Unit of 1 - Presenting Yourself and Your Company Effectively

worddiva writes "At the July 9th Breakfast Club Meeting, Barbara Kelley's topic was "Presenting Yourself and Your Company Effectively." Barbara offered some interesting and valuable anecdotes, lessons and suggestions for putting your best foot forward.

Note: This article is late due to the fact that I broke my arm in mid-July. My apologies to Barbara and anyone who was waiting for the text to appear online. ~A~

The KISS method formed the basis of Barbara Kelley's Unit of 1 breakfast club meeting presentation on July 9, 2002, at Eastern University in St. Davids, PA. KISS stands for "Keep It Simple, Stupid."

Kelley, a partner in Tina Caterino and Associates and an educator at both Eastern University and St. Joseph's University, spoke on "Presenting Yourself and Your Company." She began her presentation by talking about the importance of your introduction. Along with keeping it simple, she suggested beginning with an attention getter. Kelley told a story about how she offered to give $250 to the favorite charity of a high-ranking executive from the Boeing Company if the meeting she requested with him ran over a 15-minute timeframe. To the executive's surprise, she set her watch on the table in front of her at the beginning of their meeting and ended her presentation in 13 minutes. As she prepared to leave, he indicated he had questions, to which Kelley replied that she was out of time and any questions he had would be on his time. The meeting lasted for 45 minutes.

Kelley also used this story to explain another important point--to be respectful of a potential client's time. Practice your speech in advance and time the presentation, she said. And most importantly, practice in front of someone who has no knowledge of your business--and not a mirror. This gives you the opportunity to use "laymen's terms" when speaking to potential clients.

And ask questions of your audience during your presentation. "You want to give them what they want, not what you want," she said. "You want them to ask you to do business with them so get them to ask questions. If they don't like or agree with you, they won't sign on the dotted line."

She also suggested sending information to your potential client in advance. "The busiest executives will read it," she said. "They don't want you in their office any longer than you have to be."

Another point Kelley made was that you need to know your audience and what motivates them. Kelley suggested researching your potential client online before your meeting. Other methods to get to know your audience include talking to staff members, other professionals or just going early and sitting in the audience as if you're there for the presentation and listening to the comments around you. Incorporate what you hear and what you know into your presentation, she advises. "Adjust your presentation to whatever motivates your client," she explained. "You should have four or five versions of a speech."

At the end of your presentation, Kelley said you should ask if you answered all the audience's questions and ask, "Did I do a good job?" She also suggested leaving simple handouts with the potential client and having price lists and contracts ready, just in case.

Other suggestions Kelley made during her presentation included:

Be over-prepared.

Be enthusiastic, sincere, nice and passionate.

Keep to the point.

Have a 50-word elevator pitch ready.

Be on time.

Smile.

Kelley wound up her presentation by providing the Unit of 1 attendees with 3-by-5 cards and asking each to pair with another person in the room that he or she didn't know. Each person had two minutes to explain what his or her business was to the other person--in essence presenting an elevator pitch. At the end of the exercise, each person introduced his or her partner to the group and the attendees had an opportunity to make suggestions about the pitches.

Andrea C. Carrero is president and founder of Word Technologies Inc. (www.wordtex.com), which provides custom technical documentation, training and related services. She can be reached at andrea@wordtex.com."

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