CHAPTER 21


Proposal and Presentation

The enterprise presentation requires more preparation and practice than presentations in traditional selling.

 

As mentioned earlier, the intention of this stage is not to improve your proposal development skills. It’s important to remember, though, that this is not a “cookie cutter” event, but an ongoing team endeavor requiring close collaboration across work groups. A vitally important tool during this period of preparation and practice is the RACI—responsible, accountable, consulted, informed—accountability process, which was emphasized in the formation of the team and which has special significance during the preparation to present. Clarity in roles and responsibilities is still critical.

Two Proposal Situations

A formal presentation typically takes one of two forms. Either the presentation accompanies the delivery of the written proposal, or it is requested by the client after the proposal is delivered. The latter typically is a result of a “narrowing of the field,” in which a larger group of proposal-submitting firms is cut down to a manageable number. For example, six proposals may have been invited and received by the prospect, but three may have been dismissed as unacceptable. The remaining three proposal-submitting firms would be “down-selected” or invited in to present, usually in a “best and final” format.

Typically, a live presentation will either be delivered at the time you pass along your written proposal or it will be requested after the proposal has been delivered. Obviously, you want to know ahead of time which of these two situations to expect. That’s part of qualifying the decision process.

Identifying all the attendees at the formal presentation is absolutely critical. Your audience likely will include new members of the buyer network who have not been involved up to this point. Often, business users and/or executive management may make a first appearance at this presentation. Work with your coaches to determine the best strategies for addressing their issues.

The Presentation Rehearsal

Rehearsing for a key presentation is the ultimate in pre-call planning. All of the traditional call-planning elements apply. This type of preparation, however, is highly focused and unique to the enterprise world. Its key components are covered here.

A great deal of detail goes into actually planning and conducting rehearsals and presentations. Often, there is little time to prepare or rehearse to deliver the presentation. Nonetheless, you must make the best possible use of the time available.

The first element in the rehearsal process is to ensure that all the people involved in the presentation are refreshed regarding any updated information. Significant time may have passed since the proposal was delivered, and team members may have been redeployed to other initiatives. If so, they need to be brought back into the loop. Updated information should be provided on key topics such as:

•   Remaining competition

•   Value proposition impact

•   Status of key buyers

•   Agenda for the presentation

•   Roles and responsibilities of presentation team members

•   Presentation logistics

•   Presentation theme and strategy

Team Leadership

A team leader must be chosen for the presentation team and for these rehearsal sessions. Quite often, this will be the sales lead, the person with the strongest relationship to the account. The leader could also be a senior member of the delivery team or another selling team member well-connected to the account or with unique qualifications regarding the solution. All other factors being equal, you should choose the leader whose presence is most likely to secure the deal.

Confidence and Conviction

A good rehearsal helps presenters build confidence and conviction in their roles and allows participants to practice handouts and/or demonstrations. Rehearsing helps people get comfortable with their material and gain confidence in their ability to perform.

Fine-Tuning

The rehearsal gives team members a chance to fine-tune their strategy for the meeting. For instance, the team as a whole should discuss the best ways to identify and address the competition’s value propositions, as well as how to deal with the competition’s supporters on the client team. These are not points you want to improvise during the presentation.

Environment

As best as you can, try to replicate the actual physical layout of the presentation venue in the rehearsal. Practicing in a room of similar size, similar layout, and with a similar technology platform will make the rehearsal more realistic and effective.

Time

Timing is a critical element of the presentation. Don’t exceed the time contract that will be made with the buying team. Prepare and rehearse to finish under the allotted time.

Contingency Planning

At the end of your rehearsal and critique sessions, take time to consider how you could cut your presentation to a “bare bones” version if you were required to do so. Buying teams often schedule several meetings in a row, and your expected time allotment may be cut short. Based on your position in the sequence, you may be required to pare your presentation back in the interest of time. If that happens, you want to know, ahead of time, what your backup plan is going to be. Be professional. Be prepared.

Your Presentation Rehearsal Checklist

Review this checklist now and use it later to evaluate a presentation rehearsal. Feel free to add specific items relevant to your situation.

   Arrive early and completely prepared with all relevant materials.

   Thank the group for the opportunity to present.

   Set your up-front contract and be sure to reconfirm the time allotted.

   Affirm your commitment and interest in serving the client.

   Clearly state the roles of each presentation team member.

   Seek the expectations of the group and set those you have planned.

   Focus, from the start, on the client’s needs and pains and gain concurrence.

   Present your capability in the direct context of the clear value proposition.

   Transition effectively from one presenter/presentation to the next.

   Use slides to illustrate points—do not read from them in a scripted fashion.

