4 Ways to Make your pitch presentation more effective
If you’re in a business where you need to pitch for new business against your competitors, you’ll know by now the importance of a great presentation. One short presentation could be the difference between landing a big new client or going back to the drawing board.
Cademi’s Digital Holistic Learning Platform has a series of courses on improving your presentation skills but here are four things you can think about before preparing your next big pitch.
Prepare, prepare, prepare.
Although it might sound obvious, preparation is key to success or failure. It can be tempting to fall into the trap of building each of your presentations using the same template you’ve always used but make sure you do your research first to find out whether or not your usual approach will work.
Think about who you’re presenting to. The best places to research these individuals is through their LinkedIn profiles and through the company’s website. Read what hot topics they’re talking about on LinkedIn and what others in their industry are writing about too. Find out the pain points of their business and how your product or service can resolve their specific problems.
Inevitably, you’ll have a lot you want to say to your potential client in this presentation but remember- attention spans are shorter than ever. If you pack all of the most important information right to the end of your presentation, it may be too late.
If you are delivering a physical presentation using a program such as Microsoft PowerPoint, there are lots of in-built tools you can use to keep your timing on track and even display notes than only you can see to make sure you’re delivering your content quickly and efficiently.
Check out Cademi’s Microsoft Office courses, available now with our 14-day free trial
Don’t be afraid of emotion.
Remember, your potential clients are humans too. Humans can make purchasing decisions based on emotion alone. How does your presentation make them feel? According to Inc.com the 6 main emotions that make customers buy are
Greed – “If I make a decision now, I will be rewarded.”
Fear – “If I don’t make a decision now, I’m toast.”
Altruism – “If I make a decision now, I will help other”
Envy – “If I don’t make a decision now, my competition will win.”
Pride – “If I make a decision now, I will look smart.”
Shame – “If I don’t make a decision now, I will look stupid.”
Can any of these relate to the service or idea you are pitching? How will you make them feel it?
Remember the basics.
Having a Q&A after your pitch will give them a chance to ask you any questions and allow them to ask about any specific needs they may have that you didn’t already know about. Make sure you are prepared to answer to any questions your potential customer might have. Remember, if you don’t know the answer to a question there and then, don’t panic. Simply offer to find out the answer afterwards and always follow up.
On the day of the pitch, make sure you are dressed in a way that represents your business. When you first walk into the room break the ice by introducing yourself to everyone in the room and give them a chance to do so.
-During the pitch use positive, open body language, have a good posture and try to minimise any nervous fidgeting, stay as relaxed as possible.
Enjoy it!
Finally, try to enjoy it! If you’re uncomfortable, your audience will sense it and it will rub off on them. Energy is contagious and you want to put out exactly the confidence you want to get back from them. If you don’t enjoy presenting, no matter how hard you try- maybe think about delegating to another team member. Not everyone is great at everything and it’s important to know who holds what skillset in your team.
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