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Build Alliances: The Key to Successful Business Presentations

Posted on by Rick E

A business presentation’s success isn’t limited to charming delivery and useful content. What makes them really effective is when they turn audience members into paying customers.

There are many ways to attract people into buying your idea, but how do you guarantee results?

Fostering partnerships and networks is key to developing sales opportunities and new business contacts. You have to hit the ground running and foster alliances for presentation survival. Think of it as finding people to recruit in your group to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Here’s how to build strong defenses and alliances to make your pitch even more effective:

Build Up Your Base

safe room

It all starts with creating a visible and sound image. Maintaining your credibility leaves a good impression that helps you make new contacts.

Building trust is essential for growing a business network. Once they notice your sincerity, people will view you as someone with high authority and responsibility. Prepare conversation starters to let your audience know that you’re interested in cultivating professional relationships.

This is just the beginning of your road to presentation survival. Once you have them interested in your pitch, then you have to gain their confidence.

Be a Good Listener

listener

Trust is developed from effective listening. Therefore, good listening habits greatly assist the process of establishing business connections.

Don’t just listen to people’s responses. Pay attention to the possible motivations and emotions reflected in their choice of words and changing tone. Harnessing this skill into a presentation tool makes your audience feel valued and respected. In turn, they’ll reciprocate that respect and listen to you, too.

However, you should never be complacent. Always look ahead to see how you can build relationships that last into the future.

Reconnect and Follow Up

communication

The steps to forming business alliances don’t end in the presentation room. Follow up on people you’ve met and reestablish those connections to keep them interested. Do this even after your sales pitch is done.

Don’t go aimlessly after every networking opportunity that comes your way. Instead, sort your list of contacts and identify who among them is a potential network. Develop and use these contacts carefully to keep building new connections.

Keeping in touch even after your presentation helps you create a network while helping your audience remember your core message. If done well, it can also help you build an even bigger network over time.

Conclusion

partnership

Building alliances after your business presentations is a cost-effective strategy that generates growth and success. Build up your base to look and sound credible. Be a good listener to develop trust, and don’t forget to do strategic followups to maintain engagement.

Following these networking tips provide you greater opportunities and bigger contracts in the market.

 

References:

“Business networking.” Businessballs. n.d. www.businessballs.com/business-networking.htm

3 Fool-Proof Ways to Master the Art of Presentation Survival

Posted on by Rick E

When you’re delivering a presentation in the boardroom or stage, you don’t want your audience to start zoning out and giving you zombie-like stares.

They may look docile, but the minute you finish, these people could end up swarming to the door, eager to leave.

That outbreak is the last thing you want to cause as a presenter.

How do you go about avoiding it?

A visually compelling PowerPoint that highlights your strengths is a great way to keep them engaged, but making one is never easy.

The best ones are usually made with teamwork and relevant information about your offers.

Let’s take a look at how we can avoid a zombie-audience outbreak:

1. Know Your Team

You may know your audience from the inside-out, but do you know your teammates?
You may know your audience from the inside-out, but do you know your teammates?

Each member of your team will always have a specialty (Michaelson & Michaelson 2010, 23).

One of them might know where to get the best information for your deck’s content, while another might be good at writing your script.

Learning to work well with your colleagues will save you loads of headaches and save your energy when it’s time to present

2. Know Your Tools

It's not owning the tools that makes you good. It's how you wield them that will keep you a cut above the rest.
It’s not owning the tools that makes you good. It’s how you wield them that will keep you a cut above the rest.

A highly visual deck makes great impressions, but knowing the other tools and your presentation area are equally important factors.

Simple things like testing out your screens, projectors, and your lapel microphones can save your presentation from technical difficulties later on.

Make sure your deck is formatted to run on the screen you’ll be using for the boardroom. You’ll avoid projecting misplaced graphics because of working with in wrong screen resolution.

3. Know Your Moves

Now that you know who and what you're working with, it's time to put your skills to use.
Now that you know who and what you’re working with, it’s time to put your skills to use.

Presentation techniques are another thing to master.

Nothing induces a mass zombie-like look faster than a person standing still and droning on during the whole pitch.

To master your moves, you need to look into two things: your body language and your speaking style.

Are you the type of presenter who likes to tell stories? Or will you take the time to know your audience?

Whichever style you prefer, always remember to employ appropriate body gestures and avoid slouching.

Putting on a professional look and a lively persona is one of your most effective weapons against zombifying your own audience.

One Last Thing: Teamwork Always Works!

You could survive the apocalypse alone... but working together with others will make the experience so much easier.
You could survive the apocalypse alone… but working together with others will make the experience so much easier.

It’s hard to survive a presentation that makes you or your audience looking like the walking dead.

In these situations, working as a team will always get you through.

By working together with your sales and marketing teams, you’ll be able to get the info you need to make your presentation as comprehensive as you can.

Mastering your tools will prevent any technical delays that can bore your audience.

Honing your presenter’s techniques can keep everyone’s eyes on you and focused on what you have to say.

Who knows? By following this guide, you might even prevent yourself from looking like a zombie when you step into the boardroom.

 

References

Michaelson, G., and Steven Michaelson. Sun Tzu: The Art of War for Managers: 50 Strategic Rules Updated for Today’s Business. 2nd ed. Avon, Mass.: Adams Media. 2010.

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