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Have you ever had PPS? 

PPS is Post Party Syndrome. My friend Kathleen coined the term to describe the experience of having a fabulous time at a party, laughing and talking easily and openly with your friends only to wake up in the middle of the night with terrible anxiety. Should I have shared that story about my high school boyfriend and the football field at midnight? Did Karen look at me funny when I shared the story about her tripping and falling on the way into that business meeting? Suddenly your playful evening has turned into a nightmare of social transgressions.

I think PPS isn’t just for parties. In fact, I recently recognized its ugly mug showing up in my psyche after a speaking gig I did for a local women’s networking group. It was a big ah-ha moment for me in dealing with speaking anxiety!

The talk I did was on how to use social media in a branded way to grow your business. The crowd was very interested in the topic (many told me they came precisely because of the topic) and I felt excellent about the information I was sharing. I co-presented with a friend/colleague and the whole thing went beautifully. The audience was engaged, responsive and I had a lot of fun (a good sign of a successful presentation.)

And yet – I woke the next morning to nagging thoughts: “Uh-oh, I never said anything about that quote I had on the Facebook slide.” and “Did I thank Lynn for her presentation well enough?” I was surprised that I was even feeling these anxious feelings considering how well the talk went… until I realized what was at play here. This was Post Presentation Anxiety – PPS! And because I had experienced the party version before, I knew it was ridiculous and unfounded and useless – so I stopped immediately.

Now I know this is a large source of anxiety for me – and for many of my clients. It’s the anxiety they draw forth AFTER a presentation that comes back up the next time they speak and amplifies their nerves ridiculously.

Here’s the antidote that I employ. I hope you find it useful to fight off any PPS (of either variety) that you might experience:

1. Refuse to Replay.  Any time visions of the event visit your mind’s TV screen, gently set them aside – even if they appear to be fun memories at first. Sometimes this leads you from happy memories to worried ones. Just don’t go there yet. You can most definitely revisit all the good feelings after your PPS danger period has passed.

2. Get Busy Maximizing the Outcome of the Event. Speaking is an extraordinary business building opportunity. It dramatically increases your expert-status, it allows you to connect with a whole room full of people and it increases your confidence (if you prepared well – which of course you did.) If you had conversations with people after your talk, connect with them via email the next day to share a thought you had since or to give them a resource you promised. This is good business, of course, but it also distracts you from PPS.

3. When PPS creeps in, remind yourself that it’s NOT about you – and move on. The opportunity to speak to a roomful of people is a gigantic privilege. The event coordinators as well as every person in that room is trusting you to provide real value for their time given. You work hard to put together information that will honor that trust, that’s why you get asked to speak. So remember that this is what it’s all about -being of service to the people in the room and giving them even more than they asked for. While it feels and looks like a performance, it really is about sharing and contributing. If you did your best at that, then feel fabulous about that. It’s all about them, not you. That can be so reassuring.

I want speaking to feel fabulous for you. It’s great for your business and good for your soul. If you refuse to allow PPS in after your next presentation, I am very confident that your subsequent presentations will be way more comfortable for you.

Do you think the ability to speak effectively is important in your career? Whatever your job, be it working for someone else or starting your own company, presentation skills today are at the top of the ladder when it comes to business. And, you have the internet to thank for that.

Video-conferencing, webinars, teleconferences, and workshops are on the rise even with our ‘sluggish’ economy as some might refer to it. People want answers and they want them yesterday. As a result, we are getting more and more information by means of the internet.

While it may not seem pertinent to you at the moment, it just might be in your future because our careers are changing faster than they ever have in the past. Layoffs, unemployment, and downsizing mean that many more people are starting their own businesss or looking for jobs on the internet. Even interviews can be handled today by means of a video-chat or a video-conference.

Speaking effectively could be your greatest asset since your competition is often as well educated and/or experienced as you. If the potential employer must decide between two candidates who are equal in most areas but one has better presentation skills, who do you think will get the job?

Now let’s look at the picture from a slightly different perspective. If there are two candidates and one has a slightly better education or is slightly more experienced but is lacking in his or her ability to speak effectively, who do you think will get the job? Unless the candidate is being hired to work in a research lab and will not be communicating with the outside world, the chances are good that the one whose presentation skills are strong will win that race!

