Last week we shared 3 essentials for a marketing presentation that sells.
Need a refresher? Here they are:
#1 Ask your audience to believe one thing.
#2 State and agitate the problem.
#3 Tell your audience how your solution will change their future — for the better.
We were just getting started. Make sure you go back and read last week’s blog post here if you missed it.
Today we’re sharing 3 more essentials for your presentation if you want to sell your product or service — and who doesn’t? At the end, we’ll give you some suggestions for organizing them.
#4 Introduce your offer and what makes it unique.
If you read last week’s blog, then you know you should ask your target audience to believe only one thing. What’s the one thing your audience needs to believe to invest in your product or service at the end of your presentation? Donald Miller calls this single belief the “controlling idea.”
“Take your online presence from functional to exceptional” — that’s our controlling idea at Sigl Creative. We want you to believe it’s really possible to take your online presence from functional to exceptional.
Your offer is inseparable from your controlling idea. The offer is not the controlling idea, but it gets into how your target audience will achieve the controlling idea.
For example, our offer for a marketing presentation at Sigl Creative would get into the nuts and bolts of how we help you take your presence from functional to exceptional.
What will your target audience get when they invest in your product or service? When you explain your offer, don’t limit your offer to the product or service itself — that’s not an offer. Here are some brainstorming questions to help you create an offer people can’t refuse:
- Will their investment save them time, money, or both?
- Will they be able to get rid of something else that’s costing them more money?
- Could your product or service play a part in a bigger solution?
- Do you have a PDF or series of emails you include to help people get the greatest return on their investment?
- Do you offer ongoing support?
- What external, internal, or philosophical problems does it solve?
Highlight what makes your offer unique from other competing offers too. If you’re reading our blog, chances are you’ve at least heard the term “unique selling proposition” (USP) — “the one thing that makes your business better than the competition.” Include the USP in your offer. The USP might be the answer to one of the brainstorming questions we’ve provided!
Don’t forget to make your offer “customer-centric.” Talk more about your target audience’s success more than your own. We know that’s a hard balance to strike, and it takes practice!
Here's a good example from Asana, a task management solution. Notice how Asana positions their target audience as the hero — Asana is the tool helping them work better and faster.
#5 Address false beliefs your target audience has.
In Expert Secrets, Russell Brunson says “three core false beliefs” keep someone from believing your controlling idea and buying your product or service, especially if it’s more expensive or requires your target audience to make a big change. Here are the three false beliefs (we’re quoting straight from his book):
- The vehicle: false beliefs they may have about the vehicle framework or new opportunity you’re presenting
- Internal beliefs: beliefs about their own abilities to execute on the new opportunity
- External beliefs: false beliefs they have about outside forces that could keep them from success; things beyond the individual’s control, such as time or the economy
Get inside the mind of your target audience. What hesitations might they have about the new opportunity you’re presenting or how you’ll deliver it? What hesitations do they have about their own ability to capitalize on this new opportunity? What external fears or concerns do they have?
Once you’ve identified your target audience’s core false beliefs, address them in your marketing presentation. These might overlap with the problems they’re facing you cover elsewhere, or they might be different. Sometimes, we have “perceived problems” — false beliefs — that aren’t real problems. This is your chance to address those perceived ones.
Don’t start this part of your presentation with, “We know what you’re thinking.” That’s predictable. Instead, share an engaging story or case study about how you or your customers overcame these false beliefs.
Addressing false beliefs demonstrates empathy and puts the minds of your target audience at ease.
#6 Ask your audience to take a specific action.
We’ve emphasized the importance of having a call to action (CTA) in all of your marketing and communication. Think about sales presentations you’ve heard: how many of them included a CTA?
Probably not many.
“Does anyone have questions?” is not a CTA. But that’s how most marketing presentations conclude.
The CTA is the next step people should take on their customer journey after they hear your marketing presentation. What should they do next? Buy your product? Schedule a call? Fill out a form? Talk to you at your company booth after your presentation?
Don’t be afraid to be direct. Trust us: your target audience wants to know what to do next if they’ve believed your controlling idea.
Organizing Your Presentation
Now you know the essentials for creating a marketing presentation that sells.
But how do you organize them?
Here’s the fun part: you can play with the order of these components and see what makes the most sense for your brand and target audience. If you need help organizing your presentation, here’s the order we recommend:
- Problem: Open with the problem(s) your target audience is facing.
- Controlling idea: Introduce the one thing you want them to believe.
- Problem: Agitate the problem. This is a great time to tell your Epiphany Bridge story too (see last week’s blog to learn more)!
- Offer: Tell them what increases the value of your product or service and makes it irresistible.
- Future: Show them how your offer can change their future for the better.
- False beliefs: Address their hesitations about the new opportunity or false internal and external beliefs.
- Problem: Tell them what’s at stake if they refuse your offer.
- Controlling idea: Remind them again about the one thing you want them to believe.
- CTA: Be explicit about what they should do next.
Lastly, know who’s in the room and adapt your marketing presentation accordingly. Are you on a call with a prospective client? Then your presentation should be different than it would be if you were in front of a room full of people.
We hope we’ve taken the guesswork and intimidation out of your next marketing presentation. Some of the best and brightest marketers in the industry agree on these 6 essentials, and we think they’re pretty powerful.
Want to present your passion to your target audience but don’t have the time or expertise to execute it? Schedule a call today, and let’s talk about how our copywriters and designers can collaborate with you to create a marketing presentation that converts prospects into lifelong customers.
