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Too many great concepts fail because of a lack of preparation. As a salesperson you have to wear many different hats - that of researcher, strategist, designer, and performer - which can make you feel stretched over time. But by applying some of these simple prep strategies, you can streamline your process and improve the impact and outcome of your presentation.
Create dynamic presentation material
You've probably seen your share of deadly PowerPoint presentations with their many bullets, bouncy shapes, and dizzying animations. If slides are your medium of choice, get up to date on animations. If slides are your go-to medium, stay up to date with contemporary design guidelines to keep your presentation from causing nausea. Here are some key things to remember when planning your presentation material:
-Start with a concept. Most salespeople jump in to create slides as soon as they get the presentation on their timeline. Taking the time to stop and think about what you want to accomplish can save you from presenting yourself with a PowerPoint collage of ideas and styles.
-Focus on an idea. The “one slide - one idea” rule can keep your presentation clean, clear and to the point.
-Announce the color. Is it serious or light? Emotional or logical? The tone or feeling you want to create influences everything from your theme, your colors, your choice of images and your fonts.
- Say it with a photo. A bold graphic can communicate an idea faster than a slide full of text.
Use your performance tools
As an actor, you audition for a role in your prospect's business. To win the game, you have to do more than just memorize the lines. Most salespeople spend the vast majority of their time preparing the message and forget about the messenger. Here are your performance tools, and they are a ready resource to improve and strengthen your message:
-Your voice: As a vehicle for delivering your message, your voice holds a lot of power, but few people use it to its full potential. The variety of volume, pace, pauses, and emphasis can draw attention to key messages and bring your content to life.
-Your body: The way you use your body - gestures, movements, eye contact, position - sends a constant flow of information to your prospect. This information can say "I am believable and confident and you should listen to me" or "I wish I was somewhere other than here!"
-Your scene: Your scene is your environment. The way you move around your stage can renew attention or be a source of distraction.
Leverage the power of stories
Logic is a good thing and presentations are packed with it. But logic doesn't engage your prospect on an emotional level - and most purchases are made with emotion and justified by logic. Stories are powerful vehicles for triggering emotions, changing opinions, and creating memories.
You might be hesitant to use a story in your presentation because you're worried your prospect will get impatient. Of course, the real danger is if your story is too long, irrelevant, or trivial.