Make Your Presentations More Effective - and do it in Less Time

Here are three pointers that are easy to do, will save everyone time, and help your sales staff be more effective in front of customers.

Pointer 1
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The first pointer came about because I’m actually quite lucky (or not, depending!) because part of my job as a producer allows me to see a lot of powerpoints that companies produce to show their clients.

Sometimes I’m shown these powerpoints with an accompanying apology (er ... it’s being updated), or shown them with obvious pride and a smile.

Once these initial reactions are over and I have a chance to study the actual slide content, I usually discover “the bouffant effect”.

What’s the Bouffant Effect?

Remember Elvis Presley movies where the females all wore tall backcombed hair.

Or Meg Ryan in Working Girl?

They all had hair that stood up phenomenally tall, up to twice the height of their actual heads!

Bouffant hair.

And now we see the Bouffant Effect in powerpoint presentations.

Corporate messages that are up to twice as long as the content that’s actually required to be delivered.

Bouffant Powerpoint!

It’s very easy to eliminate this of course.

Here’s the remedy:

> Look at every bullet and ask “what does this deliver?”

> If it doesn’t “deliver” then eliminate or amend it

Couldn’t be simpler.

I find that even a small reduction in “non-delivering” bullets makes a big impact on customers.

Pointer 2
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The next best way to make your presentations more effective is to make sure your proposition is clearly stated.

Every sales person knows that you have to close, ie, “This is what we can deliver for you. Will you buy?”

So ensure your proposition is always clearly spelled out at the end. You’d be amazed how few people do this, whether in presentations, or web pages, or even when talking face-to-face.

State your proposition and ask!

Pointer 3
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The third and most cool way to make presentations more effective is when your business development people have to make a series of presentations as they work their way through a company to get to the final buying meeting (often called The Beauty Parade!)

The principle is that each time you move up a level, your presentation should be shorter, more focussed, and tailored to exactly the issues of concern.

For example, the initial sales presentation may show up to 10-15 slides about you.

But the last presentation may well only show three slides. Anything more than three slides can be over the top, and thus unnecessary.

So ensure your sales staff understand the need to keep tightening up presentations.

And provide them with the materials they need to do this.

The Hidden Pointer
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If you’re really serious about delivering more effective presentations, then consider consulting with us.

We have a lot of experience - especially at high levels - and are familiar with producing presentations that win million dollar accounts.

Alternatively, feel free to ask us a question at WriteBrief01.aspx

Because the benefits are so great, making more effective presentations is something we should never give up on.