Another scenario could be a contract. Those who are able to sell themselves make the best sales people and also win the most contracts. If your presentation skills are lacking, then your chances of closing the deal are definitely not as good the person whose communication or presentation skills outshine yours. A letter in the mail is not how business works today. People want to see and hear those with whom they are considering doing business.

There are several things you can do to improve. Taking a course in public speaking or joining Toastmasters are two considerations as well as voice training. Don’t allow poor presentation skills to keep you from the success you are seeking.

What is the one thing that you can do to make your presentation more powerful and effective? Pause – more often and more dramatically.

The most difficult thing to do is often the one thing that separates the masters from the masses. That’s true of many pursuits. For example, the hardest thing in personal growth is to know oneself. Similarly the most difficult presentation skill is pausing – to stop talking and say nothing.

Just the thought of pausing is painful for those who love to speak. And the idea of science is threatening to those who think they should be speaking.

Presentation skills and personal growth are related. Both require incredible self-discipline and self-confidence. To know oneself you need to ask some difficult questions and tolerate the discomfort of uncertainty. To master the pause you must become comfortable with both silence and uncertainty.

“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.”
Mark Twain

Why is the mastery of silence such a powerful presentation tool?
Because most people cannot tolerate the vacuum of silence.

When you are negotiating, the one who speaks less usually wins. The one who talks more tends to give away more information and more concessions. The lesson: once you’ve stated your position – shut up and listen.

Effective public speaking is less about making noise than it is about carefully crafted pauses positioned between thoughtful words.

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
Plato

If you want your audience to listen better, pause in the right places. If you want your audience to hear your words better, pause more often. For example, pause just before you state something important. That builds anticipation. Pause right after you stated something important. That allows them to digest the point. And the two pauses punch up the words between.

Most speakers are afraid of silence. Yet, it is so powerful.
Peter Urs Bender

When you are the speaker you should know that your listeners can either listen or think – but not do both well at the same time. When you want them to think – shut up.

To convey more confidence pause more. Why? Because anyone who talks nonstop sounds nervous. It is as if they don’t want anyone else to challenge them.

To demonstrate real control and self-confidence pause before you start your presentation. After you have been introduced, move to center stage, plant your feet then smile while looking at the audience for at least five seconds while saying nothing. It is only five seconds and it might feel like eons for you. But it will have a magical effect on the audience. They will stop fidgeting, focus on you and be waiting for the first word out of your mouth. While you might feel uncomfortable during those five seconds, the audience will be marveling at your self-confidence and composure.

“The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes–ah, that is where the art resides!”
Arthur Schnabel
Austrian composer & pianist (1882 – 1951)

Talk less. Pause dramatically and you will deliver more powerful presentations!

Father’s Day would have to be a perfect day in the perfect world. Families reunited. Sons that are now taller than their parents back with their mom and dad having a wonderful one day holiday. This is how the 20th of June would have to be in 2010 if the world were perfect (Father’s Day is commonly celebrated on the third Sunday of June). However the world is not perfect. You may be busy with your job and not really have the time to spend with your dad. Although this is sad there is a solution: Fathers Day gift baskets.

Father’s day presents will definitely not substitute a real visit you could make to your father, but they will make him smile. Because of the popularization of this holiday you will find loads of Fathers Day gifts just about everywhere. You will have from where to choose the perfect gift for your Dad.

If you do not have the time to visit your dad you probably also do not have the time to start going from shop to shop in the search of the perfect gift. Wasting time on shopping is not the solution. The fastest way to find a good gift for your father is to shop for the gift online. Dozens of different companies offer Fathers Day gift baskets that promise to make your father smile.

Gift baskets can be with many different products and are varied in pricing. If your Father loves golf you can buy him a gift basket that comes in a Golf bag. He will surely enjoy it. If you find gift baskets to be too expensive you can choose to create one yourself. This will give the present a personal touch and make it more valuable (even if it will not be that expensive), but you will have to have the time to do it.

Gift baskets and other presents for your dad on Father’s Day are a great way to show your father you have not forgot him, but next year you may decide to try to also visit him. Making time for your father in your busy schedule may not seem the best option now but later you may regret you considered your job more important. Next year you may choose to organize a family dinner on Father’s Day.

