“Our work is the presentation of our capabilities.”~ Edward Gibbon

Most presentations suck! One of the major reasons they do is because most presenters fail to both engage their audience instantly and to frame their message correctly.

Instead of getting the audience to think “wow… this is different…this is going to be powerful” their opening causes the audience to have the following internal dialogue “here we go again…one of those presenters…this is going to be painful…” or ” hum… I heard this before…not sure if I am going to stay for the entire thing…”

Laziness and lack of know-how are the 2 major reasons this situation happens over and over…

The good news is that anybody can avoid this trap and learn how to create influential openings that:

• Interrupts the current thinking pattern that your audience has (whatever the story they have in their heads) and focus on your message
• Sets up the tone for your message so your audience thinks “…this is going to be good..”
• Creates a context for your entire message, so it is easier for your audience to understand what is coming next;
• Induces curiosity, and
• Could, in some cases, engage them physically from the geco (it applies to public speaking)

My clients usually ask me what is the best opening to use. Even though I tend to use stories to open up live presentations and webinars, my answer is always the same:

“It depends”.

It depends on the context of your presentation, how much time you have, your outcome, if the audience already knows you, how much you personally like that particular opening, etc.

Today I will be sharing with you 8 different opening strategies that I have used in the past in live presentations, webinars and videos on the topic of “How to Grow Your Business Using Video Marketing”.

I chose NOT to include “storytelling” as an opening in this article because it is so important and it deserves it is own article ( I will be covering “How to open a presentation with stories” in the future).

Here they are:

1) Statement:

You tell the audience a shocking statement that is supposed to grab the audience attention immediately:

For example:

“Video Marketing is the fastest way to grow your business!” Pause. In the next 30 minutes you will understand why…

2) Fact

You tell the audience something that has happened (fact) but it is not your opinion (like a statement).

For example:

“The reason I was invited to speak for you this morning is because Mr. Brown saw one of my videos on YouTube” and sent me an invitation. That is the power of Video Marketing.

3) Statistic

You share with your audience a statistic that supports your core message.

For example:

“According to ComScore, a company who tracks online video viewing, 182.000,00 Americans watched online video in the month of December 2011, in average, 22.3 hours per month. Today you will learn how to capitalize on this growing trend.

4) Question

You ask a question that will help “set up or position” your content. The question strategy, when done properly, is a great way to get your audience to buy in.

For example:

“If you could own your TV channel, broadcast your message to thousands of people with virtual zero cost, would you do it?” (pause). If you said “yes”, than I am confident you will love Video Marketing, because it has the same benefits of having your own TV channel…
5) Prop

You use any object to grab people’s attention and peak their curiosity. For example:

I can have a cloth covering my hand (which is holding an object) and my audience is wondering what I am holding.

So I could say something like:

I my hands I have a tool that will be help you to: get you new prospective clients, save you time on training, improve your customer service,
increase your brand awareness and increase your relationship with your database. And the best part, this tool is virtually FREE:

Pause. Then I removed the cloth and show my smart phone or a video camera.

6) Video

You can show a short and emotional clip that demonstrates the power of video. In the end of the clip you can ask your audience a question that
will help position your message.

For example I can show this video (Visa Commercial) and ask the audience: How many of you got chills by just watching this 58-second video? How many of you would like to learn how to create the same emotions in your clients?

7) Future Pacing

You take your audience into the future and have them visualize their lives after they have adopted the idea you are about to propose. You do the best you can to have them feel and experience NOW the benefits they will get in the future.

Imagine you show up to work on Monday and one of the first things you do is to record a quick video. You both feel and look good because you know your message will help your audience.

After spending 1 hour working on this project, you share your video with your prospective clients and clients and you jump to your next task.
Within 1 hour of sharing your video you already got several new orders. You also got a couple of your loyal clients to share your video with their database (over 20,000 people). The orders keep coming. You actually have to stop what you are doing because know you have thousands of dollars to collect. It is not the end of the day, and you are already hit your weekly sales outcome. You smile and you tell yourself, “yes, I love video marketing”.

8.) Quote

You use a quote from an expert or someone who your audience respects to help you position your message.

According to the best selling author Jeffrey Gittomer, “Video is the new black”. I agree with Jeffrey, Video is the foundation of your marketing for this point on.

I hope you enjoyed these 8 opening strategies, they are extremely effective and they will help you engage your audience instantly when done properly.

Creating good presentation slides will help your ideas to be able to be delivered with ease. A good slide is not a complicated or detailed slide, but it is a slide that is concise, simple and right on target.

Many people make mistakes when making slides. They make the slides not as a presentation tool, but as a full text to be read.

The followings are the lists of the fatal errors in creating presentation slides:

1. Too small font

Using too small font makes the audience cannot read your slide. Therefore, make sure that your slides can be read from the farthest distance of the audience who will attend your presentation. The general rule that you can use is a maximum of seven lines of text in one slide with the font size around 32 points.

2. Using capital

Capital letters are usually used for the slide title or header. However, the capital letters that are used on the entire text will make your presentation looks not professional. Using capital letters like this will be a disturbance because the letters are difficult to read and you look anger to audience.

3. Types of fonts that are too many and fancy

Using types of fonts that are too many and fancy will distract the audience attention. Use a maximum of three fonts in your presentation and be consistent in each slide. This will allow the audience to recognize the way you present the information.

