4 Steps To Converting a Presentation Into Profit

You’ve been invited to deliver an after-lunch presentation to a group of business professionals. You realize It’s an ideal opportunity to showcase your product, your company and yourself but are struggling with how to maximize it.

Let’s face it, thirty minutes is not enough time fully explain any topic in depth. What it can do is create interest, raise awareness, demonstrate competently, build credibility and position the speaker as an expert. It acts as a lever that can activate follow up opportunities and action.

As such, it should be structured to emphasize all the above areas, and especially to initiate further dialogue. In fact, the complimentary presentation’s real objective is to create follow up opportunities. Here are the four steps that will leverage this situation into the results you want and need.

1. Entertain & inform. Thirty minutes does not allow you to get into any detailed discussion about your products or services. Instead, focus on helping the audience appreciate YOUR value and expertise. Make sure your presentation includes value for the audience. This can be done by sharing practical and/or useful information. When you are done, the audience should be thinking she/he knows this topic. I want to know more.
2. Verbal vs visual. The emphasis of your talk should be on you. The more paper you include, or the more PowerPoint slides you have, the less they will focus on you and your value. In fact, the less they will need you. The key to success is to find the balance of support to enhance your position.
3. One-page handout. Every complimentary presentation should be supported by a one-page handout. This document fulfills a number of functions. It acts as a guide to the audience as you present your information. I suggest a fill-in-the-blanks format. This is a free complimentary presentation so most people will not be expecting to get a lot of materials. When your presentation is packed with practical information and you offer a summary of your points as a value-added take-away item, the audience will be excited and appreciative. Also, this document serves as a contact info piece when it has all your contact info.
4. Feedback form. This technique is the success secret in your Free Talk Strategy. It acts as the linchpin to tying the value in the complimentary presentation to specific product and service offerings. The feedback form is not an evaluation. You are offering this presentation for free, so an evaluation is not warranted (unless this is paramount for you, not the audience). The feedback form is designed specifically to elicit participant interest in specific business-related areas and acquire participant contact info. This is facilitated by offering value-added items they have an interest in.

Want to know more about how to convert free presentations into results and profits? Email me at info@NetworkingForResults to receive a complimentary copy of my 12-Page From Free to Fee ebook.