The Sales Presentation You Would NEVER Give

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7 Costly Sins of Bad PowerPoint



W hat’s the true cost of bad PowerPoint? Is it costing you a sale? Are you abusing your customers, clients and internal audiences? Are your sales taking longer

and longer because you haven’t fully engaged your clients in dialogue?

Of course, you would never make any of these annoying and expensive mistakes in your sales presentation.

Whether you are new to sales presenting or an ace at PowerPoint, you can increase your sales performance, shorten lead-to-conversion time, and give fearless presentations in any environment.

Hi! I’m Thomas Sechehaye. I have taught thousands of people how to cut planning time in half and give highly effective sales presentations in tough environments. In short, how to avoid the sins of dull, ugly PowerPoint - and reap the rewards in more sales, faster sales with client involvement.

That’s why you will want to share this short Special Report with your associates, co-workers, and sales team.

In today’s bad economy, most business owners, entrepreneurs and sales organizations must make tough choices.

But, is there a holy cow still thriving from all this cost cutting?

It could be that even in a cost-conscious economy, some sacred things are off limits. Such as bad PowerPoint sales presentations.

If you have ever groaned at a PowerPoint presentation… If you have ever threatened to walk out of the meeting… If you have ever found yourself snoozing and daydreaming…then you know the truth about bad PowerPoint.

Bad PowerPoint in sales presentations is alive and well. And there are far too many sales professionals who are guilty of committing these popular presentation sins.

Let’s look at the top 7 sins. These are mistakes I’m certain you would never make.



Bad PowerPoint

Sin #1

“Here is the slide…”

The presenter is reading the slide. His or her backside is all the audience sees. It’s not that attractive. Plus, many presenters actually stand in front of their slides, blocking the view

Here’s what your audience is thinking.

“Spare us please from this dismal death.”

And they are wondering, “Is it because the presenter thinks we are stupid? Is it because they forgot their storyline? Is it because they believe the PowerPoint is a teleprompter?”

Or is it because of the following excuse?



Bad PowerPoint

Sin #2

“I’m sure you can’t read this…”

Many presenters announce this fact at the start of their presentation. And it’s true. The font size is teeny. It’s so tiny it’s impossible to read. No one in the audience can read it. Even with magnifying glasses.

In fact, this may be why the speaker is squinting.

I’m sure you never, ever do this.



Bad PowerPoint

Sin #3“Here is the spread sheet…”

And I bet you can’t see this either. Spreadsheets are known for being hard to read. Teeny. Tiny. Illegible numbers. Rows and columns of things no one can see.

Yes, there is a story the numbers tell. But it is not obvious on a spreadsheet imported directly into PowerPoint. And the story is not more obvious with more spreadsheets.

All that’s clear is the presenter dumped data files into their presentation without considering the audience.

No one can see those teensy, tiny, numbers. The standard font size is 10 point, with options for smaller. No one can read this when projected on a screen.

The story is not obvious. The message may be clear to the presenter, but it’s not clear to the viewer.

Which brings us to the next big and costly mistake.



Bad PowerPoint

Sin #4“The colors tell the story…”

The sad fact is far too many sales presenters use ugly colors. In hard-to-read combinations. Black on dark blue. White on yellow. Red and green. Lousy color choice is a critical error. It can be an extremely expensive mistake.

If colors tell your story, then your audience needs to be able to see these colors. According to clinical research, color blindness affects 7% of males. Just consider that red and green both appear as a muddy brown to the CEO

who is colorblind.

If you are relying only on red and green to tell your story, 7% of your audience may not be able to follow your storyline. And what if this includes the CEO, CFO and CIO? You are in big trouble.

And while we are on the topic of storyline, let’s examine the next big no-no.



Bad PowerPoint

Sin #5“I want to tell you the whole history…”

This is especially common in presenters who have done extensive research or are managing complex, long-term projects. They want to tell the entire chronological tale. With enough data to fill 200 slides.

I know it’s rough. You want to show the history in full detail. But you have to make tough choices. Your audience doesn’t usually care how you got to your conclusion. They care about what your conclusion is. And what it means to them.

