The Pedestal Group

As promised, here is a summary of a presentation I gave to the Greater Medina Chamber last week.

PowerPoint is an incredibly powerful tool – when used well. When used poorly, it is just BORING. In the past, I was taught to put everything on a slide, including our logo and “all rights reserved” at the bottom. Each slide had a header and a footer, and then we would cram as much text as possible into the slide. The idea was, when they took the slides as the handout, they would have all the information. I now know that thinking is completely WRONG.

Instead, your PowerPoint is to enhance your presentation. We all learn in different ways so the slides add a visual backdrop for your presentation. The key here is backdrop. YOU are the focus. YOU provide the content and the information. If you are just going to read to me, knock it off. I read faster than you talk. Send me an email. I’ll get to it – I promise.

One big hurtle I’ve had with the idea of PowerPoint being a backdrop was the handout at the end. I wanted a scenario where I was vital to the experience of the program, but if someone wanted the information as reference or to share with a friend, they could. Enter “Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery” by Garr Reynolds. The obvious answer? Create the handout as a DOCUMENT. Put all your information into a document form with as much detail and information as you like, with headers and other ways to quickly find what they need. Now, you are free to really use PowerPoint for the tool it can be.

Once you’ve written your handout, design your presentation. Slides become large pictures with few words to convey your meaning. There are no titles, logos, or disclaimers because they aren’t necessary anymore. One comment Reynolds makes is, you would never start every conversation with your name, so why start a slide with your logo?

Outline your flow and what information you want to provide. Then create slides that support that mission. You don’t need to put all the information on the slides because it is in the handout so think in terms of what is engaging, what will enhance your presentation and what will keep the audience’s attention.

For more on these concepts, I highly recommend checking out the Presentation Zen blog and book. Hope to see a change in your PowerPoints!

I like to help companies develop their unique positioning by asking what they want their clients to say about them. For example, your best client is at a party talking to their counterpart at another company. The counterpart says they can’t get anywhere on X project (with X project being what you do). Your client says, “say no more! I know who you need to call. Call (you) because…….”. What’s the because? What does your client really value? The beauty of this is if you really don’t know, you can call your best client, pose that scenario and have them TELL YOU! Instantly you have your differentiator. And the best part about asking this way is it helps your client think about getting you referrals. Double bonus.

Now take that a step further. Now you know what they say. Happy with that? Happy telling people at a meeting, “we do XYZ and our clients tell us we are the only company they’ve brought in that actually understands what they needed.” You certainly sound more credible and people like knowing others agree. But what do you really want them to say? That’s your next strategic direction. Set up the self-fulfilling prophecy. If you decide you want your client to go to an event, talk to someone and say X, you will provide X.

So how are YOU different?

I am so sick of hearing how “nobody” buys books anymore.  I buy books and when I have to stand in line at the bookstore, clearly I’m not alone.  Someone said to me recently, “Nobody goes to the library”.  Really?  According to the tour I took of our local library last week they have 1,000 people coming through the library every day.  EVERY DAY!!

So what?  Well, if your marketing to a group of “nobodies”, you have an opportunity to really make them feel special.  It isn’t that no one is buying books anymore, it is just that I’m unique in that I don’t have an eReader so I want a regular book.  The bookstores can appeal to me and bring me in – make me feel special.  In their eyes, I’m “better” than the non-book-buying person so they can say so.  They track every one of my purchases through my frequent shopper account so USE THAT INFORMATION.

There are many industries selling to “nobodies”.  Make them a niche, give them special privileges including perks for bringing along non-nobodies and see what happens.  If you can turn your nobodies into somebodies in your business, they will stay with you for life.  After all, no one wants to be a nobody!