Is it Live or is it PowerPoint?

I just had a visit from a vendor who had to walk me through their PowerPoint and had to show me how their product would improve my processes, save money, save time, would produce a strong ROI, blah, blah, blah.

Do you remember the old commercial, 'Is it live or is it Memorex'? I am borrowing the title line from this famous commercial. 'Is it Live or is it PowerPoint'

Take a look at the video. In its day Memorex was the way we listened to music. Today, cassettes are very old technology.

This is my point. Most PowerPoint Presentations should not be brought to the table as a communication tool.

My Advice for meetings:

1) talk enthusiastically and present yourself in a manner that is exciting. (Yes, Get Motivated, Be Exciting)

2) better yet show me how your product can meet and exceed my needs. (Do the little extras'to stand out and be different)

Sales People

I want to know what your product or service can do for me now, today, period!

• I don't need a recap of history about your company, (I should be able to get that from your website).
• I don't need to know how many clients you have? Right now it's between you and me.
• Talk less and find out about my needs. (This should have been done before the visit)
• If you can't meet my needs, you are wasting my time

Lessons here for all of us as marketers!!!

• Make sure you understand what your client is looking for. ( Listen for appropriate information )
• Take that information and formulate a plan for meeting those needs. (Exceed expectations if possible.)
• Work on your presentation and think about where your client is coming from. (Test different approaches for presenting the information)
• While talking, be flexible and continue to engage the client by understanding their needs. (The client's needs may have changed since your last contact)
• Finally, spend your time learning more about your potential client. Evaluate the conversation and look for opportunities to connect. Many sales come after the initial presentation.

Summary

Be live and human! People want to be entertained. Clients are hungry for excitement. We as marketers and salespeople need to be more exciting in our presentations and look to be the person who interviews the client. We only have a few seconds to leave our legacy and why would we want to turn that legacy over to a PowerPoint Presentation. Do people remember much information from slides? The answer is no. They will remember the people ' You and I. It is up to us to show up 'Live' or we can make the choice like the majority and keep on with the old 'PowerPoint' Technology.

Picture via Mike Licht