Pacing Your Presentation

The speed and flow with which you make your sales presentation should vary from prospect to prospect. Some people will prefer a fast, snappy presentation while others want plenty of time to absorb each point you make before you move on to the next. How do you know what style to use for a given prospect? All you have to do is watch her — her body language will tell you everything you need to know.

-If she starts tapping her fingers or her toe, she’s impatient. Speed up your pace or move along quickly to the next point. You can also break the flow by asking a question or inserting a comment.
-If she leans forward or nods repeatedly at a point you make, she’s particularly interested in that concept. You might want to elaborate further on that particular part before you move on to the next.
-If she leans back and/or crosses her arms, she’s skeptical. Bring out anything you have that backs up your point, be it articles, statistics, graphs, customer testimonials, etc.
-If her gaze drifts away from you or she seems to be staring into space, she’s distracted. Pause and ask her a question to bring her attention back to you. You will probably want to keep asking questions periodically to keep her focused as you go along.
-If she holds eye contact for long periods of time without looking away, she’s hostile or is challenging you. Probe for information so that you can determine the source of the problem. Something along the lines of “How does that sound to you?” is usually all it takes.
-If she strokes her chin, she’s in the middle of making a decision. Pause and give her plenty of time to think. If you’re lucky, she’s deciding to buy from you.