How to be successful… One Business Presentation at a Time

by | Jul 4, 2013 | Business Success, Latest

Getting in the door is the first step to success or failure. If you go into this meeting with a song and dance about why they should “buy” your service, then you’ve already lost them. This presentation is about your potential client or customer. Trust me, if they have given you the opportunity to present, then they already know that you can offer the service or product. You are in making the presentation to see if they can work with you. SO they need to like you and yes, trust you. Oh boy…how do you do that with a room full of strangers for an hour… and no cocktail in your hand!

When you are doing any types of sales, whether it’s service or product sales you must exercise a solid dose of patience. But finally, the time you have so long-awaited is here. You have finally gotten your foot…no your whole body in the door! YAY!… So now what do you do? You have to start prepping for that meeting. No,don’t stop reading, this is not about how to do a presentation.  It is about how to be successful in presenting your business,  give a presentation and own the presentation hour that you have been given.

Giving a presentation isn’t on everyone’s list of ‘the things I love most’… except if you’re a professional speaker or a professional sales person. Many of us have just fallen into “doing sales”, mainly because there isn’t anyone else to do it. This happens a lot in entrepreneurial businesses… that incidentally are very successful. That’s often the case because these people are passionate and it just gets very contagious!

There are a few keys to success that you should always keep in mind when presenting.

1) How to make a presentation always starts with your presentation ideas. Although you are presenting the services or products your business offers, there is merit in developing a “theme” or concept around your presentation. You need to engage your “audience” right away. You need to not only speak about what makes your business special you need to show them what makes it special…and that would be you.

2) There’s a ton of Powerpoint presentation tips, source them here.  Keep it short. Keep it visual. Keep it exciting. This will set the rhythm of your presentation and provide a good background to what you are saying. Yes, background, not foreground!!!

3) Build in flexibility. When you present, it needs to be fluid. It can’t be a canned presentation. That comes often stilted and well, not very imaginative. By building flexibility in how you present provides you with the ability to ask questions, listen to the answers….and speak to their concerns during your presentation. You need to instill trust.

4) Practice your tone and your visual presence. A good Powerpoint presentation is only the beginning. When making oral presentations it’s all about the delivery not the subject matter. Think of being on stage and the spotlight is on you. People connect with people. You may be in the door to present a service or product they need, but ultimately they will buy because of you.

Ultimately,  hitting a home run out of the park takes planning and preparation. You can’t wing it. It will show. Selling is all in the presentation and more importantly the presenter. I’d love to hear from you about some of your success stories. Share them here.

Glossopobia: Conquer Your Fear of Giving a PowerPoint Presentation

by | Jul 3, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Latest

You are growing nervous by the minute. Your mouth is dry. You stumble on your words.

Talk about hot seat. It’s so hot your face is red from the heat.

The more you speak the more your boss looks disinterested.

Then to make matters worse, he tells you to book a meeting to present your PowerPoint material to the committee.

Your mind is racing. You’re not worried about your PowerPoint presentation. You know how to design an effective PowerPoint presentation and you know your material.

But you are worried about your ability to speak and capture your audience’s attention. You are anxious that you won’t present yourself in the best light.

According to one survey, over 74% of people suffer from some sort of glossophobia, the fear of speaking in public. Indeed they’d rather face death than speak in public. Or to paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld “most people at a funeral, would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy”.

If you find yourself like the majority of people…. how then can you conquer your fear of giving a PowerPoint presentation? What can you do to be more effective?

There are many tips out there to become an effective public speaker. Having sat in on many presentations over my career, here is my top tip on how to conquer your fear of giving a PowerPoint presentation.

MAKE IT EASY FOR YOUR AUDIENCE TO LIKE YOU

You never have a second chance to make a good first impression. And the window of opportunity to win your audience on your side is short. You need to capture their attention within the first 5 minutes.

As soon as you open your mouth your audience is judging you. They are judging your ability to keep them engaged.

And even though they may have different agendas, the majority of people in your audience want to like you. They want you to be interesting as well as be informative. They’re rooting for you. They want to be able to relate to you on a personal level. And once you are able to create that relationship you have overcome the biggest challenge.

MAKE THEM FEEL COMFORTABLE

One of the easiest ways to get your audience to like you is to make them feel comfortable.

How do you make them feel comfortable?

TELL A STORY

Just as in our personal relationships, when we tell a story about our lives we create a conversation. If we simply present facts, the relationship is one-sided. You tell, they listen. Not a good way to win people over to your side.

