324 / PLANNING TO PRESENT
Presenting and selling
strength of your “sell.” You need to be
able to “read” their reactions so that you
can address their concerns. Successful
presenters do this by inviting many
questions from the audience and
encouraging them to interrupt; the
questions and comments from the
audience provide vital feedback.
Pitching your ideas
The better you can meet the needs of
your audience, the more successful your
presentation will be. So when selling
anything, from an idea to a product, your
presentation should focus on how it will
help your audience, how it will solve their
problems. Whenever you talk about your
idea, product, or service, don’t just list its
features—express them as benefits.
Throughout your presentation, your
audience will be constantly assessing
both your trustworthiness and the
Presentations serve a variety of purposes. They can be used to inspire
and motivate people or they can be designed to convey information
formally (as in a lecture) or informally (as in a team briefing). But
most often, they are used to promote a product, service, or idea, or to
persuade stakeholders about a particular course of action. In other
words—whether overtly or covertly—most presentations aim to sell.
SELL BENEFITS, NOT FEATURES
The presentation must center on what matters most
to the buyer—general discussion won’t do. Talk about
specific benefits. How does the product or service help
to solve a problem or improve a situation?
BELIEVE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING
An animated, enthusiastic presentation is a must.
Buyers do not want to buy from someone who
doesn’t appear fully committed to the product,
even if it is relevant to their needs.
Selling successfully in your presentation
Your presentation should
focus on how it will help
your audience
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PRESENTING AND SELLING / 325
GET TO THE
POINT
Engage your
audience by
addressing what
they want to know as
quickly as possible.
Avoid opening your
presentation with
background about
you or your
company—when it
was founded, where
it’s located, etc.
THE TWO-MINUTE PRESENTATION
We often encounter people casually—
between meetings or in quick
conversations at conferences. It pays to
develop a focused two-minute pitch that
introduces you, your business, and the
unique value you can offer. The pitch
should be very easy to understand,
describe the solutions you offer,
and reflect your passion about what you
do. A good two-minute pitch will get you a
surprising number of follow-up meetings.
In focus
KNOW YOUR STUFF
To establish your credibility, you need to know a
great deal about your product or service. As well as
handling general, predictable questions, be prepared
to demonstrate your knowledge in every respect.
EXPECT TO CLOSE
If the presentation is effective, the decision to buy, or buy
in, is a natural next step. Be prepared to ask for some
kind of commitment and agree to take immediate action,
even if it is only setting up another meeting.
SHOW, DON’T TELL
Visual representations and physical
demonstrations bring sales presentations
to life. People remember what they see
and do for themselves, so be creative.
Tip
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