Your audience wants to know answers to these questions: What is the key result? Why does it matter? Will it make them more money? Save them time? Will it deliver increase in sales?

When presenters tell the whole history, they will most likely look out on a sea of yawning people. Yes, that sawing sound is real. It’s live snoring you are hearing. If you look out and your audience looks like this photo, you have committed the fatal error of ‘telling the whole history.”

This brings us to the next extremely fatal sin in PowerPoint sales presentations.



Bad PowerPoint

Sin #6“I’ll won’t take questions until the end…”

Many professional presenters struggle with how to maintain control, manage time and respond to questions. In an attempt to set guidelines, they often avoid questions by pushing them to the end of the presentation.

Are you avoiding questions? Does the very thought of being spontaneous make you break out in a cold sweat? Many new as well as seasoned sales presenters have forgotten the purpose of a sales presentation. Why are you in the room?

You want to engage your audience. You are not just presenting to hear yourself talk. You want to get your clients and prospects talking. Once they tell you their problems, issues and goals, you can engage them.

Your purpose is to engage in a dialogue and conversation. Your comfort in responding to on-the-spot questions shows your skill and flexibility in sales presenting.

The problem is not always in the slide design or story. It may be in overusing PowerPoint when another medium would be better.

Many top sales presenters prefer to use a whiteboard. With a whiteboard, it’s easy to invite questions from the audience. A whiteboard is a flexible and adaptable medium to engage any audience.

Far too many new presenters rely exclusively on prepared slides to make a sales presentation. This creates a one directional communication. Often this data dump makes it impossible to invite questions and guide a focused discussion.



Bad PowerPoint

Sin #7“Look at the animation…”

Animation. Moving parts. Clip art. Whirring sounds. Flying text.

Just because a presenter is a wiz-kid with tech features, does not improve the sales presentation.

If you are using graphics, flying text and cool new animation features, consider the impact. Do these features add to your audiences’ understanding? Do these features enhance your core message? Or are they distracting?

In my popular Presentation Storyboard trainings, I encourage people to eliminate animated features from their sales presentations. Unless you are selling PowerPoint plug-ins or animation tools, these do not strengthen your sales presentation.

The only thing your audience will remember is the colorful, chirping and moving graphics. They will not focus on your core sales message.

Also, you never know who else has used the same features. It could be a competing vendor or previous presenter has these all over their presentation. This is way too risky.

Most presenters resort to using moving text or animated graphics because they have not carefully planned their storyline. If you are guilty of this sin, it’s probably not because you don’t know the basics of good slide design. It’s more likely do to not having a powerful story to tell.



What’s the Cost Of Bad PowerPoint Mistakes?As you know from your own experience, there are many varieties of poor PowerPoint. Many sales presentations fail because of poor delivery skills, dismal slide design, and dull storylines. This alienates and annoys customers and prospects. Poor presentation can stem from ineffective delivery, design and storytelling. These can be a root cause of dismal sales results.

According to David Paradi, poor PowerPoint could be costing upwards of $250 million a year! His survey results of common annoyances are available in this article. http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/pptresults2005.htm

Knowing about these mistakes and recognizing the staggering costs is one part of the equation. You have to ‘fess up if you see yourself committing any of these critical errors. And you may want to take a personal audit to determine the cost of poor presentations to you, your business and your organization.

What’s the Solution To Bad Sales Presentations?The costly mistakes in sales presentations with PowerPoint fall into three basic areas.

1. Presentation Delivery

2. Slide Design

3. Presentation Storyboard Planning



Take a look at the 7 sins, organized in each of the core areas:

Presentation DeliverySin One:

“Here is the slide…”

Slide DesignSin Two:

“I’m sure you can’t read this…”

Sin Three: “Here is the spread

sheet…”

Sin Four: “The colors tell the

story…”

Presentation Storyboard PlanningSin Five:

“I wanted to tell you the whole history…”

Sin Six: “I’ll won’t take questions

until the end…”

Sin Seven: “Look at the animation…”

tNow that you can see these main areas, I bet you are more than ready to learn tips and techniques to never make these sinful mistakes again.

