The day finally comes. Mr. Marketing Manager gives you a call and asks you to do a presentation for Da Big Project. You set up a meeting to go over the specs, at which time Mr. Manager clues you in that you’ll be competing against three other groups. You’re still not as “in like Flint” as you may have thought. You’ve still have one big hurdle to jump. You also learn you’ll be presenting to a couple of VPs and the CEO, along with your buddy, Mr. Manager.

After the meeting, you get to work and begin to craft your perfect proposal and plan your presentation. You review the company again, its products, its competitor and audience. You go through the project goals and draft some poignant prose showing how you’re going to meet them with your brilliant work.

Getting prepped
In preparing for your presentation, don’t forget to prepare for questions the audience may ask, even some potential off-the-wall ones. Rehearse your spiel and get your timing down. It’s a good idea to rehearse in front of some kind office mates, friends or relatives who probably won’t start tossing tomatoes. Know your talk inside out and backwards. Avoid using trade jargon. Make sure any visuals are clear. Don’t assume that just because something is crystal clear to you, it will be to your audience, too. That’s where the kind friends or relative come in handy. If they don’t know what you’re talking about, odds are, the real audience won’t, either.

Show Time!
Presentation Day finally rolls around and you shine up your lucky shoes. You meet the pitchees as they arrive and get a bit chummy. Everyone finds their seat and it’s show time. You make your pitch. You’re calm, confident, cool and collected. You clearly show what needs to be done and why yours is the right solution for their project. You ask for the sale. This is one of those assumption things. Lots of folks assume the prospect(s) know you want to close the deal now. Don’t assume anything. Guide your prospect through the next steps. Do all you can to help your prospect say “yes.” Plus, you want them to believe they’ve made the right decision and feel good about it … because they have.

The pitch comes to a close. You’re in good shape from all you learned during the relationship building process. You have an edge over the other groups who were called in cold or didn’t do their homework as well as you. Your presentation was dead on-target. They give you a standing ovation, sign on the dotted line and write you a deposit check on the spot. The planets align and rainbows appear in the sky. You’ve closed the deal – all because you’re the one who took the time to make the best use of the sales cycle.

Until the next,
Marketing Minute
all the best,
nt