Illustrate And Demonstrate

Picking up where we left off last month on outputs and outcomes and better or better to work with, the point is that in making a presentation (new business or otherwise) we tend to think in terms of the key messages we'd like to cover versus the key conclusions we'd like our audiences to reach. I've sat through dozens of new business presentation rehearsals where invariably there's always one colleague who jumps up and says, "we have to tell them we're strategic" or "we have to tell them we're creative." They believe fundamentally that if we don't tell them, the audience will never know.

No offense to my former colleagues, but think about the absurdity of that for a moment. Imagine proceeding to your next PowerPoint slide, sporting your typical agency template and in your finest Times Roman font stating, "We're creative." Let's face it, when the show doesn't match the tell, your audience is left unconvinced. (Place yourself in that audience. Would you be persuaded? Of course not.)

To be convincing on the issues of competence and compatibility as a marketing partner, you have to illustrate and demonstrate.

So what does that mean?

Well, if you want your audience to conclude that your strategic and creative, then actually BE strategic and creative. If you're as good at being either, then the audience won't miss it. Take advantage of every opportunity both large and small to illustrate these points.

Of course competence is only one factor. When it comes to winning new business, prospects want an agency with whom they are compatible. Once again, you can't just say, "You'll really like working with us." Here's where you have to demonstrate who you are as individual presenters and as a team: Enjoy yourselves; show you enjoy your colleagues; listen to one another; help each other reinforce your points; engage with your audience. If doesn't look as if you like and respect one another as a team, or if you don't use the presentation to strengthen your rapport with the prospects in the room, then it's unlikely your prospective client will reach the conclusion that you're the right fit for their company - no matter how qualified you are.

Think of show and tell this way: You show (illustrate and demonstrate) and let your new client tell everyone how glad they are to have hired you.

Outputs And Outcomes

In his book Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, John Bryson talks about the importance of measuring outputs (how well you executed your strategy) and outcomes (the results your strategy achieved). Without measuring both, you'll never really know whether poor results were a product of the wrong strategy or just poor execution of that strategy.

With new business presentations, outputs and outcomes are important as well, but with a bit of a twist. I've coached myriad presentation teams who've stated, "these are the three concepts we want to communicate during our presentation," and they'll proceed to list them (output). After hearing that, I'll ask them to describe the three conclusions they'd like their prospective client to reach at the end of the presentation (outcome). Is there a difference you ask? Almost always.

The desired conclusions never quite match the key message points. In large part it's because we all tend to develop key message points in terms of competence, but we think of prospect conclusions in terms that cover competence and relationship issues. Per my last post, it's not just about who's better; it's about who's better to work with. Understanding the distinction and reframing your presentation in terms of both outputs and outcomes can mean the difference between winning and losing. An important distinction in this economy.

In my next post, I'll look at specific techniques for achieving the outcomes you want.