Do You Present As If You Are Sliding In For the Win?

Baseball season is upon us, and today’s Sales Tale is about PowerPoint presentations or sliding in toward earning a win. Unfortunately, the person at the center of the story struck out big time!

Before a salesperson is invited to make a final presentation that will seal the deal, several steps are in order. The same is true of trainers and those wishing to influence an outcome on their behalf. By giving first consideration to the others in the room, reciprocity will usually (not always) take hold.

Before a meeting or event, visualize sliding in toward home plate and then consider the following:

• Client goals and desired outcome
• Speaking to client pain points and expectations
• Elevating client interest
• How and where to include conversational aspects
• Hitting a home run in the form of a sale larger than initially expected

Sales Tale of Striking Out – BIG TIME!

The art of creating slide decks and making PowerPoint presentations is a lost art for most. One Sales Trainer traveled the country with a mission of improving sales performance. His favorite delivery method was to use PowerPoint presentations.

Early into my third job, specialized training was scheduled after a company-sponsored lunch. We enjoyed the food and camaraderie of the event. Each of us felt quite full. We were looking forward to being trained so that we could perform at a higher level.

Shockingly, after we were each seated, the lights were turned off. The training program proved to be an example of everything we should avoid at all cost. The trainer created an exceedingly long slide deck designed to run for two hours straight.

Everything Was Wrong

Each slide appeared to be almost identical and overflowed with verbiage. Thought of developing an engaging conversation was ignored. Worse yet, the man spoke in a monotone voice.

Guess What Happened!

Within ten minutes every sales team member, including me, fell sound asleep. Shortly after the training began, an executive paid a surprise visit. He was in shock to see all of us napping! We awoke to hear him say, ‘this looks like nursery school.’

End Result: The Sales Trainer was fired that day.

PowerPoint Presentations to Slide In for the Win

Another company taught their sales staff, including sales engineers, how to create PowerPoint presentations and slides to experience a home run. Should you need to present with PowerPoint, consider these tips:

• Limit verbiage on each slide to six words; three is best
• Include a picture or cartoon on most slides
• Throughout the PowerPoint presentation include questions for the audience to answer
• Encourage conversations that provoke new ideas from attendees
• Conclude with a consensus of what should be added to improve your slide deck

The tipping point toward influencing a sale is to be personable. Lead the way by sharing a personal story of obstacles and triumph related to the topic of discussion. Moreover, then encourage others to share their unique stories and perspectives.

Also, if you are working with a big audience, use a microphone. Practice speaking with a smile on your face and vary the tone of your voice. Be energetic with an authentic desire to help those in attendance. Upon asking questions of attendees, hand your microphone over to those willing to publicly share.

As your dialogue and interactions develop three other developments occur:

1. Trust
2. An increase in the desire to purchase or buy into the training
3. Robust results for yourself and the team

All appointments should proceed with the vision of a team victory!