In Sun Tzu's Art of War, a well-thought out strategy is the key to winning.
For the business world, you have to carefully plan a way to win your client's investment over your competitors.
Your ticket to victory? It’s your presentation.
If you’re tempted to overlook this important tool, think again. Too often, we see text-heavy, bullet-pointed slides, because presenters forget that their PowerPoint is the first thing everyone looks at.
Here’s an effective way to prepare, based on an ancient strategy manual made relevant to businessmen.
Three Important Things
Every effective sales pitch needs planning in three areas:
- Your slide deck
- Your audience's interests
- Your competition's strengths and weaknesses
Mastering your own proposal isn't enough to get investors interested. To get a better idea of the playing field, align yourself with their interests to find out what they look for in a potential business partner.
Present yourself as someone better than the current competition, because your prospects want their money's worth.
What to Do
Research current market trends to uncover new opportunities to bank on. These may give you the angle you need, whether you end up presenting yourself as a game-changing solution, a more cost-efficient alternative, or a top quality service provider with a reasonable price.
Your next step is to arrange your information into a visually appealing slide deck. Clients want to see what they'll be buying before closing the sale, so make sure they like what you show.
By following these steps, you can march into the conference room prepared to trump the competition, impress your clients, and win the business contract.
This infographic from SlideGenius can help get you started on your own path to victory.
Rick Enrico is the CEO and Founder of SlideGenius, Inc., a global presentation design agency. He regularly publishes expert presentation tips on the SlideGenius blog. He currently oversees an experienced team of designers, software developers, and marketing professionals that specialize in creating custom corporate presentations and cloud publishing applications. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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