Quick Review: What are the most common sales presentation mistakes that cost an individual a win, a deal, or an opportunity?

As promised,  the next few newsletters will provide Insights from the State of Sales Presentations Research Study :

PHASE THREE STUDY OBJECTIVES

Phase Three of this research is a crucial continuation of the preceding two phases, which together form a comprehensive examination of sales presentation mistakes and their consequences. Phase Three investigated the twelve sales presentation mistakes most often committed by sales professionals and the efficacy of sales presentations across in-person, video conference and hybrid (in-person and virtual) environments.

KEY FINDINGS

A total of 1,075 individuals completed the Phase Three survey. Participants were asked to self-report which of the twelve presentation mistakes they recalled making and observed others making over the previous six months. Participants were allowed to select as many or few as they had experienced/observed. The frequency with which participants self-reported committing and observing each of the Presentation Mistakes is as follows:

NOTE: This graph presents a comparative analysis of how sales professionals perceive their own mistakes in addition to those they recognized in their peers.

Throughout all three phases, a pattern emerged where sales professionals consistently reported committing the same top three mistakes. The top three self-reported presentation mistakes, ranked by frequency, are:

1. “Winging It”
2. Being Overly Informative Versus Persuasive
3. Failing to Close the Sale

In comparison, a set of three presentation mistakes were consistently observed in others, yet they differed from those self-reported. The top three presentation mistakes observed in others, ranked by frequency are:

1. Being Boring, Boring, Boring
2. Being Overly Informative Versus Persuasive
3. Failure to Create Connection with Listeners

This comparison highlights the gap between mistakes individuals admit to in self-reports and those they observed/committed by others. One plausible explanation for this phenomenon is rooted in a psychological theory called attribution theory, which posits that individuals tend to attribute their flaws to external factors and the flaws of others to internal factors. For instance, participants self-identified Being Overly Informative vs Persuasive as being a top three common presentation mistakes versus identifying their peers as Being Boring, Boring, Boring.

• The Phase Three research confirmed that sales professionals have continued to make all twelve mistakes—regardless of their delivery platform, gender, generation, or whether they were selling a product, service, or cause.

• One participant reported making zero mistakes.

***Across all three phases the top three mistakes remained the top three, regardless of the delivery platform, gender, generation, years of experience or whether the presenter was selling a product, service, or cause.

I hope this content helps to start a conversation with your team and/or associates about how to improve your sales presentation outcomes!

What’s Next?

 Terri’s LinkedIn Training Course: I partnered with LinkedIn Learning Studios to design a persuasive presentation skills course titled: “Sales Skills: 12 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Next Persuasive Presentation.” 

It is a 34-minute Introductory Class… designed for beginners but seasoned pro’s have been saying, “…this was a fun, quick and meaty reminder of things I need to be sure to recognize in my presentations!”

Free for LinkedIn Premium Members!

PS. I read all your comments… and your kind ratings are sincerely appreciated.  Thank you sooo much! 😊   TS