Page 83 - DMGT507_SALES AND PROMOTIONS MANAGEMENT

Unit 4: Sales Meetings, Sales Contests and Sales Budget

3. Accept that change is always seen as threatening until its usefulness is clear; if you advocate Notes
change, make sure that you explain both how it can be achieved and what good results
will flow for the members of the group.
4. Accept also that there will be plenty of preconceived views and existing memories that act
as filters to what you are saying; these may have to be aired and disposed of along the way
if a new way is to replace them.
All these points speak of care being necessary and also flexibility.

4.1.3 Preparation

The difficulties mentioned above dictate the three key rules for a successful presentation: prepare,
and prepare. It is that important. There is no substitute for being truly familiar with the material
in front of you. It will not only facilitate progress through the material but make you more
confident and thus more able to fine-tune, respond to questions and digress where appropriate
and useful. A key part of preparation is creating guidelines that you can keep in front of you and
which act as an effective prompt and make it easy to work through the content.

4.1.4 The Group

It may seem obvious but the session is not yours, it is the group’s and all the focus of its
preparation and delivery must reflect that. Ask yourself how it will be seen, does it reflect their
needs, can it be used in their jobs — any question that will enhance this focus. The presenter who
prepares only to make it easier for themselves is not so likely to create a session that will work
well for others.
A second important point here is how the group will see you. Any lesson is more likely to be
taken on board coming from someone the group respects rather than from someone perceived
as ‘trying to teach their grandmother to boil eggs’. A well-prepared presentation, even a well-
turned out presenter, makes a difference. Your knowledge and your professionalism can enhance
learning. On the one hand, you need to be perceived as the ‘expert’, at least to some degree; on
the other hand’ you should talk about the ‘opportunities we have to improve sales performance’,
rather than saying something that comes across as ‘you people must get your act together’. As
was stated earlier, training is helping people to learn.
The third point is to bear in mind that training is often perceived as a cure for weak performance.
In order to create an atmosphere where training is welcomed by the group, it is vital to ensure
that the event is seen as other than being criticism. Stating that you intend to build on strengths,
listing successes, talking about even better results, all help this process. The need for sales
training is often linked to external change. This may range from increased competition to new
customer expectations. Whatever the situation, even if there are some weaknesses of performance,
you must start the exercise in a way that will make it more likely that people will listen and
participate with an open mind.
4.1.5 Structure

The oldest maxim about communication is also one that offers good advice here: Tell them, tell
them and tell them. This means that you should tell people what you are going to tell them
(introduction), tell them (the main content), and then tell them what you have told them
(summary). Whatever else you aim to do, this one thought will help to keep you on track.

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