Repetition is important. Let me repeat. Repetition is important. In presentations and meetings, it is indispensable. Your client will not get bored by what you are saying, they likely won’t even notice it, and they definitely won’t think it’s weird. They aren’t paying as close attention to you as you think or would like. They have not heard your content as many times as you, so it is new for them.

This is the conundrum that all good sellers find themselves in early in a sales cycle. We need conversations, but we have not yet earned the right to have them, and buyers want presentations because they feel more comfortable in those settings.

At the switch point, the client switches from active conversational partner to receiver of information. Consciously or not, they want to position themselves as the receiver so that they can be in control. They become the all knowing judge, who has control of the money, and control of the decision. Where does that leave you, the seller? You are the presenter, the one who needs the money, the one who is being judged. And, what happens when the dynamics of the interaction change

Sales presentations really can be like art. Sure, it’s nerdy, somewhat boring, and definitely not culturally relevant art, but art, nonetheless. Buyers have to be emotionally engaged in the story, and then will find intellectual justification for their excitement and decisions.

As sellers, we want to be talking about problems and desired outcomes, and skip over the conversation about solutions.

The trick is to remember that the presentation is not the slides. The story that you tell is the presentation, and the slides are just one iteration in aiding that presentation.

Discovery is what makes or breaks your ability as a seller to be influential.

If the buyer controls the meeting or the process, the sale is very unlikely to happen.

Sales is not a logical process; it's not about logic, differentiators, and solutions, it’s about problems, emotions, and desired outcomes.

Next steps need to be in the buyer’s terms not yours. They need to establish the goal of the next interaction before ever scheduling it.

Each interaction with a client is a chance to tell a story. Great, creative storytelling is grounded in a foundation of good technique.

Competing for attention and engagement on a group video call is not easy but its is an important skill in the current business world.