The Intangible Presentation: Tips & Hints

Let's face it, non-tangible products are difficult to present (demonstrate) to a potential customer. With this in mind, here are a few tried and true methodologies that will make the process bear fruit when all is said and done. Some of these tips are essential to the bottom line and others will increase your numbers significantly. Like everything in the sales world, if you don’t have a plan you might as well give it up because it isn’t happening.

1) Know your audience

Gathering data about your prospect’s needs before the presentation is like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. Some information comes from sales, some from prior contacts, and some is gathered on-the fly during the presentation. The key is to piece together what each decision maker cares about and why. Armed with this information you can be sure to  cover the topics they care about and to drop the ones they don’t.

2) Know your product

You’re the product expert; prospects expect you to know how there signing on to your web advertising site solves their problems. As a rule of thumb, if you can’t answer 85-90 percent of the questions asked during the presentation–you’re not ready.

3) Understand the issues faced by your prospects

Compelling presentations demand a deep understanding of the issues faced by your prospects and customers. Understanding lets you to map the benefits of your product to your prospects needs.

4) Use a story based structure

Structured presentations are memorable presentations. If you just string together feature after feature, the prospect won’t remember what you showed them. Instead, why not try a time-compressed story based on a “day in the life” of your prospect. This style demo mirrors what happens in their world, making it easy to follow and remember.

5) Use customer stories and references

Customer stories show how your product solves problems and third party references can do amazing things for your credibility.  Ask other members of your team for stories they use and build a collection for all to share. Example: Dr. Smith signed on with us 6 months ago and word of mouth alone with his site presence has increased walk in business by 22%.

6) Practice your presentation

If your presentation looks clunky prospects will get spooked. Find a safe way to show the good stuff, and then practice until you can do it on autopilot.

7) Add some spice

The last thing you should do to improve your product presentation is to add some spice, specifically: humor, quotes and props.

• Humor can put your audience at ease and help them feel more comfortable with the presentation overall. Sets a good mood as well.
• Quotes, as long as they are relevant to your product, can make a presentation more memorable and interesting.
• Props are a great way to clarify a point or to punctuate your presentation to make a specific feature stand out.

Ultimately, preparedness and confidence will win the day. Go in knowing you have
something viable and unique. Something that will not only provide a solution but enhance your customers presence in the business world. What you have is valuable and it's not a question of if but when your prospect will buy in. (For those at MapWide, 6 platinums between a thousand competitors means now rather than later).

Author: Chris Borowski