Presentation skills are some of the most valuable skills one can bring to the job market. Most employers place a huge premium on such skills and are always on the look lot for candidates who posses the skills in abundance. While a few individuals are naturally blessed with magnificent presentations skills, most people are not so fortunate. The unfortunate lot has to spend countless hours practicing these skills as they play a very big role in career development and hence cannot be wished away.

Firms and organizations place a huge premium on these skills because a good presentation is more often than not the determining factor on whether the firm will gain business or lose business. A good presentation will convince and re-assure investors that there investment is safe and secure. It will convince lending institutions to avail monies for development and win the confidence of other business partners.

Recruiters and human resources departments are well aware of the power these skills wield. This results to preference been accorded to candidates who demonstrate acceptable levels of presentations skills. The matter however does not rest with the employment of the right candidate. Remarkably organizations around the world spend billions of dollars in training programs for their staff members.

While this exercise is driven by a noble cause, one can ensure that he / she remains ahead of the pack while cementing their position in the organization by mastering the art of delivering captivation presentations. Presentation is an art, and while most mid level manager and executives are bound to go for the state of the art projectors and laptops, presentation skills call for more than just lights and PowerPoint slides.

One has to be able to connect with the audience and keep them engrossed in whatever is been presented. Been able to hold an audience for a long time is no mean feat. A few skills need to be mastered in order to be employed effectively.

Some of these skills include:

1. Ability to speak in a clear loud voice
2. Ability to organize one’s thoughts and ideas so that the ideas flow smoothly
3. Using language that is easy to understand without losing the audience
4. Ability to engage the audience. A good way is to make the presentation interactive by posing questions to the audience
5. Use of examples and visual aids

Ever duck into another room or reject an incoming call to your cell phone when you see a certain person or name because you know if you talk to this person, they will monopolize the next 20 minutes of your time?

Don’t be that Time-Killing Sales Person that other people want to avoid!

Being a timewaster by talking too much will eliminate any opportunity of closing a sale. Sounds basic, but is, in my opinion, the biggest reason why new business owners fail to close business early on in their career. New business owners are so proud and excited about their product or service that they want to tell everyone the story. Unfortunately, they want to tell people the whole story and a simple meeting ends up going on too long.

How do I know this? When my business partner and I first became involved in one of our companies, we were guilty of this sin. We were meeting a lady who liked the product and service and was about 90% certain to buy. We met her at a coffee shop and proceeded to tell her every little reason possible of why she should buy the product… for 3 hours! Our poor perspective customer maybe got 5 words in the entire time. Needless to say, she never purchased the product… or returned a phone call from us. We lost a very large commission and a potential business associate that day by talking way too much.

And now that our businesses are established, many new aspiring business owners present their new products or services to us in the same, time-killing manner. Oh paybacks…

One of the biggest keys to success in sales is to want to have people talk and see you again after a presentation! Everyone’s time is valuable and continuously wasting other people’s time is death in sales no matter what the industry.

The following are some valuable tips to being able to make a sales presentation to another person without wasting their time:

1) Develop a quick elevator pitch. Understanding this concept will allow you to get more sales presentations. Being able to describe what you do in 15 seconds or less is absolutely vital. Make it short and simple and keep on point. Once you get the appointment, begin the sales presentation with the elevator pitch. If they don’t understand the basic concept of the business quickly, they will never understand and will not pay attention to you long enough to grasp your vision. Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them.

2) Set time limits. After the 3 hour fiasco mentioned above, we never go over 45 minutes in our presentations. Unless they are writing a check on minute 46, we’ll end the presentation and detail the next steps in the process. Less is more, and leaving the customer with excitement is very important. All businesses are different and you may require more or less time to be effective. Our presentations focus on the customer’s goals and providing facts and success stories on how we’ve assisted people in similar situations to theirs. If your business allows you to not explain the processes and procedures, then avoid doing so or have them available in writing that you can give to the customer and they can read on their own time. In real estate, for example, I can explain how owner financing their home can accomplish their goals, but I’m not going to use that first presentation as a time to go over all the paperwork needed for this strategy. Focus on facts and stories for success.

3) Ask questions. This doesn’t mean ‘How are you’ and then spend the next hour talking. Find out what they are looking for. The more you can tailor the presentation towards the customer’s end goals, the better it will go. The best way to find out what they are looking for is by asking them. And ask follow up questions. If you have multiple products, then you will want to be 100% confident you’re presenting the proper product before you begin discussing. And even during the presentation when you’re explaining the product, finish each topic with a question to ensure that they understand the point you are trying to make.

