It’s hard to imagine a time when we didn’t have the benefit of PowerPoint or other presentation software to provide the framework for our sales presentations. These resources have vastly improved the quality of our presentation, graphics, images and visual appeal of our material have never been better! However, we must take care to retain ownership of our sales presentations and not abdicate the starring role to our PowerPoint deck.
Think about presentations you’ve observed. There are presentations in which the presenter merely reads through his or her PowerPoint slides. In these scenarios, the slide deck is the presentation; the presenter is merely providing audio for the slides. And then there are the presenters who own the room. These professionals hold our rapt attention with relevant and interesting information, stories and anecdotes. In these presentations, the presenter is the focal point, using slides as needed to reinforce his or her points. The sales professional in this second scenario has accomplished the following:
- Made the presentation more interesting and compelling for the audience.
- Established him/herself as an expert with a high level of credibility.
- Inspired trust and confidence.
- Provided insight into his/her personality.
- Initiated or continued relationship-building with audience members
Presentation software can, and should, be a terrific asset for a top-notch presentation, but if we shirk our responsibility to own our presentation, our high-quality slides will take center stage and we will be cast as the forgettable soundtrack. Leverage every sales presentation to showcase yourself as the confident, insightful and engaging sales pro that you are!
