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There is a serious common mistake made by salespeople during presentations that happens way too often. It involves starting right into the presentation without first establishing a few things. A presentation done properly consists of at least 4 parts.

First, establish rapport and a reasonably high level of trust.

Second, spend the time to clearly identify the problems and needs of your prospect.

Third, give your presentation.

The last part is the close itself.

These parts are not established in stone somewhere, you must be flexible. Every time you ask a question, your presentation and steps may change just a little, even though the goal is always the same.

Let me explain. Your presentation is really an entire closing process. Once you have established some kind of common ground and trust, you begin to ask questions trying to uncover their ‘hot’ buttons. You always remain alert to the answers given to find out what they are really concerned about. These answers may change your presentation’s emphasis on certain solutions that your product or service may solve.

At every step of the way, you want to restate the problem or goal as you understand it to gain their approval. In fact, the best way to begin the formal part of your presentation is the restate the problem or goal that you and your prospect have mutually identified. This is critical to your success. You are trying to present a solution to a problem they have, not one you think they have.

Then you move from the general to the particular. Again, it’s important that you ask questions along the way to gain agreement. “How does this sound to you?” “Does this make sense to you so far?” You see, this is really just a trial close.

If you remember, a trial close is a series of questions designed to get agreement along the way so that when you actually ask for the order or begin writing the order, it makes total sense. They have agreed with you all along, if they agreed with everything, there is no reason that they shouldn’t move ahead.

Today, I just want you to start thinking of your presentations as a closing process, not just telling your prospects about yourself and your company. The whole process may take several visits, but the end result of any presentation process should be walking away with an order in your hands.

If you haven’t established good rapport and a reasonably high level of trust and spent the time to clearly identify the problems and needs of your prospect before you launch into your presentation, you’ll be trying to close them on a solution that solves a problem they don’t have. You will have started your closing procedure way too soon.

Perceived negativity occurs in every negotiation, but is perceived negativity negative in a negotiation? It doesn’t have to be. Perceived negativity does occur in every negotiation. If it doesn’t, you nor the other negotiators are negotiating effectively. When perceived negativity occurs in your negotiations, how do you control it and what tactics do you employ to do so. Consider the following situations and the embedded opportunities in them.

1. If you’re outnumbered and feel disadvantaged, consider ways in which you could benefit from it. As an example, if you live in a setting where people smoke and you can’t prevent them from doing so, you might consider having cigarettes on hand and selling them at a marked up price. Grant it, the problem of preventing them from smoking would not be solved, but at least you’d profit financially from their disapproving ways. In essence, in your negotiations, when you encounter negativity, seek ways to take lemons and turn them into lemonade.

2. Hypothetically, you own the last three Picasso paintings in the world. When viewing the paintings, someone accidentally slips. While trying to catch their balance, they rip one of the paintings. One way to view this occurrence is from the perspective of having one of your paintings having lost its value. Another way to view it is from the perspective that the other two Picassos are now worth more. In your negotiations, frame negative situations to appear in their best possible light. Negativity doesn’t have to be viewed as being negative, unless that perspective serves your position. If it doesn’t serve your position, highlight the positive.

3. Negativity in a negotiation can be beneficial, but only to the degree that it’s felt. If you stress a potential negative outcome, from the perspective of how the other negotiator will be impaired if it occurs and she can’t ‘feel’ or experience that negativity, it will not be received with the same level of ‘realism’ as if it had occurred. When speaking of negativity, if you wish to highlight the potential downfall of not taking one path over another, or addressing a situation sooner versus later, cite ‘real life’ experiences that had the most horrid outcomes to heighten your point. To enrich your point, verbally paint ghoulish pictures that are as reprehensible as you can conjure.

Remember as you negotiate, your mental perception controls what is negative and that which is positive. Thus, if you control the perception of negativity during negotiations and focus on the outcome you seek, you can frame and control the flow of a negotiation. Once you become adept at doing so, you’ll begin to view perceived negativity in a new light. You may even come to appreciate and seek perceived negative situations in negotiations, because you’ll know how to use such situations to assist you in your efforts… and everything will be right with the world.

The Negotiation Tips Are…

· When negotiating, as in all phases of life, negativity begins in your mind. During negotiations, when accessing perceived negative situations, give thought to the benefits they could conceal. By doing so, you may surprise yourself by uncovering a diamond that first appeared to be coal.

· When you negotiate and you’re beset by negativity, display an even disposition. Don’t bemoan negativity to the degree that you allow it to take you ‘off your game’. As a cliché advises, ‘never let them see you sweat’.

· In a negotiation, you reach major milestones by achieving mile-pebbles. Be persistent in your attempts to achieve the goal of your negotiation and don’t be dismayed by negativity.