Here are several tips to improve your slides and improve your sales results.

Presentation Delivery

1TIP

Get to know your tools. Be familiar with the PowerPoint functionality. You don’t want to risk alienating clients and blowing your sales quota because of something so fundamental.



2TIP

Set up your projector and stand so your audience sees you at the left of the screen. This way you can point and direct attention with your arm. You won’t block the view of your audience.

In cultures where people read from left to right, your presence at the left of the screen is especially critical. You will be standing in the most prominent position and will easily command your audiences’ attention.

3TIP

Refine your delivery skills with professional sales presentation training. You may want to get personal coaching or use an online product for fast results.

Check out new resources for online training products and personalized private coaching is at

http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com/



Slide Design

1TIP

Combine pictures and words. Don’t rely on words only. And don’t rely on pictures only.

2TIP

Use contrasting colors, which are easy to see. Do not rely on red and green without text to tell your story. Check your slides in different lighting and on different screens. Often what looks good on your computer screen is hard to see when projected in a conference room.

3TIP

Simplify. Less is more.

This tip applies to text and numbers.

Text: Use fewer words to give your message. Short bold bullets have more impact than full sentences. Less is more in every instance. This means short words, short sentences and short headlines. This signals the end to long academic terminology, full sentences instead of bullets, and wrap around headlines.

Numbers: Use bigger numbers to tell your story. Support big, bold numbers with colors and charts. Show the biggest picture and provide the detail in handouts. Give handouts out after your presentation.



Presentation Storyboard Planning

1TIP

Use a storyboard planner to organize your ideas. Instead of building your presentation directly in PowerPoint, use a one-page blueprint to plan a clear story.

One senior marketing manager told me, “I planned my presentation 50% faster using a Presentation Storyboard. Plus, it was much higher quality than what I would have done in twice the time. Our presentation was the one that won attention and got results.”

If you want to jumpstart using a presentation storyboard, you’ll find the essence of this system explained “Dilbert style” with a unique “at-a-glance” cartoon display. Learn more at: http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com/



2TIP

Plan your flow to match your audience. Every audience has different needs. If you are presenting to industry subject matter experts in your industry, you may go for more data, numbers and detailed research. If you are presenting to the public and want to speak to non-experts, you will need to simplify your message.

Ask a friend or co-worker from another department to look at your presentation. Practice giving your presentation so even a non-expert instantly understands your key message.

3TIP

Tell a memorable story. How can you do this?

Organize your presentation around one key message. This helps your audience understand and recall what you are sharing. If you have more than one key message, you have more than one presentation.

A storyboard helps you plan a logical and engaging story around your critical message. If you feel you could be better at telling stories and engaging your audience, get training and tools to improve your storytelling.



What Can You Do Next?Get Help

Don’t suffer for another minute. You can get help for dull and ugly sales presentations. Whether you want sales presentation training tools and courses, an audit of your current presentation, or coaching on delivery skills, you can get help. It’s quick and simple.

The good news is presentation skills are learnable. You don’t have to be born with charisma, talent or the genes of good presenting. These skills are easy and fast to learn.

Once you get help you can use your new skills to get better results, make your numbers and see dramatic improvement in sales presentations.

Use Resources

You can learn more right now. Go to the Presentation Storyboarding for presentation design and delivery classes, tips and videos. Explore this new online resource to learn techniques of fearless presenting. Discover how easy it is to engage any audience on any topic.

Find out more: http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com/

Share Best Practices

If you are part of a sales team, work with your peers. If you are a sales manager, share best practices to create a consistent standard of excellence. Encourage seasoned sales professionals to share what works with new members of your team.



Give Feedback

Let me know if this report helps you give high-impact sales presentations with effective PowerPoint. I want to hear what works for you. Send me an email at [email protected]

Get more information click here: http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com/

FREE Resources For Exceptional Sales Presentations and fast, easy self-directed Sales Presentation Training tools: http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com/

For more information and questions, contact me directly:Thomas Sechehaye,Director of Public RelationsPresentation Storyboarding415-279-7314http://[email protected]

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The Sales Presentation You Would NEVER Give