When you are given the opportunity to make a client
presentation, what is your action plan?
At this point you have completed the “go-no-go” process and are looking
forward to winning new business. Don’t let your competition or ego get in the
way. Frame your next presentation as a journey and you will win. If you understand that humans are wired to
listen to stories, are you telling a story during the presentation? Is the
client listening? Since your story and
the stories of your firm are more involved than a 30-minute presentation, your
biggest challenge will be deciding where to start and where to end. You can lose the audience in a heartbeat when
you assume they have more knowledge than you do or when you bury them in
jargon. Being yourself might be a cliché,
but it begins with who you and your firm really are.
The owner of an engineering firm I consulted with a few
years ago had received a heart transplant and from that started his own
business. What do you think was his
story during client presentations? His
message was simple and his journey was clear.
He did a superb job of quickly introducing the value his firm brought to
the important client issues while wrapping the journey in his ability to
overcome obstacles. He made clients
believe he cared about their needs and would deliver the solution they needed. The client saw the world a little differently
after his presentation.
What can you learn from this? Do your presentations make the
client see the world differently? Your
presentation team must be passionate about what they are doing. The quality of the client solution is important
and how you wrap it in your narrative is key.
Although there is not a best way to deliver a client presentation,
there is definitely a bad way: Make it appear to be a formula.The presentation could be defined as the art of persuasion. When we need to persuade, when we need to move people away from one way of doing things towards another, stories are the way to go. What is really at the center of all business activity: Presuasion.
Clients relate to stories because they give continuity to the facts and case studies that every short-listed firm is showing them during the interviews. Stories connects us and engage our clients. They give meaning to what we communicate.
Is your presentation an exercise in brand superiority? Does your brand matter to the client? One of the intended outcomes of your presentation is to create an emotional bond with the client. Stories make your brand unique and act as the glue to tie all the other parts together. There is no better way to differentiate your firm from your competition.
When our presentations include great stories, as opposed to ‘just’ communicating, we create meaning and reinforce a common sense of purpose. We get the client to enter our playing field where common goals and solutions are easily recognized. If this makes sense to you, presentation coaching might be a cost-effective way to improve your performance. Contact trystanderson@businessdevelopmentpros.org for information.
