Ten Easy Tips for a Great Presentation
Would you buy from a salesman who had a startled, rabbit-in-the-headlights stare? Or trust a presenter who kept scratching himself? Would you hire a team of consultants who interrupted their presentation to start debating with each other?
Probably not, because most of us judge the product, initially at least, by the packaging. If a sales presentation is poor, the product or service is automatically suspect.
Fortunately, giving a good presentation relies largely on following a few basic principles. Essentially, you need to be aware of the attitudes and needs of your audience and be positive, well organized and forthright. A well planned sales presentation is often a springboard to a prosperous and long term business relationship. So how do you present to improve the odds?
1. Make sure that everything has been confirmed and reconfirmed beforehand.
This means:
- Do your preparation ahead of time. Do a dry run of what you’re going to present; confirm the time you have available and details of the venue; ensure you leave plenty of time to get there so that you are not flustered before you start.
- Get straight to the point and grab the client’s attention immediately.
- Focus on the benefits to your client.
- Quantify those benefits where you can.
- Have a clear presentation structure outlined on cards or notes.
Following these tips, you could start your presentation with something like ‘Good morning. I’m going to show you how I can cut your inventory costs by 20 percent.’
2. Be clear on what each participant expects to achieve from the sales presentation. If you are presenting to someone who has limited use for your product, or who doesn’t believe that they need a long term partnership with your business, make sure that you tailor your presentation accordingly. Perhaps you could try to convince the person you are meeting with of the value of your product in the short term. As an aside, put yourself in the shoes of the people you are presenting to; if you can’t see why they would buy from you, why invest the time in presenting to them?
If you’re selling your services, or the services of your team, give some key achievements and outline what you can deliver.
Basically, you should present essential content in a simple, direct way, pitching to the self-interest of your audience.
At the same time, be aware of your manner. This means you should aim to look confident, relaxed, and positive. The confidence will grow partly out of thorough preparation and the fact that you believe in what you are selling. If you don’t look like you believe in your product, there is no hope that your audience will either.
3. Be free of distractions that might undermine your persuasiveness. If you are not clearly focused on the benefits your business will deliver it will usually show and can detract from the power of your sales pitch. Concentrate on the fact that you want to be making the presentation, and let this energy shine through.
4. Spend some time on your personal appearance. A professional appearance is likely to add weight to your presentation and increase the appeal of the product you are presenting.
5. Prepare for the tough questions. As well as preparing a strong structure for the presentation itself, ensure that you have anticipated any questions or queries your client may have. While a good initial presentation is vital, it is just as important to follow up with a convincing response to any difficulties the person you are meeting with may have. If you prove from the outset that you can solve problems when in a tight spot, chances are people will be even more attracted to your product. Think about how you will answer any tough questions before you go into the live presentation.
6. Structure your sales presentation and stick with the format you developed at each presentation you make. In this way you’ll be able to ensure consistent delivery every time. And you’ll soon notice which parts aren’t working and be able to alter them.
7. Trying to sell a product or service purely to increase your own profit doesn’t work – people will see right through this approach. It is important that your presentation explains that your service or product will contribute to your client’s bottom line. Try to make it clear that you are seeking to establish a long term relationship and are willing to invest time into getting to know your client’s business to ensure you can deliver them a service or product that best suits their needs.
8. Take along a comprehensive list of contacts and testimonials that vouch for the quality of your company and its product. It is important to have this resource to make your presentation even more convincing and to demonstrate that what you are selling really works.
9. Be prepared to deal with follow up questions in the weeks after the presentation. By showing that you are the sort of person willing to go the extra distance you are more likely to foster a successful business relationship.
10. Finally, be yourself. Endorse what you are selling as strongly as possible. But also make sure that you have a strong belief in what you are saying, and that the presentation matches the objectives you have for your own business. By projecting a positive image of your own operation you are certain to attract the attention of others.
Delivering Your Presentation With Confidence
You will be more relaxed if you can make the presentation conversational. That is:
-
Work from notes rather than a full script, since written language often sounds stiff and dense.
-
Make periodic eye contact with each listener.
-
Ask questions occasionally so as to keep the audience involved. This will ensure you gauge how well your audience is ‘with you’ and interested in what you have to say.
And you will look more positive and energetic if you manage your own attitude positively. Treat a presentation as an opportunity. Tell yourself, ‘This is my chance to win new business. Something really good can come out of this.’
You also need to manage your body language. Try video recording a trial presentation or have someone watch you so you can pick up on such presentation disasters as:
-
Monotonous delivery,
-
Fidgets or nervous tics,
-
Poor posture, or
- Repetitive phrases and ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’.
And when you make the presentation, check the body language of the audience. You need to keep in contact with their reactions to what you are saying and change pace if they look bored, or ask them what’s on their mind if they look querying or concerned. You can keep people more attentive by running a presentation that has audio-visuals to give context, and slides that are punchy and well focused.
If you have control over the surroundings, make sure the presentation area is well lit so as to discourage daydreaming or snoozing, and ensure that there won’t be any distractions like a noisy meeting next door. Don’t run a presentation for longer than an hour without a break for some beverages. Research shows that our peak attention span is just 45 minutes and even then most people retain only 30% of what they have heard.
Take advice on your presentation before you get up in front of an audience. Discuss your outline with someone who understands your business. You could even do a trial presentation and get feedback. We can help you develop a sales system to ensure that you are consistently putting your best foot forward. Ask about the Businesses Getting Results seminar topic on ‘Creating A Sales System’ that covers more sales tips and presentation skills.
|
