How to Give Presentations That Win Customer Service

Sometimes a sales call isn't enough to win over a customer. The customer may want to meet face-to-face before spending what he believes is a considerable amount of money or before he devotes too much of his time to building a relationship that may fall apart in the end. In these situations, you have to give a presentation that knocks the customer off of his feet. When he sees your enthusiasm and your own confidence in your own abilities, then he will be more likely to move forward with the hiring you.

• 1

  Study the customer that you will be presenting to. Create a profile of the three most important people in the room whom you will be addressing. Describe their likes, wants, dislikes, income level, education level and what is most important to them.

• 2

  Call secretaries and dig up some information. Interview colleagues who have had interaction with your prospects. Get to know them through others.

• 3

  Clarify your goals. Determine early if you want to provide information, or create an atmosphere of debate or get the listeners to do something specific. Plan your presentation based on your goals and determine how you will accomplish your goal.

• 4

  Develop a solid introduction with a hook. Tell a funny story. Give them interesting, little-known facts. Scare them. Excite them. Get them engaged within the first two minutes of the presentation. In "Presentations That Change Minds," Josh Gordon observes: "If you are presenting to a certain audience type, chances are good that in your position or experience there are some funny occurrences that can be shaped into humorous anecdotes. When something happens to you that is funny, write it down."

• 5

  Practice your hook over and over again in the mirror. Ask strangers to listen to your introduction. Deliver the introduction and gauge their reactions. If they are interested in hearing more, then you are ready to deliver it to the intended audience.

• 6

  Piggyback on the hook you introduced in the opener. When writing the presentation, include references to your original hook.

• 7

  Create a PowerPoint presentation. Include plenty of pictures, lots of open space, fewer words and big, easy-to-read fonts. Create a handout that reiterates the major points of your presentation that your prospects can take away with them.

• 8

  Push the prospect's emotional buttons. Emphasize the problems and solutions that he cares most about. "The prospect thinks emotionally about decisions, so by presenting emotionally you put yourself in the same 'place' as your prospect. This makes it easier for you to get the prospect to understand what is important about your proposal," according to Preston Diamond in AllBusiness.com.

• 9

  Practice until you're exhausted. Practice your body language to keep it in sync with your audience's expectations and the message you are trying to deliver. Practice the speech in front of a mirror.

• 10

  Add at least three supporting statements and references to your presentation.

• 11

  Speak enthusiastically and clearly. Slow down to a snail's pace if you find that you are mixing words together. Watch your audience's faces to see if your audience is following what you're saying.

• 12

  Be mindful of your nonverbal communication. Make sure your hands are not saying something that doesn't support your presentation. Keep them at your side if you don't know that to do with them. Don't put them in your pockets.

• 13

  Move around in front of your audience, if there is room. Standing in place may make you look nervous or unsure of yourself.

• 14

  Make eye contact with your audience. In "How to Give a Pretty Good Presentation," T. J. Walker notes: "Give each individual in the audience personal eye contact for a full thought, about six seconds or so. (World-class professional speakers like Bill Clinton do this.)"

• 15

  Thank the audience for its time at the conclusion of your presentation. Remind the audience to take the handout information.