When I say the word “Presentation” what does that word make you think about?
Most of us fantasize about standing in front of key decision makers and giving the crown jewel in our selling arsenal: a grand finale oration which compels our clients to do business with us.
We look good. We are having a great hair and makeup day. Our customers are eating out of our hands.
OK, snap out of your reverie. Think about the last time you made “that” presentation. How did it go? Uh-huh.
Many folks are betting that their slam-dunk presentation will seal the deal. Your customers will tell you that it rarely boils down to the final presentation.
Do I have your attention?
There’s more involved to the final presentation than the final presentation. If you and your team have been falling short of your goals, read on.
Here are three tips to keep in mind when it’s “show time” and you and your team are making that final presentation.
Tip 1 – Review your customer’s context. Complete a day-by-day checklist of everything preceding you being selected to present.What is the history of you and your team with this client? What are the economic, corporate, industry, and competitive reasons creating their need for your solution? What factors impacted your selection to give that presentation? Create a solid business case supporting your selection as supplier of choice. Otherwise, you and your team haven’t done sufficient due diligence each time you had an opportunity to work with the customer prior to the grand finale presentation.
Tip 2 – Evaluate your team’s engagement. Your team has an important role to play in getting you and your company to the final presentation stage. Have you been working as a solo act or have you brought internal and external experts into the mix from the start, throughout your entire engagement with the customer? Have you only sought the help of internal resources when things got stalled or the customer had questions you couldn’t answer? If you apply internal resources on an “as-needed” basis, you are short-changing continuous opportunities for value-creation with the customer throughout the business development process. I deep dive into specific productive and non-productive scenarios in Chapter 2 of my book, Do YOU Mean Business?
Tip 3 – Wear your customer’s shoes. The perspective you take when delivering your presentation matters big-time. Making a final presentation from the perspective of the customer is far more compelling than talking at them with your company’s buzz speak. Address your buyers factually, contextually and conversationally, such as “When I met with Ms. X and Mr. Y during the plant tour, this issue came up, which inspired our team to address your business case in this manner.” When buyers and key decision makers hear your presentation spoken in their own words and thoughts, they know you’ve paid a lot of attention to them during the business development process.
Incorporate these tips into your next road to a final presentation. Let me know how it goes.
Babette Ten Haken, Founder & President of Sales Aerobics for Engineers®, LLC catalyzes businesses, startups and technical, engineering and sales professionals who want to grow. Top Sales World named Babette one of the Top 50 Sales & Marketing Influencers and Bloggers in 2013 and again in 2014. Her book, Do YOU Mean Business? is a business bootcamp in a book, full of tools and tips for productive and profitable business development. You’ll love Chapter 4. 😉
Leave a Reply