You know, sometimes I forget what I have written.
Awhile back I wrote about the boredom that most sales people create (and I do mean MOST sales people, as I too have been guilty of this) when giving PowerPoint sales presentations.
A reader poked my brain and reminded me yesterday of this article I wrote a few years ago:
PowerPoint Sales Presentations Are Boring – Stop It!
And here’s the email from EGOPOWER reader Jennifer R. that poked my brain…
I was just reading your old articles and ran across your Power Point one. I was nodding my head and laughing at the truth to that article. I have seen a lot of PP as well in my past retail days. The cheese oozing out of the projector and everything.
Yum.
Anyway, I thought, ‘Thank God we don’t use power point in our marketing.’
Then, wouldn’t you know it, my boss e-mailed me her proposal on a NEW marketing strategy for our company. It’s a mailer to prospects to catch their interest and get them to call us. Then after those fizzle out, we start the cold calls. It features a ‘snazzy’ case with some marketing and contact info, and, you guessed it, a PowerPoint presentation.
It’s still in it’s rough stages, thank God, so I could give my input on the …… how should I put it ……sleeper factor.
I hope you don’t mind I used your quote (or paraphrased you) by telling my boss that no one really cares how many clients we service and what our numbers are doing until they know what we can do for their need or pain. She listened and is working on something new to start the presentation off with.
In the many Power Poop Presentations I have watched, I remember ONE and only one. It was the one that was designed a lot like you described.
With emotion pulling me in right off the bat, I was in tears almost by how this company could change not only me, but my employees. They really hit my buttons with testimonials, neat stories, and reminded me of my pain in first 10 minutes, then told me what they could do about it. That led me to be very faithful to that company for years. The care factor. They showed passion.
Blah Blah, I could go on, but I won’t. I just wanted to thank you for the information and the eye openers. I could not have found your website at a better time."
Don’t be fooled by titles boys and girls. Most marketing directors, are just ex-sales guys/gals that wanted to get off of quota and onto a stable salary.
They’ve been through all of the same group-think brain washing that you and I have been through, and get stuck just like you and me.
It’s hard to shake off the "be like the rest of us" hypnosis that the rest of the world induces on us.
Jennifer was fortunate in that she’s got a boss that’ll listen.
Even better she had the guts to suggest a better way.
Awesome move Jennifer!
Anyway, if you want a good dose of attitudes, ideas, and techniques that will knock you out of the group-think sales trance, then head on over and check out my Persuasive Selling Skills Audio Program.
It’s NOT the same old group-think stuff.
