THE BARD GROUP, LLC

OBJECTIVES

Come to the virtual meeting with a crystal-clearstory and simple visuals because the more succinct and focused you are, the better you will perform, and the easier it is for your client to absorb and remember your message.
Create the optimal conditions to keep your clients engaged as active participants in the meeting.

CHALLENGES

See Presenting Virtually — Engage Them

TECHNIQUES

A. Build a compelling story

1. Start by grounding yourself in the client’s situation:

What are their business objectives?

What challenges are they facing that you can solve?

Why are they meeting with you?

What do they want to learn from you?

If you were in their shoes, what would you want to hear?

What is most important to them?

2. Define the goal of the meeting.

The goal of the meeting is what you want the client to takeaway. It is not what you want to get from the meeting but rather what the client needs from you to make a decision in your favor.

Headline this goal ahead of time. You will share it in your opening.

Example:

“We want to talk through our assessment of the market today, how we are approaching your portfolio during the short-term and where we see the opportunities for you in the long-run.”

Keep it concise and focused on their challenges and opportunities.

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3. Get clear on how you are different.

With the client’s business objectives and challenges in mind, figure out how you are different.

How do you uniquely meet their needs and solve their challenges?

Of all the ways you are different, which ones are most important to your client and their specific situation?

To learn more, refer to Differentiating.

Aim for 3 key messages that align what you do uniquely well with their challenges.

Why three? Because clients can comfortably remember three new chunks of information. Any more than three creates cognitive backlog or fatigue.

Focusing on 3 messages also helps you stay on point during the meeting and manage the time well.

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4. Write declarative statements for each of your 3 key messages.

Be very specific about why the point you are making is important to them or how it benefits them.

Key message #1: This is what we do and why you should care.

Key message #2: This is what we do and why you should care.

Key message #3: This is what we do and why you should care.

5. Find data points or facts to prove that what you do works.

Key message #1: This is why you should believe me.

Key message #2: This is why you should believe me.

Key message #3: This is why you should believe me.

6. Outline your presentation in line with the 3 key messages and supporting data points.

Follow a standard outline format:

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The outline helps you focus on what’s most important when designing your slides and during the meeting. During the meeting, you will be able to more easily pivot in response to the client’s questions because you have a clear story, and proof points that support your story.

As the meeting progresses, the outline makes it easier for you to expand or drill down.

TIP: Avoid adding content, just in case you might need it, hoping that you can narrow it down on the fly. This is a common mistake. It is much easier to expand your messaging during the meeting than it is to shrink it.

To learn more, refer to Building Your Story

B. Structure your presentation

1. A strong opening grabs their attention, gets them talking, and gives your client a reason to mentally commit to this meeting. It sets the stage for the rest of the presentation.

As a reminder, this is when you make introductions, check on time, and share your meeting flow.
It is also when you engage the client around their challenges because they will only accept your solution if they have first bought into their challenge.

To learn more, refer to Presenting Virtually — Engage Them

2. The middle (or core) is where you talk about your solution — your 3 key messages, the ‘So What’ for each, and the supporting proof points specific to this client and their situation.

As you prepare, create a natural and logical flow of topics where one section feeds nicely into the next.
Decide which key points belong in each section.
Plan how you will transition between slides and from one team member to the next so it all flows smoothly.

3. Your close ties it all together and tells them what you want them to remember.

Briefly recap your 3 key messages because this is what you want your client to remember after you leave the room and it will significantly influence how they will feel about the presentation hours or even days later.
Know, going in, that when the time comes, you will reflect what you learned during the meeting and use their words (not yours) to connect what you do so well with their challenges.

Example:

“When you pull all of this together, there are three keys to our ability to meet your challenges of X and Y. The three things that we believe stand out are 1…., 2…., and 3… Let me summarize why.”

4. Allocate time to each section.

Assume you will have less time than you have been given due to tech glitches, clients arriving late, or any number of factors that eat up your meeting time.
Reserve time for questions. For example, allocate 45 minutes to present if you have been given 60, or 20 minutes if you have been given 30.
Reserve time to engage the client in dialogue because this is critical to your meeting’s success.

5. Decide who is on the team and be sure their presence will enhance the story.

6. Be sure each team member knows their 'swim lane', how much time they will have, and which key points they should cover in their section.

You will now use your 3 key messages to design your presentation, supporting each message with proof.

To learn more about structuring your presentation, refer to Preparing for a Presentation and Structuring a Sales Meeting.

C. Redesign your pitch book

The pages of your pitch book play a dominant role in a virtual meeting filling up 80% of the client's screen. You do not want your client trapped in your slides, reading and trying to interpret them. You want them listening to you.

This means the complex pages you are accustomed to, designed for in-person meetings, are ineffective in a virtual meeting. (Let’s face it, they never really worked well anyway.)

Here are new techniques to design a successful virtual pitch book:

1. Be very selective about your content and what you choose to put on your slides.

Solve to the least amount of information you need to convey your message — nothing more!
Eliminate everything in your presentation that does not support your 3 key messages.
Every page you add is a page your team will feel obliged to cover, and that is precious time you could be using to engage the client in conversation.

2. Spread your content over more slides.

This provides more frequent on-screen stimulation for your client that will help keep their attention.

3. One point per slide.

Each slide should make one main point that ties back to or supports your bigger story.

4. Use descriptive titles.

Your titles should capture the main point of each slide using as few words as possible.
At the same time, make sure they are intriguing enough to pull the client back into your presentation if they are multi-tasking or mentally wandering.

5. Use fewer words, fewer bullets.

The ‘Billboard Rule’ says that the audience should get the gist of what the slide is telling them in just 3 seconds, the time it takes to read a billboard as you drive by. If it takes longer than 3 seconds, you have too much on your slide.
Follow the 6x6 rule — a maximum of 6 bullets, and 6 words per bullet per page.

Here’s an exercise to help you get comfortable with simplifying your slides from slide:ology - The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations:

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6. Use larger fonts and plenty of white space.

Assume they will be viewing your presentation from a laptop screen or even a mobile device.
Design your slides as if you are creating them for viewers in the back of a large auditorium.

7. Choose high-contrast color designs.

Light colors easily wash out, and subtle tone variations can be difficult for virtual audiences to see.

8. Use simple animation to “build” your slides so you can show one chunk of information at a time.

This keeps the client focused and listening to you, not reading.

The ‘Appear’ and ‘Fade’ animations in PowerPoint are good choices because they are clean and simple.
Avoid motion and other complex animation that could cause technical problems during a virtual meeting.

‍9. Simplify and "build" your graphs and charts.

You will not hold the attention of your client in a virtual meeting using complex charts and graphs. Design a more simple version and “build” the slide so you can bring in one piece of the visual at a time as you walk them through each point you want to make.

Leave no room for interpretation.

Here's an example of how to bring in new chunks of information as you describe step-by-step what this graph is about and why they should care:

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10. Support your story with visuals.

Visuals engage an audience more thoroughly than any other medium. Create visuals that tie directly to your 3 key messages.
Avoid using stock photos because while interesting, they are generally not helpful.

ADVANTAGES TO YOU

You will be able to clearly and succinctly share your message and hold your client’s attention.
You are able to keep them focused on your voice and your message. On listening, not reading.
You are able to guide them through your story, one key point at a time, and why each point is important to them.
The presentation is easier for you to deliver because you have done your prep work, and because your slides are clean and to the point allowing you to stay on message.

ADVANTAGES TO THE CLIENT

They are free to listen, think, and learn with ease, and let the importance of what you are saying sink in.
They can quickly zero in on your differentiators, and understand why you and why now.
They can easily remember your message long after the meeting ends.