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It is very common for sales staff to use tools like PowerPoint to deliver information to sales prospects during a sales cycle. What is also very common are areas where we can tighten up our message and execution while giving sales presentations to deliver huge improvements in our sales effectiveness.

Below are a few examples of areas where tweaking our approach could be the difference when delivering presentations:

Number of Slides

It is very common for us to include too many slides when we build presentations. This is very natural because there is so much that we want to share with the prospect and so much that we think they are interested in. And we maybe correct that there prospect is very interested. But what is also correct is that they are likely very busy individuals and have a limited attention span. If you factor that in as you finalize your presentation, it can be helpful to trim any slides and tighten the message to make it as concise and powerful as possible.

Amount of Words on Each Slide

Not only do we typically put too many slides in our presentations, we also often put too many words on each slide. The problem with this is that most people cannot read and listen at the same time. When you put a large number of words on each slide, you are creating a competitor for yourself when trying to keep the audience’s attention when delivering presentations. If the audience is reading the slide, it is likely that they are not fully listening to you.

Focus the Presentation on the Prospect

It is also very common for us to build presentations that are too focused on ourselves We start out talking about who we are, what we do, where all of our offices are, our history, etc. While this is important information for the prospect to have to ultimately make their decision, if you are at an early stage of the sales cycle, you can make a bigger impact on the prospect by shifting the message from being on you to being more on them. The way to accomplish this is to talk more about their challenges and their interests and how you can help with those.

Shorten the Introduction

As sales people, we can be very good at being hosts when delivering presentations. This is where we perform very thorough introductions, detailed agendas, and then sometimes roll into our corporate overview. The challenge with this flow is that there are two points where you have the highest level of attention from the audience and those are the beginning and at the end of the presentation. In the middle of the presentation is naturally a lull or low point in terms of attention and comprehension and it is during this lull where we often deliver our key messages. Trim up the introduction portion so that when you are taking advantage of the high level of attention that you have at that time.

Trial Close Regularly

Trial closing is checking in with the prospect to see what their thoughts are and we can often not do this enough while delivering presentations. This is such a powerful sales tactic to use as it will give the sales person very valuable information. When applying to presentations, if you trial close regularly through the presentation to check in and see what the prospect’s thoughts are, the feedback provided could help you to tailor your message and flow throughout the rest of the presentation to improve your sales effectiveness.

Present an Evaluation Plan

We often wrap our presentations by asking for questions and then try to get the next meeting. If we present an evaluation plan when delivering presentations, we can map out all of the needed steps and actions that remain and get the prospect’s agreement or feedback on the direction forward.

Going into a negotiation and desperately want to win the contract but still make a profit? Here are some pointers to a successful negotiation.

First of all congratulations of doing a pretty good job in getting so far – let’s see if we can improve that for you. I’ve done some pretty heavy negotiating myself so I know how difficult it can be sometimes. Firstly some golden rules:

1. Both parties should leave the negotiating table feeling that they have been successful and gained something from the proceedings.

2. It is not a contest but a process where mutual agreement is being striven for.

3. Leave egos, prejudice and fixed ideas behind. Bring only your willingness to listen and your manners into the room.

4. Ensure that you know what you can give away, what you can’t and what you must most definitely not give away.

5. Be respectful of the culture of the people that you are negotiating with – this means not just the company culture but the culture of the company – an Asian company negotiates quite differently from an European or an American!

If you remember the above the process is very simple:

1. Prepare yourself, know what you are negotiating about, know what you would like the end result to be and know what your bosses have authorized you to agree to and not agree to. Understand as much about your fellow negotiator as possible.

2. Bring in all the documents that you need to the negotiating table and have someone handy on the phone in case you need more.

3. Make the negotiating room comfortable and friendly and non intimidating with refreshments and regular comfort breaks possible.

4. If you are the receiver of money you start. Start low and leave plenty of space to move to a middle area that is comfortable to both parties.

5. If something is not possible at all – politely explain why. Sometimes it helps to refer to a high level boss who won’t let you – but do not give away the authority that you have to negotiate to completion.

6. The answer you are seeking is Win Win

One last piece of advice: Listen, Listen, Listen to what is being told to you and what is not being said. Sometimes silence will win you the deal.

You take great efforts in researching for your presentation and then even a simple thing like wrong choice of font color can mar it. Choosing the right color scheme and background as it is utmost necessary for it to be audience friendly and pleasant to look at.

The common mistakes that are made while selecting contrast for your slides. Here is a list of faux pas you can avoid:

Color of the background same/similar to the font color: The presentation should be such that audience should be able to read it without any hassle. If the font is blue color and background is black color; or light pink color against white background

Too much bold/bright colors: Slightly dark colors not only give a classy look to the slides but also are gentle on the eyes. Too many bright or bold colors can actually give viewers a headache. If you do not know how to combine colors or which colors to use you may end up using completely wrong colors.

Applying fancy effects: Equipped with many tools and no knowledge of application, presenters enthusiastically apply variety of effects to the slides. Sometimes fill effects that are used when file transcends are darker to lighter background, resulting into the text merging with the backdrop owing to the similarity of the brightness level.

Now that we have demarcated the issues while choosing the right font and backdrop, we know what to avoid. Let us now focus on the right method and applications that can further enhance our presentation. Selecting the right colors make for a successful and easy to read presentation.

Select extreme colors, you can either go in for darker colors or light shades, using mid-tones should be completely avoided. Once this is done and sorted out, everything else falls in place.

Once you have identified the background color, then the next step is to choose the font color. While doing this, keep a simple thing in mind, the presentation is for an audience so every effort and endeavors should be directed towards making it easy on eyes in terms of convenient to read from a distance too. You can use light colors on dark background or darker font on light background (black font against white). If you follow this basic rule and apply it to all your presentations you do not have to worry about other factors like intensity of the lighting in conference room and other stuff.

While reading, you will realize that the above mistakes and solutions are so simple to follow and understand. But at times we fail to keep in mind that what matters the most is the viewers and all we need to do is place ourselves in their shoes and accordingly plan the slides.

All it takes is few seconds to choose the right colors and your presentation looks far more visually appealing to one and all.

In a nutshell, it is for the speaker to decide whether to make the audience irritable with wrong color scheme or give a simple but effective presentation with a touch of sophistication!