CHANGING YOUR PROSPECT’S MIND – A PERSUASIVE PRESENTATION

Whenever you appear before a prospect, your job is to make a presentation that results in the purchase of your product or service, or to set another appointment to present more details. This “presentation” to a “live” prospect is one of your most important functions with regards to your business survival and growth.

Each and every contact is a presentation, whether you are at a networking meeting, in a one-on-one presentation to a customer, or making a presentation to a group. Your ability to persuade is the most essential as well as the most important communication skill that you must conquer. The key word is persuade. Persuasive presentations are different than other presentations, such as one presented for the purpose of education.

HOW’S YOUR CLOSING RATIO? 

BizQuack has been researching this topic and is in the process of finishing an awesome class for our members. For now, I will share what Josh Gordon calls “The Five Unbreakable Rules of Persuasive Presentations”.

1. A Persuasive Presentation Always Advocates a Competitive Option. This requires knowing what your competition is doing and how you are superior.
2. A Persuasive Presentation Strengthens and Deepens Dialogue, Not Control. A persuasive presentation is a process in which you engage your audience to try a new idea. There is always a need for questions to be answered, concern aired, more details shared, etc. Without dialogue there is little persuasion.
3. A Persuasive Presentation is a Persuasive Event, Not a Slide Show. You know what you want to accomplish in your meeting. Your next step is to think about how best to communicate or involve your audience.
4. A Persuasive Presentation Targets an Audience’s Decision-Making Process. Unlike presentations that train, educate, or just inform, persuasive presentations seek to change how your audience thinks or feels. It must be strategically planned and delivered so that if you change your audience’s mind or feeling they will be moved to action in the way you want.
5. A Persuasive Presentation Asks for an Order. A persuasive presentation has a goal. Before you leave your audience, you either want to achieve that goal or understand what the next step toward achieving it will be.

Stop and think about your presentations. How successful have you been? What is your closing ratio? Making a successful presentation requires knowing your target market and what type of presentation is most impactful to that particular industry.

Think about these five rules as you get ready for you next presentation and make sure you look at the new options BizQuack will be offering on this subject.

Advice and tips by Nick Petra – CFP, Mentor, and founder of BizQuack and StrategicDuck