An article by Ben Wong
https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwongvt/
How many times have you attended a presentation where the presenter was reading from slides on the screen? These presenters are in essence slide vocalisers. They become the audio version of the slides being projected, as if being controlled. Is this the way to engage potential customers?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwongvt/
You are presenting to an audience to generate demand and win customers so you have to make sure that you and your presentation do just that!
Vocalising a presentation is boring, shows no value and puts your audience to sleep.
We have to realise that in this digital age, your audience already has ‘google’ knowledge of your products and services. They are likely there to learn more in order to better understand, make a better decision on whether to purchase and/or which vendor to purchase from.
In my years of managing teams and coaching partners in selling, I often see that presenters tend to use corporate and product presentations ‘as is’. Oftentimes, it is a corporate profile and product presentation. To be brutally honest, even I am guilty of this some of the time but how the presentation is delivered makes a whole lot of difference to the outcome.
Are you showing your audience what makes you unique? If presenting to a potential customer for the first time, you probably only have one shot and you need to make that shot count!
There are 3 things that customers usually looks for in a presentation - outside the usual facts, figures, corporate and product information.
Unique Value Point (UVP)
Many sale / pre-sales representatives do not do enough research before making presentations to potential customers thus, are unable to provide a UVP that they are able to identify with. Always remember that you are invariably selling against other vendors and their solutions. This essentially means that you have to make yourself special in the eyes of your audience. Special in a way that whatever you are selling stands out in terms of value or amongst your competition. Your value proposition is a key success factor, especially if it causes an emotional stir within your customers. This emotional impact lies in your ability to uniquely help them improve the way they work or solve an existing pain point!
Many sale / pre-sales representatives do not do enough research before making presentations to potential customers thus, are unable to provide a UVP that they are able to identify with. Always remember that you are invariably selling against other vendors and their solutions. This essentially means that you have to make yourself special in the eyes of your audience. Special in a way that whatever you are selling stands out in terms of value or amongst your competition. Your value proposition is a key success factor, especially if it causes an emotional stir within your customers. This emotional impact lies in your ability to uniquely help them improve the way they work or solve an existing pain point!
Trends
To show that you know what you are talking about, find out what is trending in specific markets. Go deep if your audience is from a single industry while citing a number of examples in instances where you have a broader spectrum of attendees. This is not difficult so long as the proper research and preparation are done before you stand in front of them. Follow up is also much easier because you have given these potential customers some very valid points to ponder over. Most importantly, you have given them a reason to want to meet up for a deeper discussion. Afraid that you may not have the necessary depth? Ensure that you have built an ecosystem where subject matter experts are available to provide knowledge specific to industry. Pull them into discussions as consultants where necessary.
To show that you know what you are talking about, find out what is trending in specific markets. Go deep if your audience is from a single industry while citing a number of examples in instances where you have a broader spectrum of attendees. This is not difficult so long as the proper research and preparation are done before you stand in front of them. Follow up is also much easier because you have given these potential customers some very valid points to ponder over. Most importantly, you have given them a reason to want to meet up for a deeper discussion. Afraid that you may not have the necessary depth? Ensure that you have built an ecosystem where subject matter experts are available to provide knowledge specific to industry. Pull them into discussions as consultants where necessary.
Stories
Everyone loves good stories! Don’t always tell stories about how you solved a problem for your customer. Tell stories about real world situations you and your customers have encountered that provoke emotional responses like intrigue, sadness, anger, frustration, anxiety before talking about overcoming such adversities. I have done this enough to know that stories, when well delivered, work wonders in helping your audience understand and relate better to your message.
Everyone loves good stories! Don’t always tell stories about how you solved a problem for your customer. Tell stories about real world situations you and your customers have encountered that provoke emotional responses like intrigue, sadness, anger, frustration, anxiety before talking about overcoming such adversities. I have done this enough to know that stories, when well delivered, work wonders in helping your audience understand and relate better to your message.
Sounds easy right? NOT! The difficulty for many lies in being able to create a presentation that blends everything together into an interactive performance. A great presentation is where your presentation and you are one. Not complementing each other but unified as one. A diagram on the screen is a diagram but as a presenter, you can bring it to life! Bring your presentations to life by tugging at the heartstrings of your audience, invoking varying emotional responses and actively responding to them throughout your presentation.
So who is in control? Your presentation or you? Neither. You and your presentation are one!
More articles... https://transformwithben.blogspot.sg
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