Use “reason why” bridges in sales presentations

By John Foust
Raleigh, NC

“I found a helpful idea to tweak my sales presentations in an unlikely place,” Mack told me. “It was at a local community college – in a one-day class on how to use a particular computer program. There were about a dozen people in the class. And although we had different skill levels, the teacher did an excellent job of keeping everyone on track.”

“What was the teacher’s secret?” I asked.

“First of all, she didn’t use what I call ‘geek speak.’ She talked in terms that the people on our level could understand. And she presented each point in a way that easily connected to previous things we had learned. I lost count of the number of times she said, ‘The reason I say that is’ or ‘I’m asking you to do this because.’ It was a positive learning experience. She logically walked us through each module of the training, intuitively knowing when to tell us the ‘why?’ behind the information.”

Mack explained that he tried the computer teacher’s technique a few days later in a meeting with a prospective advertiser. “It was one of the ah-ha moments in my sales career. I found that a simple ‘reason why’ bridge helped me link together my sales points in a logical sequence. And I could tell that the prospect was more attentive than usual.”

If you’d like to try this in your sales presentations, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Organize your sales points. “This technique goes beyond the basics of covering features and benefits.” Mack said. “In essence, it’s a way to add more depth to your sales points. If you tell them you’re going to give them a reason that something is important, you’d better make it a good one – or they’ll think you don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s all about giving them a reason why.”

Take this quick multiple-choice test: I believe our paper reaches your target audience. The reason I say that is…

a) …we have a lot of readers.
b) …your competitors advertise with us, and they must know something.
c) …it’s important to have a target audience.
d) …a recent readership study showed that X% of our readers fit the demographic profile of your industry’s consumers.

Choice “d” is the one that offers a legitimate “reason why.”

2. Find different ways to say the same thing. “Obviously, you shouldn’t say ‘the reason I say this’ all the way through,” Mack cautioned. “If you want people to stay awake, add some variety with phrases like… ‘I mention this because’…or ‘This is due to the fact that’ or… ‘You can accomplish this by.’”

3. Don’t overdo it. “I can’t tell you how many times to use a ‘reason why’ bridge in a presentation,” he added. “That decision is up to you. I just know that it’s not a good idea to use it on every sales point. Pick your spots carefully, so you won’t sound like a broken record.”

(c) Copyright 2007 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

E-mail John Foust for information about his training videos for ad departments: jfoust@mindspring.com

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