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Is your firm striking out at too many sales pitches?
Although the poster below was created with ad agency pitches in mind, its message applies to new client presentations for financial advisors and asset managers as well.
The poster was illustrated by Steve Klinetobe of The Cartoon Agency, and first posted by Peter Levitan , founder of the ad agency growth specialist firm that bears his name.
If you’d prefer not to strike out, don’t do these:
Strike 1 – Don’t Bore. You’re out at strike one if you bore your audience straight away.
Strike 2 – Don’t Be Alike. Does your presentation sound and smell like everybody else? Is it interchangeable?
Strike 3 – Don’t Bat Out of Order. Talking about third base when you haven’t reached first is out of order, and will confuse and lose the audience.
Strike 4 – Don’t Load the Room with Your Team. Only bring staff who have something to say and can say it persuasively.
Strike 5 – Don’t Bring Your Poorest Batters. If you have several presenters, make sure all can hit a grand slam.
Strike 6 – Don’t Talk Just About You. Your presentation is about solving prospect’s problems, not yours.
Strike 7 – Don’t Present Tons of Strategic Goals. Focus on scoring one run at a time.
Strike 8 – Don’t Show Lots of Creative Work. You’re wasting staff hours and prospect’s focus if you show too much.
Strike 9 – Don’t Not Rehearse. Few can wing it and win over an audience. Is this you? On the other hand, the over-rehearsed may not be listening to prospects’ needs.
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Strike 10 – Don’t Misuse PowerPoint. How boring are bullet points, clip art, and misdirected animation?
Strike 11 – Don’t Stage Manage. A presentation should be a conversation, not a monologue.
Strike 12 – Don’t Run Out of Time. If your prospect has budgeted 20 minutes for your team, be prepared for five to 10 minutes of question and answer time in the 20 total minutes.