5 Tips for Presenting to Executives
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The document provides five tips for effectively presenting to executives, emphasizing the importance of conciseness, focusing on long-term market issues, and selling a compelling vision before delving into details. It suggests using stories to engage executives, who are often data-driven but prefer gut instincts, and encourages presenters to be mindful of executive anxieties to foster a productive dialogue. Ultimately, the guidance aims to enhance the impact of presentations and ensure alignment with executive priorities.
5 Tips for Presenting to Executives
- 1. “This better be worth my time!” 5 TIPS FOR PRESENTING TO EXECUTIVES
- 2. EXECUTIVES ARE THE SIMON COWELL* OF THE BUSINESS WORLD “You make me want to projectile vomit.” * Grumpy judge on American Idol See >>
- 3. IMPATIENT “I think the word you’re searching CRITICAL for is HONEST.” CAUSTIC ULTIMATE JUDGE OF TALENT
- 5. BUT REMEMBER (and this is very important)
- 6. EXECS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR TALENT “I would say…you have SOME potential.” in fact MOST OF AN EXEC’S WORK GETS DONE THROUGH THE PEOPLE THEY HIRE
- 7. AN EXEC’S SUCCESS DEPENDS ON SURROUNDING THEMSELVES WITH PEOPLE THEY CAN TRUST PEOPLE WHO WILL HIT DEADLINES PEOPLE WHO CAN AVOID MAJOR PROBLEMS
- 8. AND THEY JUDGE YOU BY HOW YOU PRESENT CAN YOU HANDLE PRESSURE? DO YOU KNOW YOUR BUSINESS? ARE YOU AUTHORITATIVE? ARE YOU CREDIBLE? ARE YOU TRUSTWORTHY?
- 9. IF YOU’RE THAT KIND OF PERSON, “I could see you in the recording studio TOMORROW!” YOU CAN COUNT ON THE EXEC’S FULL SUPPORT
- 10. HERE’S 5 TIPS TO HELP YOU NAIL YOUR NEXT EXECUTIVE PRESENTATION “Let’s see what you’ve got. When you’re ready…”
- 11. #1 GET TO THE POINT IN ONE MINUTE
- 12. EXECUTIVES ARE BUSY TIME IS THEIR MOST PRECIOUS ASSET “I have 3 emergencies that need my attention right now.”
- 13. DON’T WASTE IT ARRIVE ON TIME AVOID LENGTHY OPENINGS GET TO YOUR POINT IN THE FIRST MINUTE
- 14. “I’m here to present our marketing plan. We want to spend $1 million on channel incentives.” “Okay. Why?”
- 15. IF YOU DON’T THEY’LL INTERRUPT YOU AND START ASKING QUESTIONS
- 16. “I’m here to present our marketing plan. Now, as you can see from this SWOT Analysis, our strengths are in technical support and integration with existing infrastructure. Our weaknesses are in perceived cost and perceived technology lock-in. Next slide please. Awareness is trending up over the past four quarters, but… “STOP!”
- 17. IN FACT, HERE’S AN IDEA FOR YOU AFTER YOU’VE SPOKEN FOR A FEW MINUTES, STOP AND ASK THEM A QUESTION
- 18. “I’m here to present our marketing plan. With this plan, we’ll increase sales by 15% over the next 4 quarters…”
- 19. “I’m here to present our marketing plan. With this plan, we’ll increase sales by 15% over the next 4 quarters…” “Do you think we’re being aggressive enough?” “Actually, I was just going to suggest…”
- 20. “I’m here to present our marketing plan. With this plan, we’ll increase sales by 15% over the next 4 quarters…” “Do you think we’re being aggressive enough?” “Actually, I was just going to suggest…”
- 21. QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT ASK “Is this how you’d define success?” “How important is this market to our long term strategy?” “Do you agree we’ve prioritized our opportunities correctly?”
- 22. #2 TALK ABOUT PROBLEMS WINNING IN THE MARKETPLACE
- 23. EXECUTIVES LIVE IN A DIFFERENT TIME ZONE THE FUTURE “How can we turn this multi- million dollar company into a multi-BILLION dollar company?”
