Nine Tips to Captivate Decision Makers during Presentations

Every day it’s getting more difficult to see prospects. Once you’re in the office, you want to make every second count. These nine presentation tips can help you plan and execute presentations that capture the prospect’s attention and keep it on you – at least until you can make your points and ask for the order.

1. Plan your contact carefully. Getting appointments with top decision makers isn’t easy, so make every moment count. Know exactly what you want to say, how you’ll say it and what the meeting should accomplish. Set a goal and draw up a brief plan or outline for written, phone and face-to-face contacts.

2. Get to the point and stay there. Stick with a single theme, and don’t force the listener or reader to muddle through your ideas or guess at their meaning. Ask yourself what part of your presentation is going to make or break the sale, and concentrate your efforts on it.

3. Make sure your thoughts are crystal clear. Ask yourself questions about the message you want to convey. Try to rephrase your main idea in various ways to clarify it and confirm that you understand it. If necessary, reword your statements for impact. Having friends critique your performance helps ensure that your ideas and delivery are clear.

4. Prepare for the next step. Include in your plan what you’d like to happen as a result of the meeting. If you have a destination in mind, have a map to show you the way. Use a carefully constructed plan to show your prospects the direction you’d like to take. A good plan presents you as a person of vision – an asset to any customer.

5. Tailor your presentation to the prospect’s needs. Well-presented, quality products and services won’t get the order unless they fill a need. Gather important company information that reveals your customer’s needs and how to fill them. The more you present from the contact’s perspective, the better your chances of leaving with a sale.

6. Stick to concepts. Rather than focusing on your product or service, try to get the prospects to agree with a concept or idea. If the contact agrees that income taxes, for example, are on the rise for high-income people, then that contact is also more likely to take an interest in ways to reduce a potential tax obligation. Concepts that make sense make the sale.

7. Back off. If you act desperate for the sale, your prospects may wonder why. Pushiness, too, can irritate a prospect and blow a sale. Look for the person’s interest and try to figure out what the contact wants to do. Offer “action options” to gauge what selling route the prospect is most eager to take, then adjust your plan accordingly.

8. Lighten up. A pompous attitude isn’t the way to win over a prospect. Don’t handicap yourself with the fear of making a mistake or not knowing all the answers. An important sales meeting is no place to test your acting skills, so be yourself, but be your best self. You might have a good time – and make an important friend as well.

9. When you’re in the driver’s seat, follow the map. Show your prospects and customers that you’re a competent and knowledgeable professional. Good salespeople can offer good advice, but they must always be willing to conform to the customer’s wishes. Direct your efforts toward meeting their goals and exceeding their ideas of good service. Help them get where they want to go instead of dragging them behind you.

These tips demonstrate that the best way to earn your prospects’ attention is to give them all of yours first, before you ask for theirs.