4) Don’t oversell. Excite your customer with the potential of what your product or service can do for them, but don’t set unrealistic outcomes. If your product or service can increase a customer’s sales by 25%, is that a success? It may not be if you oversell by boasting you can increase sales by 500%. Set responsible and reasonable expectations that you can meet and that the customer will be pleased with if you achieve.

5) Focus on your teammates. You can inspire more with confidence than you can with fiction. People can sense when you’re over exaggerating. But if you’re new, how can you inspire success without first having success? Focus on the service or other members of the team. Avoid the trap of feeling that since you are a business owner, you have to be the smartest person in the room. When I first started my direct mail business, I didn’t really have much experience in the market. But the company I outsourced to for printing had great experience and success with direct mail. Since they’re part of my team, edifying them edified my company as well! And though I had yet to make millions off some of the services I was offering, I was able to tell stories of others who had become wealthy utilizing the services my company would provide. By edifying members of my team and other who’ve had success in the industry by following the plans I was laying out, I was able to grow despite my unproven track record. Business owners who choose to dazzle others with fabricating facts or over promising generally find themselves out of business quickly.

This last tip is a bonus: Practice. Rome was not built in one day. Very few accomplishments in our life were achieved the first time we tried it. Everyone fell down when they first learned to walk or ride a bike. Thankfully we got up and tried again. Every business owners will make mistakes. But in reality, the only true mistake is not learning, adapting, and performing again. The difference between most successful business owners and those who fail is not how many times they’ve been knocked down, but how many times they get up again. So use these tips to improve your presentations and have the successful business that you deserve!

The good news is that IT managers are often able to quickly wrap their heads around the concept that a dollar (or a euro, or a rand, or a… ) in an IT budget that they are given today is more valuable than a dollar that they are given tomorrow. However, things get a bit more trickery when we try to determine the net present value of money that we might get tomorrow…

What Is Net Present Value?

So you may have heard the term “NPV” before, but just exactly what is it? The leadership of your company probably uses this term quite frequently, so you need to know all about it. In this case, perhaps an example would help you to understand it. Let’s say that I come up to you and tell you that I’m going to give you US$1,000,000 five years from now. Hopefully, you’d be thrilled to hear that.

However, after awhile you might start to think to yourself – hey, I really don’t want to wait 5 years to get my hands on that money. I’d like to have it right now. Assuming that I was agreeable to giving you the money, I would not be willing to give you the full $1,000,000 – after all, that’s how much I said that I’d give to you in 5 years, not today. In fact, I might not even have the $1,000,000 to give it to you today.

So how much would I be willing to give to you? Well, there are a lot of very good Net Present Value calculators on the Internet and they are easy to find. Assuming that you found one and that you also did some research and discovered that if you put money in the bank today and let it sit there, it would grow by 10% every year, then what you’d discover is that I should be willing to give you $620,000 today. The NPV calculations show that $620,000 over 5 years at a 10% interest rate will give you $1,000,000 in 5 years.

In a nutshell, that’s what NPV is. It’s simply the present value of a future sum. What you do to calculate the present value of a future payment is to discount the future payment at some annual compound interest rate.

How Can IT Managers Use Net Present Value?

So knowing what NPV is can be a powerful tool for any IT manager. However, the next question is why do I need to know about this? Ultimately what all of this comes down to is that NPV is a decision making tool that you can use when you are trying to make decisions about what your IT dream team should be working on.

One note, we refer to it as “net present value” (and not “present value”) because when we are using it, after we calculate the present value we’ll go ahead and subtract off any initial investment costs.

The question that you’ll want to be asking yourself when you are using NPV is if the initial investment that you’d have to make in an IT project would be worth the future benefit that the project will deliver.

Using the numbers that we calculated above, if the initial startup costs for an IT project were $650,000 and the project would result in savings to the company of $1,000,000 in 5 years, then the answer would be no – the investment in doing the project would not be worth it.

What Does All Of This Mean For You?

Net Present Value (or NPV) is a financial tool that IT managers can use during budgeting and project planning processes to help with their discussions with company management. NPV tells an IT manager what the current value of money that they’ll receive in the future is.

