You are making your final presentation to your largest prospect for what you hope will be your largest sale of the year. Just as you are finishing your presentation, the president of the company walks in and sits down. Basking in the afterglow of your magnificent presentation, you ask if there are any questions. At this point the president leans forward and says: “Tell me why my company should do business with your company.”

You probably know that the executive is not asking you to explain your product’s features and benefits, or even your cost justification. He wants to know what makes your company more desirable than all the others — from his company’s point of view. What’s your answer?

The Capabilities Presentation is a way to introduce your company’s capabilities to customers at the executive level. It is ideal for the first call on an executive in a new account, or for calling higher and broader in an existing account.

The Capabilities Presentation positions and differentiates your company as a stable, innovative company, unique in the industry. It references success stories and gets the prospect excited about doing business with your company. Last, it provides a way to get started with the account.

Properly executed, the Capabilities Presentation will result in more strategic customer relationships, more effective executive contacts, and greatly increased revenues for your company.

The Major Topics

1 — Your Company

This section is an overview of your company, emphasizing evidence of its strength and stability. It may include your company’s history and organization, growth, research and development, as well as your company’s commitment to the industry.

2 — Applications and Capabilities

This section describes your company’s capabilities in terms which are easily understood by your customer. Whenever possible, they should be related to the customer’s environment, emphasizing typical applications.

Keep in mind that because the Capabilities Presentation is meant as an overview for customer executives, too much highly technical information may be inappropriate.

3 — Reference Success Stories

Point out how many of your customers have benefited from your company’s capabilities. This type of information creates credibility and confidence. Refer to accounts with whom you have excellent rapport. (Always confirm first with your customers that you can use them as a reference.)

4 — Service/Support

A major element of your total capability may be your ability to provide support services. Mention facilities and resources that are dedicated to satisfying your customer’s needs during and after the sale. Referring to other accounts where you are particularly proud of your service record can be very effective. If possible, indicate what type of cost benefit these support services might have for the customer.

5 — Getting Started

One way to get started is by getting your prospects to review potential projects where your company can become involved. If possible, get them to identify broadly their projects with you, and discuss together which one(s) would be the best for your company to participate in.

Before you end the session, make sure you have a mutually developed action plan. If possible, arrange for individual follow-up appointments before they leave. Get a commitment, otherwise the opportunity for further contact may be limited.