How to Sell a Rhino in 90 Seconds

If you had only 90 seconds to sell a rhino, what would you do?

It's always hard to recover from a bad first impression. What does a Rhino have to do with this? When giving a sales presentation you're first ninety seconds is all you really have to make the sale. To get your audience to move from point A – zero interest, to point B – your desired response, in under two minutes you have to first hook their attention.

 A lot of presentations fail because presenters assume their audience will be interested. At the beginning of your presentation your audience will be focused on anything but you. They’re thinking about: where they parked; the traffic on the drive home; how stale the muffins are; or even texting on their blackberry.

To galvanize their attention (Do I still have yours?) in those first ninety seconds and keep their attention start by first putting the focus where it belongs, on you. Then tell them what makes your product or service unique. Next offer proof. And finally ask for your desired result or call to action.

These four stimulators are easily remembered by the acronym FUPA: Focus, Unique, Proof, and Action. How does FUPA work?

focus… Focus... FOCUS!

Your first job is to focus your audience’s attention on you and your story. Open with a stimulating quote. Offer a fascinating analogy. Tell an entertaining anecdote. Draw them in with an intriguing question. Is this making any sense to you? Breaking the spell causes them to focus their attention to you.

You are UNIQUE

Tell them why they are there. There’s a Rhino in the room. What makes you and your service or product unique? A Unique Selling Proposition or USP is a fundamental of marketing. A good USP should differentiate your service or product from your competitors. It should be memorable and concise. It should separate you from the crowd. A great example of an excellent USP is “Federal Express: When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.” Tell your audience what your presentation is about and what to expect right at the beginning by stating your USP.

Offer PROOF

Follow up your USP with an offer of Proof. State a fact or present a client’s testimonial. It might sound like: “With over 200 outlets we are positioned to offer prompt delivery and excellent service.” “IDIG PRESENTATIONS is the fastest growing marketing company in Southern California.” “They hit it right down the center of the fairway, 360 yards!” An offer of proof gives you authority and makes people sit up and take notice.

The call to ACTION

What does this look like? Sounds simple enough. Ask for the order! Many presentations end with the audience still not knowing what they are supposed to do. Declare your call to action plainly right at the beginning of your presentation and again at the end of it. Inform your audience of your intent. Leave no doubt in their minds why they are there and what they should expect to get out of it. As Jerry Weissman says in his excellent book, Presenting to Win, “Don’t make them think!”

We at IDIG PRESENTATIONS intend to make your next presentation memorable, effective, therefore improving your odds of selling your Rhino.