The value of knowing this amount is that it can help in the decision making process. When planning an IT project, the use of NPV can help an IT manager make the decision as to if spending IT budget dollars on this project is the best use of limited IT funds.

NPV is a simple financial concept that the rest of the company uses every day. IT managers need to understand what NPV is and how to use it in order to be able to successfully communicate their funding needs and plans with the rest of the company.

It is 7:00 in the morning and it’s freezing outside, but I’m at my Wisconsin lake house and the view is beautiful. As I gaze out the window all I see is white; even the lake has a white cast to it because it’s frozen. For a split second I wish I had my ice skates with me. Then intelligence kicks in and I realize the ice probably isn’t that thick and I’d just fall through and be even colder!

So, I switch my gaze to the warm fire glowing in the fireplace and a big idea hits me. After pondering how to write an article for my newsletter readers that will knock their socks off, it comes to me. If I could tell you how to win more listings without fail, it would increase your commissions and you’d be delighted (and maybe even begin to really look forward to my newsletter). This is a win-win idea.

Therefore, I have outlined 27 Steps to a Winning Commercial Real Estate Sales Presentation. Now you may feel many of these are small or minor ideas, but none-the-less they are all still an important part of the process. Here goes:

1. Do your research – identify the prospect’s primary problem (no problem, no need for the appointment) and be prepared with a solution. Just because a prospect has agreed to meet with you doesn’t guarantee there is a need to fill. Be clear there is a valid problem for you to solve before setting up a meeting.
2. When you are setting up a specific time to present, be clear you need ALL of the key decision makers present. This avoids having to re-present or having the details conveyed incorrectly in your absence.
3. Ask enough questions ahead of time to be certain you can prepare for the meeting appropriately.
4. Google the company and each person planning to attend the meeting or of importance to the company. Hopefully this will cut out any surprises, as well as potentially impress the prospect.
5. Dress professionally; first impressions do matter.
6. Be a few minutes early; this allows you to get acclimated and gather your thoughts before you begin. If you arrive on time or even late, you are forced to go directly into presentation mode.
7. Smile during the presentation – this conveys warmth, trust, comfort, enjoyment and a pleasant disposition in general.
8. Once you’ve arrived, re-establish the upfront contract. State why you are meeting, what you hope to accomplish, and how long you plan to spend together. Verify that everyone is on the same page; this is often overlooked.
9. Be prepared and have an agenda. A lack of preparation is an automatic deal killer.
10. Be sure your presentation is professional and error free. However, don’t get stuck in perfection. Good enough is good enough.
11. Make a presentation binder to leave behind – this also helps you to prepare. Your presentation should include:
    1. A summary of the problem and your suggested solution
    2. Maps, demographics, and photos
    3. Your suggested marketing campaign (This is a place to shine!)
    4. Competition
    5. Comps
    6. Expectations (Most brokers leave this out, but if you are clear with your expectations the relationship will go more smoothly.)
    7. A list of potential challenges
    8. Letters of recommendation or testimonials
    9. A sample list of users (when appropriate)
    10. Success stories from other clients who have experienced similar problems. Describe the problem, the action taken, and the successful result.
    11. Timeline
    12. Your contact information, as well as information on any other team member (including admin).
    13. Listing agreement
12. Don’t focus on too many points when presenting orally; pick a few points and focus on them. After all, you are leaving behind a presentation book for their review.
13. LISTEN – LISTEN – LISTEN!!!
14. If you get stuck, take a deep breath and ask a question. This will give you a few moments to gather your thoughts, check your notes, and re-focus your presentation.
15. ALWAYS USE NOTE CARDS. Zig Zigler practiced before every single presentation, even though he had given the same presentation hundreds of times.
16. Allow for and even invite interaction during the presentation. Some presenters don’t like interaction. However, it would be a shame to deliver the entire “show” only to discover you’re off track and missed the boat, especially since you could have switched gears if you had known (based on the dialogue during an interactive presentation ). Client interaction will also keep them from being bored.
17. Before you present, prepare a checklist of items to be covered (use an index card for this). Then periodically check it.
18. Admit ignorance. If you don’t know the answer, don’t fudge it. Just graciously inform the prospect(s) you will get the answer and forward it to them immediately.
19. Ask who your competition is; in fact praise them when possible.
20. Be Truthful at all times. People buy from those they know, like, and trust. Trust is key for a lasting and successful business relationship.
21. Convey knowledge, enthusiasm, expertise, a willingness to serve, and finally – the ability to deliver the best solution for the client in the least amount of time and with the best price.
22. Before launching into a close, understand the approval process. Review who’s involved and ask what the timeline for decision-making is.
23. When closing — recap, be concise and confident, and know you offer the best solution. Don’t be afraid to close by asking for a decision on the spot. ASK FOR THE BUSINESS. Too many brokers make this mistake. If you don’t do this, your competitors will.
24. Don’t forget to have a copy of your listing agreement prepared ahead of time and available. Present the listing agreement and, if possible, get a signature.
25. Provide a specific window of time that you are committed to being available in the event any questions arise, and then tell the client exactly how to reach you.
26. Don’t oversell.
27. Finally, FOLLOW UP!

