subject: How To Present Your Awesome Company [print this page] You need to work on client projectsYou need to work on client projects. You have a business to run. You have urgent issues to deal with. How can you find time to present your company to clients and prospects?
I dont have time to present my company. I understand. Ive heard this from many consultants, coaches and professional service providers. Youve got better things to do. You cant spend time building your presentation skillsand talking about your business.
Think again. The truth of the matter is that while youre not presenting your company to clients and prospectsyour competition is.
But, no worries. You dont have to go back to school, hire an expensive consultant or struggle with researching best practices. Just use these 5 tips to get started presenting your awesome company.
Tip 1. Know Your Why
As in many efforts, you have to have a big, clear why. Identify why presenting is important to you. Will it help you grow your client base? Expand into new territory? Increase sales? Do more of what you love doing?
Define your reasons. Build a solid foundation so you can move on to the core tips for presenting with impact. But dont skip this step. Otherwise youll move ahead without a clear sense of certainty.
Tip 2. Match Your Audience
Different audiences respond to different presentations. It comes down to having a human-to-human conversation with your clients and prospects. To do this effectively, you have to understand what people want and need.
With summer behind us, now is a good time to think about what your audience is really looking for. Are they hungry to get results in the final quarter of the year? Are they ready to sink their teeth into a project that they were on the fence about?
Think about seasonal variations of interest and energy. Match your message to your audienceand the time of year.
Tip 3. Simplify While They Watch
Last week we provided graphic facilitation for an 80-person, 2-day conference. The attendees were used to seeing PowerPoints. Theyd never experienced watching a visual artist capture key ideas in colorful wall charts. They loved it!
If youre hosting a conference or client event, plan charts, diagrams and posters. Organize your message for visual simplicity. Several tips will guarantee success:
Draw a sketch at the whiteboard. This is engaging and extremely powerfulespecially if clients are used to slide presentations.
Work with a visual expert to plan your sketch. Youd be surprised how little you need to draw to be effective.
Practice drawing in advance. Gain confidence so that you can do it while your audience watches.
Tip 4. Solve Real World Problems
The fastest way to spell things out is to collaborate and solve problems. Work with your clients to solve their real-world issues. Pick one that is very important to them and show how what your company offers will make the difference.
Yes, this is challenging. However, it is extremely memorable and ultimately convincing. When you take on a real problem and succeed, youll win their trust. Isnt that more than worth the effort?
Tip 5. Leverage
Funny enough, many professionals and business owners forget this tip. Really its a question of hours in the day. The main goal here is expand the positive impact of what youre doing.
If youve solved a problem for one clientwho else wants to know about it? Other prospects. Other clients. People you know across different industries.
If youve presented your visual message and won rave reviews, who else is interested? Other clients. Other prospects. Other people you know in your network.
The fastest way to ignite the Leverage tip is to ask this question: Who else wants to know about this?
Youve got an awesome company. Now use these 5 tips to kick things up a notch and attract more people to work with you.
