Orbit Activity 8

This activity is deliberately built into the more advanced Orbit Program. When people speak in the workplace or community groups, they’re nearly always attempting to sell an idea or concept.

Activity 8 – Sell a product, service, or idea including a CTA (Call to Action)

Duration: 4-6 mins
Pre-requisites: Completion of Launchpad Program

Aim

To successfully present a product for the purpose of selling it to the audience.

Objectives

  1. To present the features and benefits of a product
  2. To show what the product can do
  3. To present a call to action, so that people will take steps to buy the product or service

The Why…

This activity is deliberately built into the more advanced Orbit Program. When people speak in the workplace or community groups, they’re nearly always attempting to sell an idea or concept.

Everyone has to sell at some point. It could be they’re selling themselves in an interview. Or they may be in a community group and need to persuade or influence the group to a particular course of action.

The best way to learn how to do that is to actually sell either an imaginary or a real product or service.

The How

Specific guidelines on how to tackle this activity.

Think of a product or service you’ve recently bought, and the process the sales person used when selling it to you. What they went through to get you to buy that particular product or service.

Now, transfer your thinking over to what you could sell to a Rostrum Club in the time that’s been allotted. It could be a product, a service, or it could be both. It could be real, or imaginary. You can build in a bit of humour into this. The purpose of the exercise should not be lost and that’s to actually design a sales presentation.

Having decided what you’re going to sell, plan the sequence of how you’re going to present. The way to present initially is:

  • To present a problem for which you have the solution, and the solution is your product and service.
  • To explain your solution. Give its features, its benefits and the things about your product or service that people need to know.
  • To deliver your call to action.

Call to action can be anything from sign up, or sign here, or give me your money, or whatever the action is you’d like the audience to take.

Tips and traps

Tip: Find something that’s relatively easy, or very easy to understand.

Trap: Don’t try to sell something that’s difficult to explain. If you have something you can physically hold you’ll have significantly better success at selling that.

Trap: Don’t go into too much detail.

Tip: Make sure your call to action is very, very clear.

Trap: Don’t focus solely on the features. No-one cares about what something can ‘do’ unless they firstly see the true ‘benefit’ for them. Sell the ‘sizzle’ not the steak.

Tip: Present your benefits in a way that addresses the problem(s) you identified in your introduction. Use the formula: “With this product you can (or this product has) <<feature>>, which means <<benefit/solution>>”

Tip: Know what motivates your audience, and pitch to their ‘pain points’. This is so they can clearly see the benefits your product or service provides.

Trap: Don’t talk about the ‘cost’ – talk about the ‘investment’ or how your product or service will save them time, money or energy.

Tip: Put your audience into a “buying” mindset by asking lots of rhetorical questions that invite a ‘Yes’ response. Such as “Would you agree with that …?” or “Can you see how …?” When you come to your call to action they’ll already be in the habit of saying ‘Yes’.

Tip: Think through possible objections your audience may have. Address them and show them why your solution will work for them regardless.

Trap: Don’t talk at your audience. Talk to them, with them. Allow lots of pauses so they can think and let the information really sink in.

Tip: Showcase success stories or people who have used your product or service and drastically changed their lives or businesses.

Trap: Don’t show all the best features first. Slowly build up your case so the strongest reasons for buying, the success stories or convincing arguments are towards the end of your presentation. This will have much more impact than peaking too early. Think like a comedian. If you tell all your funniest stories first, the audience will be bored by the end when the stories start getting a bit stale.

Guidelines for Program Director:

Sometimes there’s pushback from members about this activity as they say they’re not into selling. It’s suggested you reframe their thinking to understand that everyone is selling. Everyone sells themselves each time they stand up to speak, whether it’s when they speak at work, or when they’re trying to influence or persuade.

If members are reluctant to embrace the word ‘selling’, change it to ‘persuading’ or ‘influencing’. This change of mindset helps hesitant members understand the importance of this skill. For recognising it for what it is – a valuable life skill that can be used in many situations. It’s a good activity for all members of the club, not just those going through the
Orbit Program.