Then roughly write out a potential conversation with a prospective client. Try to write it in a conversational style. Forget what your English teachers taught you about writing in complete sentences, write this the way you speak. Don’t use any phrases or words you normally wouldn’t in conversation. You’ll sound more natural and less stilted.

A good presentation should include the following points: opening, exploring, offer, close, objection rebuttal. During your opening, you have a limited time to introduce yourself and catch someone’s attention. You want them to continue listening to you. Exploring gives us the opportunity to ask questions, to find out more about the person we’re speaking with and what their concerns are. Give your prospective client plenty of chances to talk. It helps them become more vested in your conversation, which in turn makes it easier to come to agreement and allows you to learn what’s important to them. You can then tailor your offer to these concerns. Your offer should always be stated in the form of “what’s in it for me” to your prospect. Finally, ask for agreement. This is your close. Although some sales novices associate “closing” with high pressure sales, a close is simply asking for agreement, in this case agreement to use your services or products.

Also remember that the people you speak with may have initial concerns to using your services. Before your presentation, think of as many potential concerns or objections a prospective client might have about using your products or services. This requires being able to step outside of ourselves and put yourself in another’s place. Prepare to ask your prospect more about their thoughts. Then based on the information you have been given, gently show then how your service or product can help them. This should also be written out.

If you spend most of your selling time on the phone, it is very simple to use a planned presentation as you can keep it in front of you as you speak. Do not read it. Practice it until you are comfortable with the words and can speak it conversationally. For a face-to-face situation, you’ll want to practice the presentation until you know it by heart. In both situations, think of yourself as an actor learning a script

Once your presentation is written out, however, you will still have work to do. You must test your presentation. To do this, begin using the presentation you have created. Take note of what works and doesn’t work. Make changes until you are confident you’ve found a winning presentation.

By writing out your presentation beforehand, you will find yourself prepared to successfully handle any situation that arises. You can go into any sales situation, knowing what say and what not to say. When you are attentive in this manner, it will truly help you get more clients – all because you wrote it down.

About the Author. Jo Ann Kirby is president of KRG Communications Group. She has 20 years experience in inside telephone sales/mgmt & customer service; and an extensive background in training & development. As a coach and motivator of sales people, Jo Ann works with a wide variety of sales positions in different industries. She excels at needs analysis and coaching to success. Jo Ann has been published in The Toastmaster, NAPPS Network and Commerce magazines. Find out more at http://www.krgcommunications.com.

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