[After working hard to get in front of a potential new client, the last thing in the world you want to do is give a dull, forgettable presentation. Your presentation is your big opportunity; a chance to land a new client and grow your business. So how should you develop your presentation to assure your greatest chances of success?
Here are the five steps that we recommend you incorporate into your next presentation:
- Don’t have a boring opening: If you are like most companies, your presentation may start with something predictable like “Today we are going to talk about why our (service or product) is right for you…”. Instead, try to wake up your audience with a shocking, attention-grabbing statement like “Last year your company wasted approximately X dollars on ( ___)”.
- Studies show that if you can deliver shocking insight or data, you will most likely engage the audience immediately and they will listen more attentively to your presentation. Be sure to back your claim with data.
- How will this benefit your audience? Shock-value wears off quickly unless you can follow-up by explaining what you have to say matters to them. Hit them with emotions. Relate your presentation to money, to passion (for the company, its products, beating their competition, etc.) or success (won’t those end-of-year bonuses be great when we help you increase efficiency?).
- Tell a story that supports your claim: In order to get them to believe, your next step is to offer a relevant case study that substantiates your claim. “We helped a similar company in your industry achieve the same results. Here’s how we did it…”
- Tell them how you will get them from here to there: Use action verbs and be positive. Provide the details of how you can make your claim happen for them. Don’t over-promise, but sell with conviction and sincerity.
- Ask for the sale: It isn’t enough to have a spectacular presentation. You need to ask the prospect to buy.