Good luck.

Recently, a presentation skills coaching client asked about Shu Ha Ri, the cycle of training used in the Japanese martial art of Aikido and sometimes applied to software development and used as a model for other learning.

As I understand it, here are the 3 stages of Shu Ha Ri:

Shu: This stage is for building the technical foundation by learning the kata or essential forms and drills – “the student should be working to copy the techniques as taught without modification and without yet attempting to make any effort to understand the rationale of the techniques of the school/teacher.”

Ha: Now that “each technique is thoroughly learned and absorbed into the muscle memory,” it is up to the student to “to reflect on the meaning and purpose of everything that s/he has learned and thus come to a deeper understanding of the art than pure repetitive practice can allow… “

Ri: In this stage, the student becomes the practitioner and “must think originally and develop from background knowledge original thoughts about the art and test them against the reality of his or her background knowledge and conclusions as well as the demands of everyday life.” (All quotes from Ron Fox, The Iaido Newsletter vol 7, no. 2 #54)

Applying Shu Ha Ri to Presentations

With some modifications and consideration, Shu Ha Ri can be applied to learning presentation skills.

When you are in the foundation-building stage of presentation skills, it is helpful to work with a coach or be mentored by an effective presenter as you focus on your goals:

• What would you like to look and sound like when you are present?
• What do “effective” and “confident” look like in your company or industry culture? For example, in some companies or industries, presenters are expected to have command of large amounts of data and be able to answer detailed technical questions, while in others, presenters are considered confident if they present without notes.
• What would you expect the audience to do, be or know as a result of your presentation? (Do you want them to be informed, persuaded, entertained?)

Repetitions, drills and practice can help you to remember key elements of presentation skills, such as pausing and breathing at the end of a sentence rather than saying “um,” or smiling and making eye contact with the audience.

Don’t Get Stuck in Shu

However, as you are working with and learning from someone else, you have to be very careful not to just copy his or her presentation style exactly. It would be like wearing someone else’s clothes – they may look great on the other person, but they won’t quite fit you.

You have to be certain not to get stuck in the Shu stage and instead, move into the Ha stage where you analyze and understand why certain elements may or may not work for you and other people. For example, some people can look very comfortable moving around the stage with a handheld microphone while others would be better standing in one spot with a lavaliere microphone.

Each person has his or her unique presentation style or “voice” and while you can adapt techniques that you see other people using, you cannot completely copy anyone else’s style. Watching yourself on video can help you analyze what works and what doesn’t, as can working with your coach or mentor.

Arrive at Ri

The ultimate goal is to arrive at Ri, which Yukio Takamura described as “a state of execution that simply occurs after shu and ha have been internalized… It is form without being conscious of form. It is intuitive expression of technique that is as efficient as the prearranged form but utterly spontaneous.” (Yukio Takamura, edited by Nanette Okura)

Ri would mean when a presentation is seemingly effortless and you are comfortable with your content and truly in the moment connecting with and engaging the audience. Achieving Ri would mean that you are not worried about the technicalities and individual aspects of your presentation because you are relying on your training, practice and experience to allow you to create a coherent whole that makes sense to your audience.

Here is how to make a Professional (and successful) PowerPoint Presentation To Your Boss (your customer or a potential client):

When you are creating that special presentation for your boss you need to STOP THINKING OF THEM AS YOUR BOSS and think of them as your customer.
What problem are you trying to solve for your customer (your boss)?
What emotional problem linked to the situation at hand does your customer (your boss) have that you are trying to solve?
Are they trying to streamline job duties to give their customers (their boss) a better experience in their store?
Are they trying to improve employee morale?
Are they trying to bring in new customers (their new boss)?
Or are you making a point to your customer (your boss) so that he will consider you for a promotion or additional job responsibilities?

