Whether giving a listing presentation, pitching an idea to management, or leading a sales meeting, you can take charge and get the results you want.

by John R. Graham   When it comes to presenting, simply relating the right information is not good enough. It’s how you communicate that makes the difference. That’s what presenting is all about. Here are ten guidelines for making persuasive presentations to any audience.

Take charge early

It’s over in the first 60 seconds. How you are perceived and evaluated is determined in the opening seconds of your presentation. The first impression lasts. And that’s the way you want it.

In the first minute, the listeners—whether one or 1,000—must have a clear, powerful, and indelible impression that what you are about to say is important because it benefits them. If the opening is weak, confused, or dragging, you will have made an impression that is difficult to change.

Aim at the audience

Whether you are speaking to a prospect or to other agents and brokers, the listeners are your customers. Who are they? Where are they coming from? What’s bothering them? What do they want? The answers to these questions shape the tone and set the texture of your presentation. If you don’t address these issues, you’ve lost your audience.

Give it a strong theme

Tie it all together in a neat package. Remember, complexity confuses, so the goal is to make your presentation clear and memorable. One seminar leader, for example, talks about the inefficiency (he calls it stupidity) of cold calling. He wraps the session around a central theme: Cold calls kill sales. And he keeps driving home that message throughout the seminar as he introduces the participants to what he considers new, more-effective ways to attract new customers.

Get the right focus

Most presenters fail because they are wrapped up in what they want to say and ignore what the listeners want to hear. You hear it all the time—people trumpeting their own accomplishments. It all sounds great—to the person giving the presentation. But the listener says, "There’s nothing in it for me." Whether it’s a sales presentation or an educational seminar, it is not about you. The spotlight belongs on the listener.

Present the right benefits

Salespeople tend to get excited about features, even though they know it’s the benefits that sell. Benefits are hard work because it means understanding the customer’s requirements. What is the customer looking for? You need the answers before the presentation if you are going to focus on the benefits that count for the customer.

Make the presentation exciting

Even if the information in a presentation is accurate and important, the presentation will fail if it’s dull. Remember, dull doesn’t do it.

How do you see yourself when you’re making a presentation? Are you a salesperson or an instructor helping listeners understand your ideas? The correct answer is neither. You are an actor with a major role to play. The presentation is your stage.

Every salesperson is an actor on a stage. Every customer is an audience. And every audience expects a top performance. If the audience doesn’t get what it expects, you will get an unmistakable thumbs down, not only on your presentation but also on the deal you’re asking the audience to sign off on.

Personalize the presentation

Boilerplate works for boilers but not for presentations. Listeners know when they are getting a "one-size-fits-all" proposal, speech, seminar, or training session. If it isn’t customized for a specific audience, it doesn’t fit.

The audience must feel that you are talking directly to them. This is accomplished by including facts, information, statistics, other data, and graphics about them.

Get the audience talking

Few presenters understand the importance of listener participation. They want to get going and get through it. Good presentations, though, are dotted with listener interruptions.

While it’s a good idea for one person to speak at a time, it should never be only the presenter who speaks during a presentation. The best way to get an audience on your side is to involve the listeners. One seminar leader feels so strongly about audience involvement, he intersperses provocative questions throughout his sessions. The participants are encouraged to listen because they know the questions are coming.

Keep it moving

It may come as something of a surprise, but making a presentation is one instance where fast is better than slow. Here’s why. The average person speaks about 125 words per minute. However, the same average person thinks about three times that rate. This is why people often say, "As hard as I tried, my mind kept wandering."

Moving quickly does not create a retention problem if you combine an effective use of visuals with your presentation. If the listeners can hear and see at the same time, they are more involved.

Hold on to the hard copy.

Don’t allow anything to interfere with connecting with your audience. You want everyone’s attention directed at you, so don’t distribute the handouts before the presentation. Wait until you have finished.

John R. Graham is president of Graham Communications, a marketing services and sales consulting firm. He is the author of The New Magnet Marketing (Chandler House Press), the revised and updated version of his original book, Magnet Marketing, and 203 Ways To Be Supremely Successful In The New World Of Selling (Macmillan Spectrum). Contact him at 617/328-0069 or j_graham@grahamcomm.com.

Photo © Digital Vision.

home   current issue    top 10    resources 

discussions   contact us   search

Buyers & sellers, visit www.texasrealestate.com.
REALTORS®, visit www.texasrealtors.com.