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May 2010
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The Key to Killer Short List Presentations: Go Long on Them, Short on You
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As many of you know all too well, competition among
A/E/C and environmental consulting firms has become
extremely intense. In addition to key pre-positioning
and business development strategies I've addressed
in previous Friedman File issues, the shortlist
presentation is where the proverbial rubber meets the
road. It's your last shot at winning the business. Yet
with all that at stake, one of the biggest problems I
observe is the lack of a well-conceived, crisp
message. Often, the content ends up rambling,
running long, or otherwise failing to
influence.
One of my consulting partners, Terri Langhans, CSP,
(Certified Speaking Professional), is out to change
that. I first heard Terri present her "Maverick
Marketing" program at a Society for Marketing
Professional Services (SMPS) national conference a
few years back. She has cleverly named her company
"Blah, Blah, Blah." (Not surprisingly, her URL is www.BlahBlahBlah.us, and her
"blahg" site is www.AnythingButBlah.com.) I
think you get the idea.
Terri has a program, "Get to the Point," for A/E/C firms
who want their people to be clear, confident and
convincing in presentations, and I thought
Friedman File readers would benefit from a few
observations and pointers from Terri. So, here
goes:
Too much stuff. We know our stuff, and we
want to share it. We figure the more stuff we share, the
more credible we'll be and the more likely we are to
get hired. Wrong! This approach bores people into a
stupor or frustrates them into belligerence. Terri
recently worked with a client who had more than 100
slides for a 30-minute interview. They whittled it down
to 23, but the rule of thumb is about two minutes per
slide. So yes, they were still rushed. Whether you have
30 minutes or an hour or more, picture your audience
extending you a thimble's worth of interest. Don't fill it
with a fire hose.
No one cares about you. Even though they
put you on the short list, invite you to present, and ask
you to talk about your firm, prospects still don't care
about you. They care about themselves, their project,
and what you'll do for them.
So here's how you convert your credentials and
capabilities into something more relevant:
- Describe your firm, the team, and your
qualifications or experience. As part of the exercise;
not in front of the prospect. Not yet, anyway.
- Given all you've said, isolate 3 or 4 key
attributes that you think are most important to the
decision-makers for this project. (Experience,
innovation, specialists, local.)
- Those are your features. Now, we're looking
for benefits — the need or the want that is
satisfied by those features. So, what's the client's need
or want that is satisfied by hiring a local firm? An
experienced firm? An innovative firm?
- Better yet, drill down even further. Look at
those features and benefits and fill in the blank: "Why
is [experience] important personally to this
decision maker?"
Look at your answer and ask it again. "Why is
that personally important to this decision
maker?" Or, "What is it about your answer that is
important, personally, to this decision maker?"
And again, "Why is whatever you just answered
important personally to the decision maker?
"
Keep going and you'll have a list of want or need
words and phrases that are all about the client. Save
money, maximize budget, higher trust, no surprises,
more flexibility, more confidence, less stress, better
communication. These are the words that not only
help you connect to what clients care about, they help
convince clients to hire you.
Get to the point. Instead of thinking about the
stuff you want to say, that you hope you get time to
say, think about what will happen when it's all said
and done. When you leave the room, what's the
single most important thing you want
remembered and repeated by the client?
What do you want them to say when someone asks,
"So, what do think about Acme Engineering?
"
A: "Well, they talked about this, and they showed us
that, and they're located there, and they were pretty
easy to talk to…"
— or —
B: "They've got the experience and can hit the
ground running."
I hope it's obvious that you want B, or something like it.
That's the point of your presentation, and everything
you say, do, or show needs to support, defend, prove,
demonstrate, or bring to life that point. What facts,
features, and benefits will prove that point? Which
case studies or examples will make it clear?
Remember the thimble and choose wisely. Note: Your
point is NOT "hire us." That's your call to action. It's
what you want them to do as a result of being
convinced of your point.
Terri and I hope that these pointers help your firm rise
above the fray in this noisy, competitive marketplace.
Keep in mind that Terri's advice applies to any
marketing or new business development message,
spoken or written, proposal or presentation, short-list
or not. Let us know if we can help by calling (508-276-
1101) or e-mailing (rich@fried
manpartners.com).
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AIA (American Institute of Architects) National
Conference
(Miami Beach Convention Center)
Rich will be presenting:
"Maximizing Your Marketing & Business Development
ROI"
June 9, 2010 (half-day workshop)
For more information, visit www.aiaconvention.com
SMPS (Society for Marketing Professional
Services) Annual Conference
(Marriott Copley Place, Boston, MA)
Rich will be presenting:
"Primary Client Research: Debunking Myths &
Maximizing ROI"
July 15, 2010
For more information, visit www.buildbusiness.org
CFMA (Construction Financial Management
Association) Maine Fall Program
(Muddy Rudder, Yarmouth, ME)
Rich will be presenting:
"Maximizing Business Development ROI: Keys to
Thriving in Today's Economy"
September 21, 2010
For more information, visit chapters.cfma.org
Friedman & Partners and HR Advisors Group, LLC
have
developed an invaluable new workshop:
"Generation Next: Identifying and Cultivating
Business
Development Leaders"
This full-day, customized,
interactive in-house workshop is intended for firm
principals and key business development talent. Click here for
more information.
Read our previous issues
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