Corporate sales presentations appear in many forms, but it’s fair to say that a large proportion of them are uninteresting – if not downright tedious. Powerpoint design is easy thanks to the intuitive 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 necessary 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 showy effects) but not for the best way to use it to engage and win over your listeners.
If you’ve ever sat through a mediocre sales presentation you’ll have a reasonable idea of what to avoid. Repeating the spoken content on the screen (often word for word) 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 like better. Just imagine if you were listening to your favourite song but the lyrics were being shown on a screen in front of you.
What’s harder to know is how to get it right, which is why it’s maybe a good idea to enlist the help of a professional. This might either be to write a specific presentation, or to deliver some training so that in future you will be able to make 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 top quality presentation. You may not know why it works, but it will. It will probably have a simple, clear narrative, with each point leading naturally 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 likely make good use of graphics, or key quotes, though words will not be over-used. They will be uncluttered and quickly comprehensible.
The impact on your sales presentations should be obvious. Powerpoint design can be extremely effective when done well, to complement rather than repeat 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 properly be communicated in words. Get it right and your audience will take away your message without any difficulty on their part: it will just happen. And that leads to more sales. The return-on-investment of a good trainer or Powerpoint expert should speak for itself.
Please visit https://www.eyefulpresentations.com/