In my experience the well-executed sales conversation is the best technique for developing mutually beneficial long-term relationships. That may be because the products and services I have sold are complex with long sales cycles. That said, even my successful friends who work in one-call-close businesses use sales conversations.

Sales Conversations Result in Sales
What’s A Sales Presentation?
One of the simplest examples of a sales presentation is the nice ladies at my Costco store handing out samples of tasty food and asking you to buy some. In a sales presentation the sales person is pushing what they have to sell not necessarily what the customer needs. I often get calls from a delightful person who wants to sell me a Florida vacation. They present all the benefits of coming to their resort without first asking whether I consider Florida as a vacation destination. I don’t. Sales presentations do have a place in successful selling. When I go the to auto parts store to buy a battery, the sales person explains the benefit of the various brands and prices of car batteries. But he does that after establishing I want to buy a battery. He doesn’t try to sell me windshield wiper blades just because I came on a rainy day.
How Is A Sales Conversation Different From A Presentation?
I believe customers buy from salespeople they respect and trust. And in the best-case customers like dealing with “their” salesperson. Those relationships are developed over time. Depending on the business it could be a short time or a long time. I like buying from Carolyn at the local jewelry store. I first met her when shopping for diamond earrings for my wife’s Christmas present. Carolyn asked me questions about my wife’s style. During the conversation she asked also about me. The usual questions of where we lived, what kind of work I did, the fun things we liked to do. During this sales conversation we discovered mutual friends. All of this built trust and respect …