The "One-Number" Reason to Buy

In a presentation, when is the audience’s attention level at its peak?

At the very beginning and the very end. At first, they’re anticipating what you’re going to say, and, later on listening for the cue that it’s almost over!

We’d be crazy not to take advantage of this. That means starting strong and finishing strong. And, that means budgeting a BIG chunk of your presentation development time on these two parts. Our goal: to plant a LASTING message.

Several strategies will get you there and they’re all taught in my Developing & Delivering Great Presentations

Here’s one you might enjoy:

I call it the “one number” reason to buy strategy.

Let me walk you through how it works by using an example from years ago.

A group of sales managers of a large Fintech firm were evaluating my firm for sales training for the whole company. None of them knew me and I knew most would come in skeptical. (So would I if I was in their shoes.)

So, I wanted to make an early impact. And, at the same time test their skill level, much like a golf coach would do by asking you to hit a few balls while they watch your swing before giving any advice.

2 weeks before class, the sales managers were given a simple assignment. Prepare and deliver a mini-presentation (5 minutes or less) on why a prospective client should buy from them. They could use any media, or no media.

Even though this was a sales class, not a presentation class, I led off with this exercise. Some took it seriously and some did not. As you might expect, the results were all over the map – some good, many so-so, and some surprisingly not good. And, EVERYBODY knew where they stood, before I said even one word.

Now that I had their attention it was my turn to give them an idea.

I used two blank flipcharts stationed at the front of the room. On the first flipchart I wrote down 3 of the items mentioned in their presentations. I think they were: “Great solution fit”, “Financially strong”, and “Expert support staff”. Exactly what, I don’t remember. (It was 25 years ago.)

Then I moved over to the other flipchart and wrote down “98.6”. Just that, nothing else.

I turned back to face the group, pointed at the 98.6 flip and said, “That’s the main reason you should go with us.” A few quizzed faces.

Moving back to the first flip, I went on to explain, “The #1 reason to select us isn’t because we have the best solution to your problems and goals, though we think we do. It’s not because we’re financially stable (though we have the best balance sheet in the market). And, it isn’t because of the expertise of our support staff (though they average 13 years of experience and our client survey ratings are stellar).”

Then back to the second flip. “No, it’s this number. 98.6.” I then wrote a percentage sign behind it. “98.6%. That’s the percentage of clients who renew their contract with us every year. This despite having multiple alternatives to choose from and many of them cheaper than us.”

“You should select us because if you do, there’s a 98.6% chance you’ll be happy with that decision. And not have to go through this time-consuming process every 5 years. And, that means you can focus on growing, supporting, and retaining your customers without worrying about your IT solution.”

The looks on these senior sales managers’ faces were priceless. Many smiles, some with mouths agape. And most asked me to repeat what I said so they could take detailed notes.

So, why did it they like this “one-number” strategy?

(1.) It got their attention.

(2.) It created deep curiosity and then surprise.

(3.) It was memorable.

(4.) It was super simple.

This was something they knew they could do and so could their sales reps. It got them excited again about how they could jazz up their presentations and differentiate themselves from the competition.

Now that you understand the model, I hope you can use it too.

Story Epilogue: Happy ending. They loved the class. We won the business and they became a 15-year client of mine. In that time, I taught hundreds of classes on multiple topics and their sales revenue grew from $400 million to over $4 Billion.

Have a great week!

Bob

P.S. This is one of the strategies included in my virtual Developing & Delivering Great Presentations 3.0 course coming out later this spring. If this is something you might be interested in, send an email to: [email protected]. I’m putting together an interest list for the grand opening class.