Knife-Fight

Like some of you reading this post, one of my favorite all-time movies is the 1969 classic, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, with its treasure trove of quotes that can still be heard today. Thinking back, I guess my favorite scene was when one of the thugs in that crew of robbers challenged Butch to a fight for control of the Hole-in-the-Wall gang.

I remember that guy was at least a head taller than Butch and gave him a choice of fighting with guns or knives. Butch didn’t want to fight at all so he told the other fellow he didn’t want either weapon. So the other guy pulled out a long knife and headed toward Butch, who said they needed to wait until they got the rules straight.

The thug said, “Rules? There ain’t any rules in a knife fight.” Butch immediately kicked the guy in the groin, and as he doubled over in pain, Butch quickly asked Sundance to count to three to start the fight. Following that speedy three-count, Butch hauled off and knocked out the thug with one huge uppercut.

Having someone evaluate your sales presentations makes some reps as anxious as a knife fight, but it’s a great way to improve your skills.

I’m often asked for a checklist or a form that can be used to evaluate sales presentation effectiveness, so here’s one I compiled. You can use it as is, or customize it to better fit the product or service you sell. Obviously a checklist like this is designed to be used during role playing and is, no doubt, subjective, but it will provide some direction and guidance to help you improve.

Assign a point score for each skill or behavior being evaluated in every category, but the point value cannot exceed the maximum assigned for that grouping. This will help expose your current weaknesses and will guide you to know where to focus future practice in order to improve your performance.

Category weightings total 100% and a perfect score would be 100.

APPROACH (5% or 5 points)

(Objective: Effectively gain attention and build rapport)

____ Handled introduction professionally

____ Gained prospect’s attention

____ Built rapport effectively

____ Transitioned smoothly into needs identification (pain)

NEEDS IDENTIFICATION [The PAIN] (25% or 25 points)

(Objective: Obtain clear understanding of customer’s situation in order to prepare a customized solution)

____Uncovered decision process (criteria and all players)

____ Discovered relevant facts about company and/or buyer

____ Determined buyer’s needs (pain and objectives, etc.)

____ Probed for consequences if action is not taken

____ Secured commitment to consider your solution

PRESENTATION OF SOLUTION (25% or 25 points)  

(Objective: Persuasively match your benefits to the buyer’s needs)Knife-Fight-1

____Communicated benefits relevant to needs of buyer

____Displayed a convincing strategy to address hot buttons

____Employed appropriate professional visual aids

____Demonstrated your offering, preferably involving buyer

____ Trial closed in order to determine buyer interest

OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS (15% or 15 points)

(Objective: Deal with buyer’s concerns to their satisfaction)

____ Clarified objections to ensure your understanding of them

____Answeredthe objection successfully

____ Confirmed that objection is no longer a buyer concern

CLOSE (10% or 10 points) 

(Objective: Advance the sale by taking the next step)

____ Presented persuasive reasons to buy

____ Asked for the order or took an appropriate next step

COMMUNICATION SKILLS (15% or 15 points)  

(Objective: Relate to prospect and trigger buying signals)

____Listened actively then responded verbally for understanding

____ Communicated appropriately non-verbally

____ Projected clear, concise, and professional verbiage

OVERALL (5% or 5 points)

(Objective: WOW the customer, creating trust and likeability)

____ Demonstrated enthusiasm and confidence

____ Displayed product knowledge, relating it to buyer’s needs

 

____ GRAND TOTAL (100% or 100 points)

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