Presentation Tip: Stay Foc…Hey Look! A Squirrel!

When I was taking my speech classes in college the thing I struggled most with was coming up with an outline and trying to fit it into the allotted time period. Actually, what probably helped me more than anything with that was my efforts as a stand-up comic where when I was given 10 minutes on stage, I did 10 minutes…no less and definitely no more or I’d never work in the inviting club again.

Now when I’m presenting at WQA Conventions or doing training for a company or seminar, I still have a hard time staying right on script. There is just SO much to say and when I’m presenting, an hour just flies by for me.

But I’m not so sure my audience always views the time the same. For them it may really drag, especially if I happen to go on one of the tangents I am prone to. If you’ve ever stood in front of a dead silent room filled with yawning audience members who are constantly looking at their watches, you know the value of staying focused and on message even as you may make adjustments to your delivery style.

Last week I was pretending to be a homeowner as part of training for a new sales professional.  As he was doing his presentation, I found myself feeling sorry for the customers he had not yet been in front of. He was so discombobulated and all over the place in his presentation that my mind began to wander toward anything except what he was saying.

It made me completely understand the reasoning behind teaching sales representatives a script and requiring that they stay with it in every home without exception.

However, while there are advantages to using a scripted presentation, I still contend that there are problems with that method and it can do more harm than good. It may be more difficult to teach a sales professional a more customer-centric diagnostic approach to the presentation but over-all, I believe doing so is better for our industry and our customers.

There is so much information to share with customers about our products and services and I have seen sales presentations go 2-3 hours. I just don’t believe customers have that kind of time anymore in today’s culture. I believe we have to find a balance between doing a thorough presentation and keeping the presentation to somewhere in the 1-1.5 hour vicinity.

If we are going to be both customer-centric and thorough we have to understand that I like trucks…big trucks. I saw a big truck once that was painted purple and it had Yosemite Sam “Back Off” back flaps on the tires. I thought to myself, “Who would win if Barney and Sam got into a fight?” Sam is armed…but Barney IS a dinosaur (from our imagination)”…

Eh Hem!

As someone who has a tendency to go in strange and obscure directions, I have come to realize that if I am to have any success in the home or frankly with any presentation, I have to stay focused. Here are a few things that have worked for me.

Have a Plan

When I first go into a home, I like to tell a prospect exactly what I am going to be doing:

“Mr. & Mrs. Jones. I would like to thank you for your time this evening and I promise to use it as efficiently as I can. This is what I will strive to accomplish tonight: I would like to begin by doing a plumbing analysis. Then we will test your water. I will ask you some questions and demonstrate a couple things for you then based on the results of the plumbing assessment, the water tests and your answers, I will recommend a couple solutions and explain the differences between them.”

I say something like this for two reasons. First, it takes some of the mystery and fear out of the visit for the customer and second, it gives me a road map I can follow to help keep me focused. Instead of having to memorize a long scripted presentation, I only have to memorize 3 sections of a process.

Diagnose and Recommend Customized Solutions

When a service technician visits a home, he has a van full of tools and parts. He generally does not completely unload his van at every service call. Instead, he looks at the equipment, speaks to the customer and determines specifically which tools or parts he needs to take into the basement (or, for my warm climate friends, install location). It is important to note here, that even if he does not use every tool, he knows how to use them all.

The sales professional should do the same thing. Spend time diagnosing the customer’s needs and build your presentation around their concerns. Don’t be afraid to guide them. They may tell you they are not concerned with drinking water but the 6 cases of bottled water in the garage and the Britta on the counter may suggest otherwise. Ask questions in a manner that also informs.

Use a Presentation Book

Or if you have embraced the 21st century, use an electronic presentation. A lot of manufacturer’s offer a digital presentation for a tablet but even if you don’t represent one of them, it’s pretty easy to put a decent electronic presentation together. Regardless, I don’t recommend using the default page order for every presentation with a script that could be presented by a robot. Know your presentation book (electronic or paper) well enough that you can use customize your presentation for your customer’s needs but also use it to make sure you don’t miss anything. Let it guide your format.

Don’t Over Complicate it

The more we learn in our industry, the more we want to show everyone how much we’ve learned. Either look around your house and see if you have a fifth grader laying around or borrow one from someone else. Regardless of where you find one, I’d suggest doing your presentation in front of them. If you can hold their interest and they understand what you were talking about, you’ve probably got a good presentation. Again, know how to get more complicated if you need to, but in my experience, you hardly ever need to. I’d also suggest recording your own presentation on occasion and listening to yourself. You will either be impressed or embarrassed and both will help you improve.

Each one of these suggestions could have their own article so if you want more detail on any of them, please visit www.moti-vitality.com or give us a call. We’d love to help.

Ooh Cows!

Kelly R. Thompson MWS, CI