4. Star Wars animation

PowerPoint presents animation functions that seem interesting, but if you use it not in place, this animation would be disturbing. This animation starts from the transition between slides and animations that appear in the text or images. Use simple animations such as Appear or Fade to keep your presentation look professional.

5. 4D theater sound effects

Have you ever listened to a presentation where every single line of text appears, then you heard the sound of applause or the barrage of bullets? Avoid using unnecessary sound effects. Just use sound only when you need it to explain something. You should remember that you are giving a presentation, not a music concert.

6. Rainbow colors

Colors are a beauty. However, when they are not used in their place, they will make the eyes tired. Do not use too many colors in one slide. Choose 3-4 main colors and use consistently in your slides.

7. Too many texts

Slide of presentation is not a paper. Do not list all the texts into your presentation. This means you tell your audience to read the text and not have to listen to you anymore because everything is written. Choose only the keywords that can be a tool and create a powerful presentation.

8. Too light or too dark background

Do not use a background that is too light or too dark. Use enough contrast so that the text can be easily readable. At the same time, you can give emphasis to a particular text. Some experts suggest a dark blue background with white text or yellow. But, you can also use a white background or other bright colors. Do not forget to test your presentation using a projector that will be used later on and make sure the colors in accordance with enough contrast.

The sales presentation is your best opportunity to show and tell, but there’s more to it than just showing and telling. You also need to think strategically about the customers buying process and needs, your competitors’ offerings, and why your solution is best.

To plan and deliver winning sales presentations, try the following approach:

Find out in advance how much time you will have.
Have you ever had a key decision-maker leave in the middle of your presentation because he was out of time? You can’t hold someone’s attention when he’s looking at the clock. At the beginning of the meeting, ask how much time the prospect has set aside, then adjust your presentation to take no more than 60% of the allotted time. Why only 60%? Because your prospect’s decisions to act typically occur at the end of the meeting. Adjusting your presentation will allow enough time to resolve any remaining issues, and reach an agreement.

Check in.
Another good question to ask at the beginning of every sales presentation is, “since the last time we met, has anything changed?” If your competitor gave a presentation yesterday afternoon you may have a few new hurdles you need to overcome. The sooner you identify those hurdles, the more time you have to plan a response.

Take his temperature.
The next question you want to ask is, “Where are you in your decision process?” If he tells me he’s scheduled presentations with three suppliers and I’m the first presenter, I know the chances of this prospect agreeing to a decision at the end of my presentation are virtually nonexistent. For starters, it would take the prospect more time, energy and stress to cancel the appointments than to go ahead with them.

More importantly, the prospect wants to hear all three presentations, because from your customer’s perspective, comparison is necessary to recognize value. Never go for the close when you are the first presenter. You’re simply asking for something that you can’t get, and customers will think you’re pushy. Instead, come up with a legitimate reason to come back after the other presentations, when the prospect likely will be in a position to make a decision.

Try to be the last presenter.
The last presenter has a significant advantage, because he is closer to the customer’s point of decision. If I am the final supplier to present, and have shown why am I am the best choice, it’s only reasonable to ask for a commitment to buy. It also creates an opportunity to address any lingering concerns that may prevent a sale.

In one of the largest sales opportunities I ever worked on, I was the third of three presenters to a committee of seven decision-makers, the most senior of whom was the Executive Vice President, I’ll call him Mr. Burns.

Ten minutes before the conclusion of my presentation, the phone rang. Mr. Burns had a plane to catch, and his cab had arrived. As he stood up, I said, “Mr. Burns, before you leave, may I ask you one final question?”
I asked, “Now that you’ve evaluated all the options, is there any reason why my solution is not your best option?”

He paused, then said “Yep!” And out came his final concern about my solution. It was a concern I was ready for, but I never got a chance to respond because his comment triggered a firestorm of conversation around the conference table. Mr. Burns missed his cab, but several other decision makers drove him to the airport so they could continue their discussion.

A few weeks later, I learned that in the car on the way to the airport, a lower-level decision-maker had resolved Mr. Burns’s concern, and I won the sale.

This example shows that today, as much as 90% of the sale takes place without you being in the room. So it’s essential to make sure that the prospects championing your cause have the tools to sell other decision makers for you.

Start with a quick review of the customer’s goals and objectives. On a flipchart, list each of the customers buying criteria. This list is your outline for effective sales presentation. Next, show how your solution meets and exceeds each customer criterion.

Throughout your presentation, get a reaction from your prospect. For example, after demonstrating a capability you would ask, how would this be an improvement or how would this help. Interactive presentations keep prospects more involved and interested.

Communicate all your unique strengths.
Today’s customers want to know two things: can you do what we need done, and how can you do it better than the other options we are considering? It’s not enough to show that you can meet your customer’s needs. You must also have some reasons why your solution is the customer’s best choice. To ensure that my strengths are understood, I always prepare a flipchart titled “Why we are your best choice” which lists at least three reasons why I’m the customer’s best option. Often, I list seven or eight reasons.

The more reasons you have, and the more compelling those reasons are, the better your chances of winning the sale. In sports, when two teams are evenly matched, the winner is the team that makes the fewest mistakes, and executes its plays the best.

To deliver a winning sales presentation, you must do the same. When you implement these 10 tips in your sales presentations, you will win more sales