Far too many presenters and subject matter experts focus on themselves, their topic, and their ability to answer questions. These are, of course, crucial skills.

However, if you only focus on these, you’ll miss the target.

The number one “Rule” in presenting is: It’s Always About Your Audience. In my training evaluations, I often ask senior managers, sales directors, and top leaders, “what’s the concept you use most often?” The answer I get is:

“It’s Always About The Audience!”

Think about this: you must investigate, evaluate, and refine your presentation to adapt to each specific audience. You can divide this into three categories.

1. What do you know about your participants?
2. What are their reasons for being in your presentation?
3. What is the flow of your story to appeal to your audience?

Keep this in mind as you jump into planning your important business pitch or speech. It’s not about your topic, data, or research.

I know. This is a mind bender. And it can take a moment to shift your focus. While you’re digesting this, let me tell you a story.

Earlier this week, I spoke with a young woman. She was on fire about her new business, and planning to give presentations to attract funders. As she described the volumes of charts, diagrams, and maps, and PowerPoint slides, I got nervous.

It sounded like a perfect recipe for data overwhelm.

Clearly this wasn’t her intention. So, I told her what I’m going to share with you right now:

Step away from your data. Step back from sharing every last chart, diagram, and slide. Move away from showing the entire chronological history of your project.

Instead, burn this single phrase in your mind:

It’s always about your audience.

How much can your participants absorb in your 10-minute, 30-minute, or 60-minute presentation?

The answer: not that much!

Keep your message simple enough for your audience to absorb.

Whether you are a part-time presenter, or a full-time professional speaker, this is the single critical rule you must remember and use. If you want to master the fine art of presenting, and attract investors, your message must be simple. This will encourage smart decision-making, and win business results.

I’m sure you agree — keeping things simple is a recipe for success.

In addition to understanding this conceptually, be sure to use it. Don’t let this rule gather dust bunnies in the back of your closet. Put it into action.

Let’s do this right now. It should take you less than two minutes to put this to use.

Are you reallyready to present? Grab a pencil and find out. Answer yes or no for each line. Jot down ideas for actions you will take to be fully prepared.

What’s your Presentation Readiness?

Are you confident in putting your audience first?

• Do you understand your audience issues?
• Are you aware of specific needs of individuals?
• Do you truly know why people are attending your talk?
• Are you adapting your story to match each specific audience?

Are you confident in customizing your story?

• Are you prepared and confident in your content expertise?
• Are you sharing your personal experiences?
• Are you showing and telling specific stories?
• Are you adjusting your story flow?

As you can see, with a small amount of action-oriented preparation, you can immediately apply the most important rule in presenting: “It’s Always About Your Audience.”

It seems that almost every sales rep nowadays can’t do his job anymore without the ‘aid’ of some kind of presentation on his laptop, net-book or tablet PC  And I am not just talking about presentations for a group of decision makers. No, even in one-on-one meetings too many sales reps make use of some kind of presentation software.

It violates almost every ‘rule’ in the book:

• Selling is not telling, selling is listening.
• Every customer has unique needs, wishes and desires. Get those to the surface and act accordingly.
• Specs don’t sell, tailor-made solutions do.
• Build rapport by showing a genuine interest in the customer, not in yourself or your organization.

These ‘rules’ are as old as mankind. And they haven’t changed all of a sudden because of newly available technology.

Most of the presentations I have seen are precooked by the marketing department of the organization. And it proves again and again that marketing people in general have no clue when it comes to sales. It is beyond me that organizations let their marketing department interfere with their sales department in that way. Marketing and sales are two different disciplines; stay out of each other’s play ground!

We have all seen examples of the ‘Corporate Presentation’. Slide after slide about what a great company it is; the growth in annual turnover, the worldwide coverage, all the important customers they have already, their USP’s, the great line of products, etc.

Apparently, the customer is not important anymore. It is all about us; about how great we are, how big we are, how important we are…
In other words: this - new – customer is just there to add to our greatness.
Happy selling…

Every customer wants to feel important, not just one of many, not just a number in his supplier’s automated system. And here comes the sales rep with a presentation that he shows to everybody, regardless of the specific needs, interests and desires of the customer. In the presentation the supplier brags about the numerous offices and plants they have throughout the world and the gazillion customers they service. That will make the prospect with his one mid-sized plant in southern Alberta jump out of his chair of excitement, won’t it? Now he feels very special and important, all of a sudden!

Many sales reps don’t realize that certain pieces of information that are valuable to one customer can backfire when presented to another. One of the most important rules in sales is that you don’t start giving out information before you know if it is of interest for the customer and in what context. Most presentations blatantly violate that rule.

Is every PowerPoint presentation useless?

Certainly not. But there is a time and a place for everything. If you want to (or have to) use presentation software, keep the following tips in mind:

• Know your customer’s needs, interests, wishes and desires before you show him your presentation.
• Make sure that your presentation is tailor-made for his customer. At least, remove slides that might work against you.
• Do the selling yourself. Presentations are there to confirm, explain or add information, they will not sell for you. Don’t make yourself obsolete.
• Trim your presentation as much as possible. I have seen presentations with dozens of slides. I can guarantee you that no customer is interested anymore after about  dozen slides tops.

There is a lot to say about the quality of the material and – maybe even more importantly – the quality of the presenter. I will make another post about that subject shortly.

Conclusion

Sales people, marketing people and others spend a lot of time developing PowerPoint presentations. It is a shame that so many efforts are in vain or even counter productive. If you decide to create a presentation or review an existing one, answer for yourself at least these three questions:

1. Does a Presentation indeed add value to the sales process?
2. Is the presented information of value for the customer?
3. Is there information in the Presentation that can jeopardize my relationship with the customer?

Have a good look at your presentation. Put yourself in the shoes of a customer and see if you really couldn’t do without.

Never forget: People do business with people!

Happy presenting!