Using Presentations & Marketing Material: 101

People spend a lot of time and money developing fancy websites, shmancy power point presentations, and creative PDF’s. Sometimes, they even customize each presentation in preparation for a 1st meeting with a new prospect.

Here are some tips and techniques on how to properly use (or not use) your information:

Presentations:

It’s rare when starting a relationship off with a presentation is a good idea. Going through your canned (even customized) power point presentation sabotages the key purpose of an initial meeting … which is to find out about them and their pain.

Learn about them first: By first learning about your audience, you can shorten and focus your presentation (preferably a two-way discussion) to the topics that are most meaningful for them. This will substantially increase impact and will show your audience you listened.

Ask ourselves … what is more effective:

• A presentation about who you are and what you can do; OR
• A discussion about their specific needs and a presentation on how you can solve them.

If a prospect asks you to do a presentation, suggest a “discovery” discussion first. But the prospected asked you to do a presentation. Of course they did. Why? Because that is what their other suppliers have done in the past so they naturally think that is sales 101. Also, they don’t care how much work you put in to prepare the presentation.

Presentation Format:

• What You do
• Why it’s of benefit to them
• How it works

Be a storyteller. Give lots of examples. We have a client that was in x situation and by doing y, got z results. (pick examples they can empathize with).

Little Touches:

Your audience can far more easily absorb a half page, bullet pointed PDF over an 8-page glossy brochure. (Who do you know that has time to read 8 pages?)

Not only will they likely read what you have sent, but now you have additional information you can trickle to them over time rather than give them all the information at once.

Direct Their Eyes:

While this is covered in another module, it’s worth re-stating it.

If you are going to send out an attachment, be sure to tell your audience in the email, what you have sent, why and where they can find the pertinent information (e.g. page 2, 3 bullet).

Don’t Hide Behind Information:

As stated numerous times throughout this workbook, for most industries, people still like to buy from people. If they hardly know you, why would a fancy brochure fill their “trust” gap?

Also, everyone knows it’s easy to hire a marketing company to make professional presentations, attractive PDF’s and a slick website. What’s NOT easy is making them trust and value you as a solution provider to their pain.