| At the conclusion of every sales presentation the | | | | about your firm, your needs and how I can |
| salesman will have achieved one of three results: | | | | customize a program that increases your profits. |
| a sale is made, a sale is lost or valuable | | | | My product (service, technology, invention, etc.) is |
| information is gleaned that can result in building a | | | | too important to both of our companies for me |
| relationship. The third result can be called | | | | to present without more knowledge of your |
| identifying the "hot button". Obviously, the purpose | | | | application requirements. Can I borrow a pen and |
| of every sales presentation is to close the sale, | | | | pad to make some notes as we talk?Why does |
| and this is the only acceptable outcome any good | | | | this approach succeed? Simply because the Naked |
| salesman expects. However, identifying the hot | | | | Salesman has expressed more interest in the |
| button that will motivate a prospect to purchase | | | | clients needs than the client expects. This is called |
| can lead to a successful closing in a subsequent | | | | relationship selling. The Naked Salesman wishes to |
| meeting.The great salesman identifies the | | | | customize a program that enables the client to |
| customer's hot button by asking questions, | | | | enjoy features and benefits their product will |
| listening closely to the answers and ferreting out | | | | provide. The classic armor that sales people utilize |
| the prospects true objections, pain, or fear about | | | | (brief case, Mont Blanc fountain pen, power point |
| dealing with your company or your product. This | | | | presentation, etc.) is replaced by a conversation. |
| is accomplished during the first meeting. Sales | | | | And this conversation is solely about what you |
| people never want to risk having to wait for a | | | | can do to address the customers needs, wants |
| follow-up meeting to secure a positive result. Too | | | | and problems.The Naked Salesman will return |
| many things can happen between the initial and | | | | (with a briefcase, folio, sales collateral, no longer |
| second presentation, all bad.However, realistically | | | | the Naked Salesman) enjoying a different |
| not every salesman is great, and the opportunity | | | | relationship with the client. The return meeting |
| to re-tool a presentation based on data learned at | | | | promises the deliverance of a plan to address the |
| the initial meeting can enable ordinary sales people | | | | stated hot button issues learned by the Naked |
| to successfully close. Learning the customers hot | | | | Salesman. The psychological barrier so often |
| button issue allows a sales man to craft a | | | | placed between seller and buyer is greatly |
| presentation that specifically addresses these | | | | minimized or eliminated. In my experience the |
| open points. Not identifying and keying in on the | | | | receipt of the details contained in the customized |
| hot button issues that are so important to buyers | | | | presentation is appreciated and anticipated by the |
| is the equivalent of commercial self- | | | | buyer. The close should be completed after the |
| immolation.Entrepreneurs must be able to sell. Golf, | | | | presentation is completely reviewed, all aspects |
| tennis, the trombone, driving, sailing, carpentry, | | | | discussed and each issue of concern at the initial |
| indeed every activity is honed by practice. The | | | | meeting fully answered.Do not let analysis |
| same is true of developing crucial sales skills. You | | | | paralysis ever become a part of your, or the |
| must practice, learn from mistakes, practice more | | | | customers, decision making process. The sales |
| and perfect a set of selling skills.When sales people | | | | person has a product. The customer has a need |
| call on me I am always keen to hear the | | | | that must be discovered and addressed. The sale |
| presentation and grade the effort. To say that | | | | should then be closed as soon as possible. All |
| there is a dearth of sales skills today is an | | | | parties should leave feeling that they received a |
| understatement. When I experience a weak | | | | fair deal. Over analyzing the market, current |
| presentation I will cut off the presenter and tell | | | | business conditions, industry trends, or hundreds |
| them why they have lost the opportunity to have | | | | of other paralyzing excuses are not |
| my business. If I am sitting through a weak | | | | countenanced.I often ask the following question of |
| presentation, but the sales person is obviously | | | | a difficult customer: "If I could give you my |
| trying, I will stop them and give them pointers as | | | | product for free, would accept a unit"? The |
| to areas they might improve upon.Invariably, not | | | | answer is almost always, "yes, of course". My |
| seeking, or discovering my hot button is usually | | | | next question, "How would you use my product"? |
| the deal killer. I want to know how a product will | | | | The answer almost always leads to the REAL hot |
| satisfy a need I wish to address. What does it do | | | | button you could not pull from the prospect during |
| for me? What does the product do that my | | | | the meat of your presentation. Listen to the |
| current widget does not do? Is there a saving for | | | | response, adjust the close to address the |
| me of labor, energy or maintenance? Does the | | | | answers you are hearing and then reopen your |
| item feature a storage, portability or multi-use | | | | effort to close the sale.Ability to close sales is |
| advantage? There are many more features that | | | | equivalent to the performance of a MRI for your |
| might be relevant to my making a decision. It is | | | | business. Selling is job number one. Answering |
| the sales person's responsibility to discover my | | | | objections and differentiating between real and |
| hot button need and directly overcome my | | | | phony objections is crucial to sales success.The |
| hesitance with a soundly presented response to | | | | hot button issue is the key to concluding a |
| each.Notice I did not include cost in my list of hot | | | | successful sales presentation. Find the real hot |
| buttons issues. Price is never, repeat never, an | | | | button, answer it directly and watch your business |
| acceptable reason to lose a sale. Raw materials of | | | | expand exponentially as selling becomes easier |
| like quality are price sensitive. However, a | | | | and even fun.Geoff Ficke has been a serial |
| commercial product, technology or service should | | | | entrepreneur for almost 50 years. As a small boy, |
| never be sold on price alone. The seller who touts | | | | earning his spending money doing odd jobs in the |
| a cheaper price alone as a reason to buy will not | | | | neighborhood, he learned the value of selling |
| last long. There is always someone willing or able | | | | himself, offering service and value for |
| to sell more cheaply.There is one exception I allow | | | | money.After putting himself through the |
| to my mantra to close every sale on the first | | | | University of Kentucky (B.A. Broadcast Journalism, |
| presentation. I call this the "Naked Salesman". In | | | | 1969) and serving in the United States Marine |
| specific situations, usually when I need more | | | | Corp, Mr. Ficke commenced a career in the |
| background on the prospect than I can find in the | | | | cosmetic industry. After rising to National Sales |
| marketplace (and this happens rarely), I go to the | | | | Manager for Vidal Sassoon Hair Care at age 28, |
| meeting as the Naked Salesman.The Naked | | | | he then launched a number of ventures, including |
| Salesman goes into the meeting with no | | | | Rubigo Cosmetics, Parfums Pierre Wulff Paris, Le |
| briefcase, no bag, no folio and no sales collateral. | | | | Bain Couture and Fashion Fragrance.Mr. Ficke and |
| This tends to disarm the customer. Sales people | | | | his consulting firm, Duquesa Marketing, Inc. ( has |
| always appear as if they are ready to negotiate | | | | assisted businesses large and small, domestic and |
| the terms and conditions for building the pyramids. | | | | international, entrepreneurs, inventors and |
| The buyer always expects to be sold something | | | | students in new product development, capital |
| they do not want and tends to build a barrier that | | | | formation, licensing, marketing, sales and business |
| the sales person must overcome.Here is how the | | | | plans and successful implementation of his |
| Naked Salesman might handle the meeting. | | | | customized strategies. He is a Senior Fellow at the |
| Consider the following talking points:I am not here | | | | Page Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Business |
| to sell you a thing. I simply want to learn more | | | | School, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. |