I watched a supposed communication pro deliver a webinar recently on successful presentations that was arguably one of the worst presentations I have ever seen. She rambled. She took forever to get to her key points. Her pacing was off. She didn’t seem to know her own slides. She peppered her remarks with “ums.” You get the picture. If she were in any other field, she might be forgiven some of these errors, but she was presenting herself as a communications professional (!) The disconnect between her claims and her execution was cringe-inducing. It is doubtful that she picked up any new clients from that webinar. Here are two ways to ensure that you do not make her mistake and that you model what you are selling.
Prepare for Meetings
It sounds basic (and it is), but people don’t prepare. They tell themselves, I have no time… I know my stuff cold… I’ll figure it out when I’m there..
—and then they wonder why they lose business. Think through what you will bring, what you will say, how you will relate to your audience, how you will connect your thoughts into a compelling message, and how the entire experience will move towards a desired next step. Practice with a colleague. Fix the rough spots. Get it right before you go to the meeting.
Luck is Preparation Meeting Opportunity Louis Pasteur
Get Feedback from Colleagues
- If you are selling the ease of use of your software, your demo needs to be easy to show.
- If you are pitching your investment management expertise, your questions and commentary need to reflect your understanding of markets.
- If you are selling sales expertise, you need to manifest professional salesmanship in your behavior and conversation.
- If you are competing in a field of creativity (design, architecture, decoration, etc.), you need to be creative in how you present.
When there is a disconnect between what you are saying and doing and what listeners are experiencing, their experience will win out every time.
Practicing with colleagues will help each of you strengthen how well you model what you are selling.
Don’t be like the shoemaker with holes in his shoes. Those “holes” are rarely effective for building trust, credibility, or business.
Anne Miller
Words Matter – Make What You Say Pay!
Ensure Your Presentations Model What You Are Selling! Call today for your Personal Presentation Assessment.
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- Missing business?
- No time for training?
- Want to identify weak spots (Content, story, visuals, engagement, relevance, impact)?
Call today for details on how easy, cost-effective and practical it is to do an Assessment to fine-tune your presentations. 212 876 1875 or amiller@annemiller.com
“Anne has transformed the way we engage with clients. I highly recommend her for demo/presentation training” Trish Bertuzzi, Pres., The Bridge Group, Inc.
Recommendation: Great Example of Masterful Storytelling
No one does it better. Watch Bill Clinton use amusing courtship story to enga
ge audience at Democratic National Convention to lead to a deadly serious distinction between Hillary and Trump. How can you use this technique in your world?