STORIES ARE ABOUT PEOPLE

The story needs a face.

Open your presentation with a situational anecdote supporting your content and how it relates to them. It could be a scenario that relates to your PowerPoint presentation material and their jobs, a situation that directly relates to your audience but told in a personal, narrative fashion. For example, “on my drive into work today I was listening to the news and that made me think about our situation and how….” or “I was tying my shoes the other day and ….. Seem silly?

Perhaps, but wouldn’t that peak your interest? Wouldn’t you want to pay attention and find out what happens next?

Speak directly about your material while you draw in the audience.

For a more informal approach, try a lighthearted view of a personal story on how you developed the material for your PowerPoint presentation or tell a joke.

It is this story that makes you human.

This is material that comes directly from your personal experiences. It doesn’t need to be rehearsed. You will be relaxed and comfortable since you know the story like the back of your hand. You are simply talking to a group of friends about a subject that interests them and you have information you want to provide.

When your audience feels you are relaxed they will relax and are receptive and open to hearing what more you have to say.

The key to conquering your fear of making a PowerPoint presentation. Be yourself.

XXX

Do you have any more tips on how to overcome the fear of making a PowerPoint Presentation? What works for you? What hasn’t worked for you? What’s your biggest fear in making a PowerPoint presentation?

By the Numbers: Two Killer Tips for PowerPoint Presentations

by | Jun 26, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Creative, Latest

Some guy in a suit is yawning, another guy in the back is asleep, a woman in the front is reading notes, another looks at her nails and everyone else is checking their phone.

And then there’s you, standing at the front of the room, nervous and starting to sweat, trying to hang on to their attention.

You’re feeling frustrated and don’t know whether you should speed up your presentation or slow it down. Maybe you need to add a little humour? You could tell a few jokes, but maybe the topic of your presentation can’t be made light of.

Is it you? Is it your subject matter? Or is it your PowerPoint? You rack your brain thinking about what could you have done differently to be more effective?

All this to say, if it’s your delivery, well that’s an issue for another blog. If it’s your subject matter, there’s not much you can do about that. But if it’s your PowerPoint presentation, I can help.

In fact, I can provide you with two killer tips for powerful PowerPoint presentations.

All you have to do is follow these two simple rules when you create and design your material and your PowerPoint presentations will not only look better, your audience will be more interested and more engaged.

ONE, ONE, TWO
It’s an easy rule of thumb: One idea, one slide, two minutes.  It’s the most basic formula. 1+1=2. Simple to remember, easier to use. The reason for this is also simple. When you create content heavy slides with more than one idea per slide, your audience is unable to determine what message you want to deliver. Your slide is high in noise and low in message.

Your audience is thinking to themselves, “And the point is…?”.  The result: Yawning and nail inspection.

Ideally, you need to design your presentation so that you spend approximately two to three minutes per slide. Yes, that means you must know your subject matter well. Any more than three minutes and your audience will get bored and end up losing interest in your presentation.

THIRTY-SIX OR TWENTY-FIVE
I can’t count the number of times I have seen PowerPoint slides with far too many words. Oh yes, I can count. More than 36 words per slide is too many.

The slides are there to support your comments, to act as reinforcement and to keep you on track with your presentation; they are not there to chronicle your entire speech. No, they don’t replace the index cards of the past.

I know we all hate presenting, but If you’re reading this it means your career is dependent on giving presentations at some level – so you’re going to have to get over it. I digress, back to the presentation and the number of words…

There are various rules for the number of words per slide but one of the easiest to remember is 6 x 6. That means six bullets each with six words for a total of 36 words. Some will even say 5 x 5. You can decide which makes the most sense to you. So, another simple formula: 6×6=36 or 5×5=25.

If you must have a slide with more than 36 words, take a few well chosen words from that slide and consider putting additional information in the Appendix that you leave behind. The audience can read about it more in depth at their own convenience and without yawning in your face.

THOSE WHO CAN COUNT
These two rules are very simple, but rarely will you find anyone who follows them. But as I always say, there are three types of people in this world, those who can count and those who can’t.

Brand Persona: It’s not About you

by | Jun 25, 2013 | Branding, Business Success, Latest

It’s hard to separate personal persona from your brand persona. If you are in charge of marketing for a brand or business you are probably passionate about what you do and how you do it. Being in charge of a brand and its performance can be intoxicating. However, like everything else in life, too much of one thing may be counterproductive. (Who said that?)

