Wouldn’t it be nice if you could send your best salesperson to meet with all your top prospects? Because most sales territories are divided up geographically, or by industry, this isn’t usually an option available to most sales managers. With that in mind, let me put the question another way: how many more “top customers” would you have if all of your salespeople were better presenters?

What I’m getting at is that most sales managers, much less the front line producers who work for them, don’t view presenting as a sales skill. And that’s a shame, because working with groups is one of the best and easiest ways for your team to improve their bottom-line production.

For one thing, selling to groups is just more efficient. Why close one or two prospects, when you could make a bigger presentation and be working with ten, fifteen, or even fifty? The point of selling isn’t to spend as much time as possible with each individual prospect; it’s to generate signed order slips. Working with lots of buyers at once is a great way to do that.

Even more importantly, however, is the impression that a strong presenter makes. Often, a good speech given by an effective salesperson can help to close more orders than they would have individually. That’s because most people, by their very nature, are affected by the psychology of a group; they see other people excited to buy, and may become eager to buy themselves.

And finally, becoming a great presenter makes any salesperson more confident. Given that selling is largely – if not completely – a mental exercise, it makes sense to have your producers be as sharp as possible. Having the confidence to get up in front of a group and make their case helps them in other selling situations, too.

So how do you turn your sales team into a group of top notch presenters, bringing in tons of new business along the way? It won’t happen overnight, but here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Hire a sales trainer who specializes in presentations.

There’s never a substitute for specialized instruction, and just a few hours spent with the right person can get them moving a long way in the right direction.

2. Have them practice giving presentations in the office.

Why not end each weekly sales meeting with a presentation by one of your salespeople? They might be hesitant at first, but speaking to a group of peers that they’re familiar with is going to be easier than getting up in a room full of prospects, and allow them to practice their speeches on a friendly audience.

3. Emphasize the opportunities.

A lot of salespeople probably would give more group presentations, if only they realized how effective they could be. Show your team that working with multiple prospects is a great way to triple or quadruple their sales, and they’ll probably show a lot more enthusiasm for the effort.

4. Help them to overcome fears and weaknesses.

Public speaking remains a major fear for a lot of people – even normally outgoing sales professionals. Some of the men and women on your team are probably going to need more help and encouragement than others; bring each one along at their own pace, and the effort will eventually pay dividends for everyone.