Corporate sales presentations come in many forms, but it’s fair to say that a large proportion of them are uninspiring – if not downright tedious. Powerpoint design is easy thanks to the simple nature of the software, but Powerpoint presentations rarely live up to their potential. Because anyone can use the programme, the job can often be left to someone with the correct technical ability but no real insight into how it should be used. There’s an appreciation for the capabilities of the software (perhaps manifested in flashy effects) but not for the best way to use it to engage and win over your viewers.
If you’ve ever sat through a bad sales presentation you’ll have a fair idea of what to avoid. Repeating the spoken content on the screen (often verbatim) is a classic mistake. Don’t think that this doubles someone’s chances of taking in your message: quite the opposite. Having the material in two different formats distracts your audience from engaging with the one they find best. Just imagine if you were listening to your favourite song but the lyrics were being displayed on a screen in front of you.
What’s harder to know is how to get it right, which is why it’s often a good idea to enlist the help of a professional. This might either be to create a specific presentation, or to deliver some training so that in future you will be able to create effective sales presentations yourself, in-house. Someone who knows what they are doing and who has a good grasp of your product or service will be able to put together a striking presentation. You may not know why it works, but it will. It will probably have a simple, clear narrative, with each point leading smoothly to the next. The slides will be sparse, not overwhelmingly frequent, and each one will add something unique and useful to what you are saying. They will probably make good use of graphics, or key quotes, though words will not be over-used. They will be uncluttered and immediately comprehensible.
The impact on your sales presentations should be immediate. Powerpoint design can be highly effective when done well, to complement rather than duplicate your spoken presentation. Powerpoint presentations should make best use of the medium, displaying on the screen pieces of information that you want to highlight, or perhaps that cannot really be communicated in words. Get it right and your audience will take away your message without any effort on their part: it will just happen. And that translates to more sales. The return-on-investment of a good trainer or Powerpoint expert should speak for itself.
Please visit http://www.eyefulpresentations.co.uk/ for more details.