- 24. THEY ARE ALWAYS THINKING 3 YEARS AHEAD HOW DO WE GROW? HOW DO WE BEAT COMPETITORS? HOW DO WE DEFEND PREMIUM MARGINS?
- 25. THEY ARE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT 3 YEARS FORWARD HOW DO WE GROW? HOW DO WE BEAT COMPETITORS? HOW DO WE DEFEND PREMIUM MARGINS?
- 26. THEY ARE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT 3 YEARS FORWARD HOW DO WE GROW? HOW DO WE BEAT COMPETITORS? HOW DO WE DEFEND PREMIUM MARGINS?
- 27. SO DON’T FOCUS ON PROBLEMS AFFECTING YOU TODAY “Customer satisfaction is down about 3% this quarter.” “Ted’s team is supposed to be working on that.”
- 28. FOCUS ON PROBLEMS THAT WILL AFFECT THEM OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS AND HOW THEY’LL WIN IN THE MARKETPLACE “Customer satisfaction is down about 3% this quarter.” “If we’re going to grow 15% over the next three years, we need to hold onto our existing customers.” “I agree. What do you recommend?”
- 29. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HELP THEM SELL FASTER? RETAIN EXISTING CUSTOMERS? CAPTURE NEW CUSTOMERS? INCREASE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION? REACH NEW MARKETS? DEFEND HIGHER MARGINS? TAKE THE COMPETITOR’S CUSTOMERS? FIND NEW DISTRIBUTORS? CREATE DIFFERENTIATED PRODUCTS?
- 30. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HELP THEM SELL FASTER? RETAIN EXISTING CUSTOMERS? CAPTURE NEW CUSTOMERS? INCREASE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION? REACH NEW MARKETS? DEFEND HIGHER MARGINS? TAKE THE COMPETITOR’S CUSTOMERS? FIND NEW DISTRIBUTORS? CREATE DIFFERENTIATED PRODUCTS? NOT JUST SOLVE TODAY’S PROBLEMS
- 31. #3 SELL A VISION BEFORE DISCUSSING THE DETAILS
- 32. NEW PRESENTERS MAKE A BIG MISTAKE THEY ARE IN A HURRY TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT TO DO BEFORE THE EXEC IS BOUGHT INTO THE VISION “We need to invest $1 million in a big public relations push.” “One million? That’s a lot of money.”
- 33. EXECS ARE BIG PICTURE PEOPLE THEY WANT TO KNOW WHY BEFORE GETTING TO THE DETAILS “Yes. Shudder Chapstick is the agency of record. They aren’t cheap.” “What about WBBC? They’d probably do it for half.”
- 34. INSTEAD, FOCUS ON GETTING THE EXEC NODDING AT THE VISION THEN MOVE INTO THE DETAILS
- 35. “The press is ripping us apart. Our sales guys say it’s really slowing the sales cycle.” “So what are we going to do about it?” “We need to get some of the key papers on our side. Like the Wall Street Journal and USA Today.” “Good thought.” “We’ve found an agency with good contacts at both papers. We can probably have features printed within 4 weeks.”
- 36. NOW THE EXEC IS READY TO MOVE INTO THE DETAILS “We’ve found an agency with good contacts at both papers. We can probably have features printed within 4 weeks.” “DO IT! GO!”
- 37. #4 LEAD WITH STORIES, NOT DATA
- 38. EXECS ARE SMART PEOPLE THEY RESPECT DATA “You have the most votes…”
- 39. EXECS ARE SMART PEOPLE THEY RESPECT DATA BUT THEY TRUST THEIR GUT “But I think we’ve learned that having the most votes does NOT guarantee a big career.”
- 40. THEY KNOW DATA IS OFTEN INCORRECT, INCOMPLETE OR EVEN BIASED SO THEY LISTEN TO THEIR OWN INSTINCTS WHEN MAKING BIG STRATEGIC DECISIONS
- 41. THEY KNOW DATA IS OFTEN INCORRECT, INCOMPLETE OR EVEN BIASED SO THEY LISTEN TO THEIR OWN INSTINCTS WHEN MAKING BIG STRATEGIC DECISIONS “What are CUSTOMERS saying?”
