In the life of every entrepreneur, sooner or later there comes a moment when you need to step out of your comfort zone and speak publicly. It is usually a sales representation. There are different types of sales representatives. One of them is the hospitality sales representative.
In extreme cases, you just need to make a hot commercial offer a la a selling presentation (for example, to search for partners or investors). And mail it. To put it another way, with a few words, you can get a lot of meaning and effect.
The first thing to consider is how you plan to use the presentation. This has almost no effect on the overall algorithm and structure. But in terms of the number of slides, text and presentation – very much so. For example, if you are preparing a presentation for a speech, then you will have more slides (to make the speech dynamic), less text and more graphics. The text on the slides themselves complements what you are saying, but is not the main source of information.
In the case of a hot sales pitch in the form of a presentation (which you send by mail), the text is the main source of information, and it dominates. However, it is critical to understand the measurement in this case. There should not be more than 40-50 words of text on one slide. Otherwise, the risk of tiring the reader with all the ensuing consequences increases.
And further. It is always important to remember what your main task is.If the purpose of the presentation is to sell anything, the goal is to sell something (anything: a project, an idea, yourself, etc.). And it’s either sell or don’t sell here. There is no such thing as the third. In other words, the criterion for determining efficacy is fairly straightforward: either there is a result or there isn’t.
Sales presentation structure.
Let’s now move on to the practice and development of selling slides using examples. Traditionally, the complete presentation can be broken down into ten sections (in the minimum implementation – 10 slides). Each block has its own task.
Slide 1 is the title slide.
This slide contains either the title and company logo (if the presentation is sent by mail), or the title of the report and the full name of the speaker (if the presentation is for a speech).
As a demonstration, we will show slides about a sales presentation. Our task is to sell you this technique so that you take it into service.
Slide number 2 – problem (pain).
At first glance, it may seem that the slide is simple. And in theory, this is true. They appear to have written about the target audience’s problem, therefore we can assume that the work is half completed. Difficulties arise in practice when you must not only identify the audience’s problem but also phrase it in a language that they can understand.
We faced a similar situation when we were preparing a presentation of Internet marketing services for the owner of a large holding company. The pain appears to be on the surface: “advertising is unprofitable” – grab it and run with it. But this is where the trap lay. In my case, the owner was worried about other aspects in different formulations: “the money was spent, but there was no result”, “No one takes responsibility”, etc. It seems that everything is in adjacent planes, but it often depends on the wording whether you “get” into the target audience or not. That very moment when it is important not only what you say, but also how you do it.
When there are multiple difficulties, a block can take up not one, but numerous slides. This is especially true when you are making a public speaking presentation.
Slide number 3 – amplifier.
And here is the first secret ingredient. Many are limited to just one problem, but you can go further: to strengthen the problem, to show its scale, relevance and consequences. If you visualize, then in the second slide you point out the callus of the audience, and in the third, you start to put pressure on it. With special sadism. The advantage of this approach is that when you get into “pain”, they listen to you very carefully
As an amplifier, the consequences of the problem, expressed in units understandable to the audience (money, time, customers, related problems), are ideal. There is a problem, for example, where employees spend 2-3 hours every day on social media. We convert all of this humiliation into cash and purchase the first amplifier. And then we cultivate the very effect of wasting time, we get lost profits, loss of customers, etc. This is the second amplifier.
Important: this slide can also be used as a litmus test for determining the severity of the problem. If there is no amplifier for the problem or it is, to put it mildly, unconvincing, then this is an alarming signal, and it is worth reconsidering the content of the second slide.
Slide number 4 – decision (offer).
On this slide, the concentration of the audience’s attention is maximum. And this is the very slide that makes your presentation sell. It’s time to make an offer that people can’t refuse – an offer. You show your product or service as a solution to the problem outlined above on this slide.
To put it another way, now is the moment to respond to the question, “What do you offer, and how does it benefit the client?”
Slide number 5 – technology.
Your product and service were portrayed as a solution to the target audience’s problem. Now is the time to demonstrate how the product or service solves this problem. Otherwise, you risk receiving an unresolved objection.
There may also be variations and several slides at this moment. For example, each slide will separately show each direction and how it contributes to solving the client’s problem.
Slide 6 is proof.
Even if you have sufficiently piqued the audience’s curiosity at this point, they still lack faith in your claims. To call him, you need to prove that everything you say is true. Cases are perfect for this. Show how other people have already solved a problem with your product or service. The psychological trigger of contrast (before / after) is ideal for you in this situation.
If there are numerous situations, it is preferable to spread them out over several slides rather than putting them all on one. This makes them easier to perceive, and the value of each case in the eyes of the audience is higher.
Slide number 7 – the price of the issue.
If you accomplished everything well on the last six slides, your audience should only have one question: “How much?” “How much does it cost?” And now we’re announcing the price as though anticipating the public’s query.
There is one tiny gimmick when it comes to the price. The fact is that as soon as you name the cost, people begin to decide for themselves whether to buy or not. Normally, you’d have to choose between two solutions, one of which is unsuitable for you. Experienced copywriters offer not just one price, but multiple – in the form of packages or tariff plans – to maximize the likelihood of a favorable decision in your favor. They normally come in groups of three or four. And each one has its own job to do.
