HARDISON’S TIPS – APRIL 20, 2021 – GIVING AN EXECUTIVE SALES PRESENTATION – PART TWO
Tip #1: Cut the Fluff
What do you think is the most valuable asset that people have, but often neglect?
Cash? Nope.
Inventory? Absolutely not.
Cars? You’re way off.
The most valuable asset to you, me, or anybody else in this world is TIME.
This is especially true for the corporate elite. And because of this, you need to only communicate the messages that senior executives need to know.
In short, just get to the damn point.
If you are the type of presenter that likes to add fluff to the content just to seem more intelligent, or if you just enjoy hyping things to get to the big reveal then you are almost certainly setting yourself up for failure.
Executives don’t have time for that.
YOU don’t have the time for that.
Make sure your content (inclusive of what you’re going to say, the PowerPoint slides you design, and the handouts you provide) is brief, easy-to-process, and to the point.
Tip #2: Start with a Summary
Executive presentations are not always the best time for surprises. At this level of the corporate heirachy, people only want information that they can use to make decisions.
So be clear on the get-go about what your executive presentation is going to go into.
An excellent technique to apply here is to summarize your entire content from the very beginning. Do this by developing and presenting a summary slide at the beginning of your presentation. This should contain all the key points that you will expand further later on.
When you’re clear from the start, your audience will only see what needs to be seen and can start to understand what is to come.
Tip #3: Use Easy-to-Interpret Models and Visuals
You know what people who fail their presentations have in common? They think that the advantages of presenting beautiful and practical slides aren’t worth it.
If you want your executive PowerPoint presentation to stand out, then you need to be sure you’re using illustrations correctly.
Do you really need a study to prove visuals help people interpret information faster than the traditional list of bullet points, tables, and boring Smart Art?
Let’s be real here. Would you want your CEO to see something like this?
Tip #4: Practice, Practice, and Then Practice Some More
Remember this well, grasshopper: Senior executives don’t have time for your crap.
Sure, a few errors like a mispronounced word or a little break in your voice is fine.
But mistakes like your slides not showing up the way they should, or you going on and on about a point for 10 minutes because you didn’t take the time to rehearse?
Yeah. That won’t go down so well.
Be prepared. Have someone review your content and give you feedback. Time yourself and practice your body language. Keep rehearsing until you know you’re good enough.
The Bottom Line
I’m not saying that giving an executive presentation is easy, but it is possible to slay it.
The key here is to remember who you’re presenting to. If you do pull it off, you’ll have the opportunity to reach out to the decision makers, the gate openers, and the people who add the most value to your life.
It does take a little work, but once you get there, you’ll have the CEO, CFO, CTO and COO out of their seats applauding you.