Having such a strong connection with the Brand, or as you see it your Brand, can make it very difficult to separate yourself. But you must. As a Brand Manager you are responsible for a brand’s marketing strategy by deciding what makes the most sense. You are the keeper and caretaker for brand character which involves everything from brand and logo guidelines, brand tone, brand voice and brand style… including brand body language. SO… the big question is, how do you as a brand manager separate yourself from the Brand? Chances are, during the course of your marketing career you will be fortunate enough to handle many different brands, even competitive brand. They can’t all be you! Here’s a quick checklist on how to separate yourself from your Brand.

Pleased to meet you: I have always thought of a Brand as a person. When my team and I first come on board to develop campaigns for a brand that we don’t know, we get to know it. We are respectful. We learn about its past, how it came to be, how it evolved, who its friends are and who its foes are (competitors). We discover where it lives and where its market is… and where the Brand needs to be.

Not all change is good: Understand the Brand’s character and its potential to evolve within that character and tone. Too often I have seen new Brand Managers come into an organization and change everything without any thought to the Brand’s franchise, community, marketplace or its potential. Remember it’s easy to judge what you think is right or wrong when you are new to a Brand. But making changes too soon can lead to market confusion. It takes time to nurture a Brand and for it to attain its rightful place in its community and market space. Brand making isn’t cookie cutter… sure, tactics can be interchanged, but brand personality and character need to stay the course in order to prevail and be a Brand.

Brands evolve: Take a very open view of a Brand that you’ve lived with for a long time. Just because you’ve tried a tactic in the past that hasn’t worked, doesn’t mean that same tactic with some tweaks, won’t work today. By the same token, keep your eye on the future. Find out what’s new and what’s exciting, maybe it’s just the thing to rejuvenate your Brand. Make sure you always place the Brand first and always evaluate. If a Brand is its own entity then it has its own style.

Be impartial: Separate your own likes about colour and style from those of the Brand… especially when working on brand creative. Ask yourself if the concern you have is really going to make or break the communications. Don’t strangle the creative process… and don’t confuse what you like with the Brand’s style… you will doing it a big disservice.

Be passionate. Be respectful. Be mindful.

After all, it’s all about the brand persona, Brand’s success… and yours.

Suffering From Brand Intimacy? Wear Someone Else’s Hat.

by | Jun 21, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Creative, Latest

Attention all Marketing and Brand Managers: We know our marketing and we know our brand. More importantly, we know who our target buyer, audience and groups are. That’s important and is what makes for great creative. But there’s a catch – we suffer from brand intimacy. By knowing so much through living our brand, day in and day out, we forget that our target doesn’t know our brand intimately and probably couldn’t care less. We need to make them care. The only way I know how to do that is through good advertising and communications for them… not for me. Too often in a boardroom environment decisions are made about what works and what doesn’t without market research (but that’s a post for another time!). More to the point, many day-to-day decisions or the way to go ahead on smaller projects are based on what I refer to as “internalized judgment”. Whether you’re developing a full-scale advertising campaign, billboard creative or just doing a one-off brochure, the question you need to ask when assessing your advertisement is: “Does it makes sense to someone other than myself?”

Here’s a quick checklist to make sure that your ads and communications are not a victim of brand intimacy!

Have ad sense: In other words, is it clear? Clarity is very important in any communications piece. By being brand intimate, sometimes we feel that we don’t need to “spell it out” to our audience… or we just skip the details, leaving the message too vague for our target to decipher.

Don’t talk to yourself: Take a step back and remember the first time you walked in the door to your new job and had to get to know and understand your brand. Remember how you thought about it… before intimately knowing it. This applies to judging creative ads, headline copy and even segmentation. Often companies refer to their business segments in categories driven by manufacturing or by organization divisions. Consumers don’t see these segments how business sees them. Be very cautious of this because it can make or break your brand’s success.

Fatigue syndrome: Admit it. Whenever you see your brand initiatives, whether it’s a TV ad, a billboard or a social media campaign, you pay attention. Of course you do! As you should! But understand that your niche market or mass target groups don’t. It takes time for them to even acknowledge your ad, even though they’ve seen it once or twice already. Remember, the ad fatigue syndrome effects Brand Managers, Marketing Directors, Marketing Managers and Vice Presidents of Marketing and Sales… and everyone else in the organization. But, it doesn’t affect your consumers.

So the next time your brand agency asks for your opinion on communications… don’t leave your hat on… put on your target market’s hat instead!