You have to ask the question first – What EMOTIONAL problem am I trying to solve for my customer (my boss)?

Now that you have the question figured out, you have to find out what the answer is. What would your customer (boss) pay the most money for (which solution does he want most) the fastest? In other words, what about the problem you just identified is the most painful to your customer (your boss) and what is the best and easiest (fastest) way you can solve it? Do not sell your customer (your boss) another product, because he probably has a whole store full.

Sell him a solution.

Think about the action you want people to take before you start writing your presentation. Make sure your words support the point you want to make and solve the problem that needs to be solved. Then try it out on some people and ask them to tell you they are left thinking about as a result of hearing your message.

You may be surprised to find that what seemed totally obvious to you wasn’t quite so obvious to them! Does your solution solve the problem your customer (your boss) needs solved? Does he buy your idea (solution)? You’ll know by his body language and questions he asks.

1 – Get these questions and answers in order and prepare yourself a short presentation. Your boss is busy and time is money, so make sure you leave out all the run on sentences and, “ums and aws,”

2 – Sell your boss on a meeting with you if there isn’t one already scheduled. Use a script for your meeting request – “I spent some time identifying some ways that with just a few simple and cost-effective implemented steps in the work place, we could be working together for an amazing solution to solve the problem of _______________.” Or something like that. Make sure you schedule the meeting and don’t just go into a meeting room and expect your boss (your customer) to drop everything they are doing and give you their complete and full attention right then and there.

3 – What are you wearing? I suggest you take the time to wear your blue suit and polish your shoes. Go in like a professional so that you are taken seriously. you have 3 – Yes, THREE – seconds to make a first impression and one minute to make a sale. Be prepared or forget it.

4 – Begin your presentation by reminding your customer (your boss) why you are meeting in the first place, “Remember when we first talked and I told you that I spent some time identifying some ways that with just a few simple and cost-effective implemented steps in the work place we could be working together for an amazing solution to solve the problem of _____________?”
That’s your first – Yes! Continue by telling him that, “Well, what I’d like to do today is to tell you about those things.” “At the same time I’d like to show you some incredibly effective ways that other companies have used this system and achieved significant results to help them promote ____________.”

5 – Give your customer (your boss) a copy of your full presentation in written form.

6 – Make your PowerPoint Presentation a main point presentation (ONLY) of your full presentation. Simple is better than loud or complicated. Fancy graphics aren’t really necessary to impress anyone. A simple message and delivery works best.

Do not:

Copy your presentation on a PowerPoint presentation word for word. Your customer (boss) can read and will probably read ahead of you. People do not like being read to. They want to hear your main points and how you can solve their problem. that’s all they want to hear. They will ask questions if you make our presentation and do your job correctly.

6 – Establish your credibility in your customers (Your boss) mind by communicating:

- a – Your company’s (or your or both you and your company, or your research results on other effective companies using the same method successfully) expertise and knowledge and longevity in such things that matter to solve the ‘problem at hand.’

-b – Your personal willingness to do whatever you need to do to use your experience for your customers (your boss) personal well-being (on their behalf).

7 – Describe your system and why it works so well. NOT what it does, but the impact it will have on your customer (boss). Describe how it gives back what was taken away (does it give your boss more time for
employees?) What does it do?

8 – Ask your customer (boss) for feedback when you are done. If there is more than one person in the room then design a questionnaire for them to fill out. Ask about everything – What you wore, your message, points you made, titles you used – Ask about everything you did in that presentation and ask how you could have done better – What suggestions for improvement can you make for me about this presentation?

9 – After the presentation, make a follow-up appointment to give your customer (boss) an analysis, about how the information you gave them in your presentation is relevant to the problem – Give him the results of your information in a way that shows him how your presentation will help solve his problem. Use the feedback you get from your questionnaire to make any other points you missed or overlooked.

10 – Let your customer (boss) know that you are willing to help them – and that you will take whatever time they need to understand the solutions you are providing to them. Consider volunteering some of your time as a good-will gesture.

The success of your professional PowerPoint presentation to your boss (your customer) is won before you even walk in the door, so be prepared ahead of time.