Every workshop I conduct is a learning experience for me. Here are some of the key thoughts I had coming away from today’s workshop on Mastering Boardroom Presentations (Richmond VA):
- Assessments and studies justify new business. If your clients are calling for product quotes, someone else created the justification. Your value proposition is now “Price”.
- If your engineers are delivering your assessment findings, you’re either in front of the wrong audience or your client is sleeping through the presentation.
- Learning to present in front of an audience is non-optional for sales people. Practice, record it, listen to it, critique it, change it, practice it…etc.
- Don’t start your presentation on a white board and then abandon the picture. Your audience will be staring at the picture wondering, while you pontificate to no one in particular.
- Don’t write your proposal until you’ve received verbal agreement. Your presentation is the sales tool; the paper simply solidifies the agreement.
- Language matters – speak is specifics, articulate benefits and outcomes, establish your credibility, and offer solutions with confidence.
- Poor self esteem is one the primary contributors to stalled proposals. Turn this around – practice until you’re comfortable presenting in front of your worst critics.
- Don’t ask questions IT can answer and don’t speak in technical terms – this leads to an immediate demotion. Keep a business focus throughout the process.
- Hold off on writing proposal and delivering pricing until you’ve had an audience with the buyer. To proceed otherwise is just a waste of time.
Also – don’t forget to sign up for October’s Teleseminar! We’ve got a great group already…join us by signing up for Successful Marketing to Management at www.stelzl.us/store.asp – this material is of utmost importance to sales professsionals looking to establish their brand.
© David Stelzl 2009
