Whiteboard conversations are changing the selling game, giving small business owners the same advantage as their global competitors. Yet many entrepreneurs and small businesses feel that selling at the whiteboard can’t possibly be the answer.

Discover how you can use whiteboard conversations and interactions to stay in touch with prospects and clients. When it comes to real-world interactive selling, whiteboard skills are essential. Whiteboarding is easy, efficient and adds an extremely personal touch to every meeting.

While big B2B tech companies have jumped on the whiteboard as the ultimate solution for selling, many entrepreneurs are still reluctant. They struggle with how to learn the skills, get up to speed, uncover opportunities and create a consistent quality for presenting.

If you’re looking to make selling easier and more effective, while adding a personal touch, whiteboarding is the answer. Follow these 5 tips to get started.

1. Why most entrepreneurs drop the ball
When it comes to whiteboarding, many entrepreneurs drop the ball. Learning a new communication tool seems like a good idea at first. But then, in the face of urgent projects it descends into a ‘nice-to-have’ on a never-ending To Do list.

If you’re dealing with urgent problems and don’t have enough hours in the day, learning new skills often falls through the cracks.

2. How to uncover lost opportunities
Take a look in your own business. Are there lost opportunities to communicate in new ways with customers and prospects? You bet there are. Track back the last month or quarter. Write down every person you’ve spoken to, sent a proposal or done business with.

How can you move this conversation forward? Sketch out your ideas. Scan your sketch into a slide or email. Visual storytelling often gets things moving that have been lost, abandoned or put in a ‘later’ pile.

3. A simple map to boost results
Draw a quick framework for your opportunity sketch. Is it likely to lead to a conversation, meeting, request for proposal or specific solution? If so, by when? Sketch out your map and post it on your office wall.

Look at your sketch every morning. Add to it. Color in actions for the day. Use bold checkmarks to track your activity.

4. Get quality training
Top-notch training produces consistent results. Your sales staff may be small or large. You may be relying on people who have radically different skills, styles and strengths. However, with quality training you will rest assured of one thing: quality presentations

Good news here. Quality training does not have to take a long time or be extremely expensive. New options exist today for online training, local whiteboard seminars and one-on-one virtual coaching.

With a small investment, you can prepare your sales reps to be phenomenally successful.

5. How whiteboard presenting reduces risks
In business, there are all kinds of risks outside of your control. Environment. Legislation. Competition. Cultural shifts. Financial trends. Tons of things, people and situations that you cannot control.

But there is one thing you can do to reduce risk. Communicate effectively at a whiteboard. Presenting your ideas, products and solutions is one area you can absolutely take command and control of to reduce risk. This is smart business sense and it is solid common sense.

Are you ready to take charge of your future business? When it comes to selling, whiteboard skills make a dramatic difference. Your sales reps are able to respond on the spot to customer queries, challenges, customization requests and specific issues.

If you’re fed up with struggling to boost sales and are ready to gain a competitive edge, now is the time. Prepare your sales teams with whiteboard skills that put the personal touch back in selling.

Author's Bio: 

Milly Sonneman is a recognized expert in visual language. She is the co-director of Presentation Storyboarding, a leading presentation training firm, and author of the popular guides: Beyond Words and Rainmaker Stories available on Amazon. Milly helps business professionals give winning presentations, through Email Marketing skills trainings at Presentation Storyboarding. You can find out more about our courses or contact Milly through our website at: http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com/