Sales, it is all a Facade...

Enthusiasm is contagious; people feed off of it. One of the most subtle ways to show enthusiasm is to present with energy. When you are pitching more than one option, if you can subtly increase your pace of speaking and emote excitement, your audience will catch on that is the preferred option. They will want to like it because they picked up that you like it as the expert.

It is often repeated that 90% of communication is non-verbal. If you have an engineering background and fall on the spectrum (like many of us technical salespeople), you hate the idea of people making choices on things less than the facts and data. You write your pitches to ensure you cover every potential objection and issue another engineer in the room may think to call you out for... I know I used to do this. In technical sales, though, we need to remember that while we are supposed to be the technical expert in the meeting. We are selling to the decision maker.

Your presentation should aim to stay in the decision-maker's minds. That starts by making the entire presentation about them. You can ignore any information about your organization (they can ask or Google it later). You want to come off as a knowledgeable, enthusiastic authority on the solution in question who wants to help the decision-maker and their organization with the best possible solution. This approach keeps the decision-makers at the center of the presentation and makes them feel valued and integral to the sales process.

Furthermore, there is a well-documented theory about sales presentations: on average, you have less than 5 minutes before people start looking at their phones. Think about the standard corporate sales presentation. You have already lost their attention if you are not done with introductory slides before 5 minutes are up. This is why you must focus on the decision maker and their organization; everyone's favorite subject is themselves.

This approach can also help you avoid becoming a typical 'know it all' engineer. Do you know the difference between arrogance and Confidence? Arrogance is wanting everyone in the room to know you are the smartest, and Confidence is not caring as long as you can close the sale.

For many of us engineers, social Confidence does not come naturally. I was fortunate enough to be on the debate team in high school. There, I learned to 'act' confident by choosing a fictional character to emulate. Cpt. Picard has become my Facade; he is always calm under pressure and well-spoken, and whenever he speaks with enthusiasm, people cannot help but listen. I've heard clients say, "Well, things were looking terrible, but Art looked completely confident with everything going on, so I just went with him since he didn't look worried." This confident 'facade' not only reassures the audience but also instills Confidence in the salesperson's abilities.

As much as I loved being an engineer with hands bloodied from rack work, I see that technical pre-sales is the more significant challenge today. No matter how high the stakes in a technical emergency, you can always reach out for help in the moment. On the other hand, in sales, deals are won and lost at the moment; there is no backup. Once the meeting starts, you better be prepared because you can only use what you have at hand. This highlights the gravity and importance of your role in technical pre-sales, making you an integral part of the sales process.

So think about what Facade you can pull off that would sell well... don't pick an energy vampire.