- 42. THEY KNOW DATA IS OFTEN INCORRECT, INCOMPLETE OR EVEN BIASED SO THEY LISTEN TO THEIR OWN INSTINCTS WHEN MAKING BIG STRATEGIC DECISIONS “What are CUSTOMERS saying?” “What are COMPETITORS doing?”
- 43. THEY KNOW DATA IS OFTEN INCORRECT, INCOMPLETE OR EVEN BIASED SO THEY LISTEN TO THEIR OWN INSTINCTS WHEN MAKING BIG STRATEGIC DECISIONS “What are CUSTOMERS saying?” “What are COMPETITORS doing?” “What do our LARGEST PARTNERS think?”
- 44. SO LEAD WITH STORIES THAT APPEAL TO GUT INSTINCTS “Our biggest partner is getting into this space.” “I know Al. He’s a smart guy.”
- 45. SO LEAD WITH STORIES THAT APPEAL TO GUT INSTINCTS “Our biggest partner is getting into this space.” “I know Al. He’s a smart guy.” USE DATA TO BACK IT UP “This study shows customer interest is increasing.” “Maybe we need to be doing something here.”
- 46. #5 DON’T BE AFRAID OF EXECUTIVES. BE AFRAID FOR THEM
- 47. IT’S COMMON TO BE AFRAID OF EXECS “I’m not MEAN, I’m just HONEST.” THERE’S EVEN A TERM FOR IT: EXECUPHOBIA
- 48. BUT DON’T LET EXECS INTIMIDATE YOU AND RATTLE YOUR PRESENTATION
- 49. BUT DON’T LET EXECS INTIMIDATE YOU AND RATTLE YOUR PRESENTATION INSTEAD, BE AFRAID FOR THEM
- 50. BUT DON’T LET EXECS INTIMIDATE YOU AND RATTLE YOUR PRESENTATION INSTEAD, BE AFRAID FOR THEM AND SHOW HOW YOUR PROJECT CAN PROTECT THEM FROM THE THINGS THEY FEAR
- 51. BELIEVE IT OR NOT EXECS HAVE A LOT TO FEAR FEAR OF FAILURE FEAR OF DEMOTION FEAR OF LEGAL ACTION FEAR OF EMBARASSMENT FEAR OF EMPLOYEE LEAKS FEAR OF BAD INVESTMENTS FEAR OF LOSS OF REPUTATION FEAR OF A TEAM MEMBER SCREWING UP
- 52. YES, IT’S EASY TO BE AFRAID OF EXECS
- 53. YES, IT’S EASY TO BE AFRAID OF EXECS BUT KEEP THEIR FEARS TOP OF MIND AND SHOW HOW YOUR PROJECT WILL HELP TAKE THOSE FEARS AWAY
- 54. YES, IT’S EASY TO BE AFRAID OF EXECS BUT KEEP THEIR FEARS TOP OF MIND AND SHOW HOW YOUR PROJECT WILL HELP TAKE THOSE FEARS AWAY THIS MINDSET WILL REDUCE YOUR OWN ANXIETY
- 55. SO LET’S RECAP tips for presenting to EXECUTIVES
- 56. SUMMARY 5 TIPS FOR PRESENTING TO EXECUTIVES #1 GET TO THE POINT IN ONE MINUTE #2 TALK ABOUT PROBLEMS WINNING IN THE MARKETPLACE #3 SELL A VISION BEFORE DISCUSSING THE DETAILS tips for presenting to #4 LEAD WITH STORIES, NOT DATA EXECUTIVES #5 DON’T BE AFRAID OF EXECUTIVES. BE AFRAID FOR THEM
- 57. NOW… GO NAIL YOUR NEXT EXEC PRESENTATION! tips for presenting to EXECUTIVES
- 58. NOW… GO NAIL YOUR NEXT EXEC PRESENTATION! tips for presenting to EXECUTIVES “That was ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!”
- 59. BRUCE GABRIELLE AUTHOR, Speaking PowerPoint TRAINING COACHING CONSULTING www.speakingppt.com CLICK TO VISIT >>