   Illustrate energy and passion in the presentation.

   Use action phrases: “We do this,” instead of, “We plan to do this.”

   Use tonality, volume, and pauses effectively to deliver impact.

   Be aware of body language in terms of hand usage, pacing, gestures, etc.

   Take the client’s temperature at key points before proceeding.

   Smile and use eye contact and head nodding as client affirmation.

   Speak crisply, without saying “um” or “uh.”

   In Q&A, be sure the most appropriate team member answers.

   Review expectations in closing.

   Reaffirm your commitment and interest in serving the client.

   Seek clarity on next steps.

   Thank the group in closing.

   Beat your time contract.

Your Rehearsing Routine

Think about your last formal presentation. Answer “yes” or “no” to each of the following questions about that presentation.

Yes | No     I identified ahead of time all the prospect decision makers who would be in attendance at the formal presentation.

Yes | No     I researched each of the prospect decision makers I identified via LinkedIn.

Yes | No     I spent at least one hour rehearsing the presentation.

Yes | No     I informally previewed our solution with the prospect.

Yes | No     I took part in a practice presentation with my colleagues.

Yes | No     I received feedback and critique on my practice presentation.

Yes | No     My practice presentation included colleagues from other functional areas of my organization.

Even one “no” answer is cause for concern.

Delivering the Presentation

After completing an effective presentation rehearsal, you are prepared to deliver the presentation. The presentation team is assembled and prepared with all members having clearly defined roles. As mentioned earlier, a key executive from your organization should be present to convey the commitment that your firm has to the client and the initiative. Typically, a short opening speech by the executive will suffice to verbalize that commitment. Remember: it’s absolutely critical that all members of the presentation team who stand in front of the client have clearly stated roles and responsibilities. Parading people without clear roles in front of a client in a presentation event is unacceptable and will be viewed negatively by the client.

Your Proposal Structure

There are many different ways to deliver an effective enterprise proposal, but your presentation structure should probably end up looking like this:

1.   Opening: High-impact up-front contract

2.   Set the Stage: Review of the value proposition

3.   Introductions: Clarity around roles and responsibilities

4.   Delivery: Clear and direct delivery with value links throughout

5.   Transitions: Seamless and sensible transfers between speakers

6.   Recap: Review of hard-hitting points with summary of strong value

7.   Closure: Defined commitment for action items and next steps

Following Up

When and how you follow up is incredibly important in the enterprise world. It is hard to overemphasize the importance of prompt, personalized follow-up with each member of the buying group.

If it is permitted to do so, the key executive or team leader should reach out to each buying-side participant, typically via e-mail, within 24 hours after the presentation. The individual thank-you notes should review any action items that came out of the presentation, expectations, and ways in which your product or service addresses the client’s pains.

Be certain that these messages are customized to each individual buyer. After all of the time and the effort spent to this point, there’s simply no excuse for underwhelming a client by sending a boilerplate thank-you note. If you have an individualized point you can make with each, that’s very effective. But even if you don’t, be sure that each message is different.

Pre-Presentation Crisis

To close this important chapter, here is an important pre-presentation hypothetical shared with participants in the SES program. After having submitted your written proposal a week ago, as required by the target organization, your firm was chosen as one of three vendors to provide a 90-minute presentation two weeks from today. Your presentation team has been assembled and the team leader has been selected. This morning, in a conversation with a key client contact, you learned that your written approach was well done, but one of the remaining competitors provided a price 15 percent lower than yours and a project delivery timeframe 20 percent shorter than yours. Additionally, two members of the buying team had the impression that your firm is “difficult to work with.” Your client contact was called away to an important meeting before you could get any more information. Making reasonable assumptions, how will you proceed in terms of your preparation? Your strategy? Your tactics?

List your ideas on a separate sheet of paper.

Good answers will vary, but a “right answer” might include the following.

Your chief contact within the account may find a way to get you access to the two members of the buying team who have formed a negative opinion. You may be able to figure out what lies behind their comments and conduct another fingerprinting session. If you can’t get access to those two members of the buying team, perhaps your internal coach can get information for you as to why the two contacts feel the way they do. In addition, you could ask your chief contact whether the competitor’s solution was actually similar to yours or something that’s been pared down. Are they comparing apples to apples? In order to address the pricing and timeframe issues you face, you might ask for the chance to brainstorm with your chief contact about a smaller-scaled, more aggressive “proof of concept” offering that could show the competitor’s cost and time savings to be illusory or overstated. Or you might determine—too late for your tastes, perhaps—that your planning simply was not as effective as it should have been, and that it doesn’t make sense to keep investing money, time, and effort in this opportunity.