DESIGN SPECIFIERS TECHNIQUES TO ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE THE TRUTH BEHIND - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

DESIGN SPECIFIERS

How to present to

&

TECHNIQUES TO ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE THE TRUTH BEHIND COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

An article by:

DESIGN SPECIFIERS

How to present to

&

TECHNIQUES TO ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE THE TRUTH BEHIND COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

Success in selling your product depends not only on the quality of your product but also on how well your product is presented to your target audience, in this case architects and those infmuencing the design of a project. This audience in particular values a well prepared presentation, delivered in a professional setting showcasing materials and products that are relevant to them. Architects and design specifjers are creative by nature and want to feel inspired. Their expectation for and appreciation of a polished, informative and engaging presentation is especially high. Unfortunately, many product presentations are given by sales representatives who have not received any real training in public speaking, consequently limiting their ability to give a powerful presentation and effectively showcase their products. As a product supplier your main objective should be to enlighten, to inspire, to challenge and to excite your audi ence by providing them with a solution to their problems through visual imagery, tactile experiences and most importantly through people skills. Having attended numerous product presentations and spoken with both suppliers and designers, BCI Academy and AIS have seen some of the best and worst in the industry. When it comes to product presentations for design specifjers, here are our top three tips to really engage with your audience:

Architects are tactile people who want to touch, feel and see. They are creative and want to be inspired, so samples are a great way to engage them. Make sure however that these are used to support your presentation, not to be the presentation. They should not distract but instead support your overall

• message. Make sure they are good quality

and relevant. Do your homework to fjnd out what projects the architects focus on (BCI LeadManager or AIS website can both help with this) so you don’t waste your or their time on irrelevant products that do not relate to their project portfolio. There is no excuse for not being prepared

• n this, as it’s all about creating a point of

difference. You should know your product inside & out – more than just what’s in your catalogue. Know your product not only from the specifjcation side but also how it is manufactured, how it is installed, and how it works in relation to the local industry and competes in the market.

Use Samples Know who you are presenting to Know your products

1. 2. 3.

It’s important that the supplier looks at the company website and focuses their attention directly on our firm and what we do as a business. Definitely doing your homework is paramount.

• Associate Architect at Peddle T

horp

“ ”

Manufacturing

Innovative products

in the industry

Installation tips

Common

T

• pics to consider when

PRESENTING

product

process &

New

W h a t ’ s h a p p e n i n g

G l

• b

a l l y

Current trends

HERO

Challenges

• Perhaps focus on

your most popular product and what makes it so good

• Speak on a global scale

with environmentally friendly products specifically

• Why is your product

manufactured in a certain way? – don’t skip over problems you have faced, use these as a positive to show how they were overcome and what came from that

Lessons learnt

from previous projects

To Enlighten, Inspire, Challenge and Excite your audience, why not consider

• ne or two of these topics and incorporate them into your presentations:

written by Sarah Findlay

Here is what BCI Academy sees as the 10 most common misconceptions when presenting, which you should stop believing NOW:

• 1. Confident presenters don’t get nervous
• 2. Imagine the audience naked
• 3. Maintain eye contact
• 4. Don’t move your hands.
• 5. Speak louder

Of course they do, but nerves are not bad. They mean you care. Confjdent people are nervous

• ften, but have simply learnt to overcome their

nerves while talking. If you are nervous don’t be afraid to have notes with you, and perhaps get feedback from a colleague whilst practising Really? If anything that makes things worse, and you will get distracted! Not a technique worth mastering. When we are relaxed, comfortable and confjdent we actually look away

• ften. It should be no different when
• presenting. Looking away gives

us time to access information and think, especially when asked tough questions. Many people talk far too loud when public speaking. The audience then has the impression of being talked “at”. Speak loud enough for the person who is furthest from you to comfortably hear you as if you are having a conversation with them alone. You will know they can hear you from the look on their face. Whilst moving your hands excessively may distract from your words, if this is natural to you it’s not a bad thing when presenting. It is important to be relaxed, comfortable and confjdent, so don’t

• ver think this. Often we

use our hands naturally to emphasise.

Common Misconception

squashed

• 6. Speak slower.
• 7. Use formal language.
• 8. Put a lot of content on PowerPoint
• 10. Bring lots of

samples

Whilst it is important to be understood, slowing down language is not the way to achieve it. Use your normal broad range of speaking speeds when you present.The good thing is, as soon as you feel comfortable in the room your will do this naturally without thinking. Changing your language to be more formal than you usually do really isn’t needed and creating it will actually use a lot of unnecessary brain power. Your normal business based language will do. PowerPoint slides that say everything - say nothing. Less is more. If the PowerPoint is saying it all then what value do you have to add? If you are concerned about remembering what you planned to say and require a prompt, learn to use the Presenter View on PowerPoint. In this way you can see your notes and the slides while the audience will only see the slides. You can say a few sentences so people are aware of As mentioned earlier samples are a great way to help your audience visualise your product. However you need to make sure you only bring in those

Lastly, never forget that your presentations

are only as good as the follow-up you do

• afterwards. Ride the success of a great

presentation by following up afterwards and ensuring that you are actively building a long-term relationship with your audience. We recommend following up within 24-48 hours of your presentations – strike while the iron’s hot! To learn more about how to present successfully to architects and design specifjers, attend our Presentation Skills Masterclass and we’ll help you make sure you’re putting your best foot forward each and every time. Click here to fjnd out more about this course For opportunities to get in front of the right audience, take a look at BCI’s Technology Briefjngs in Indonesia and the Philippines, specialising in holding a range of face-to-face events with architects on a regular basis. Click here for more information on Indonesian

• events. Click here for more information on

Philippines events.

yah!

Yes.

that are relevant to projects the company is working on, and perhaps focus on just one ‘hero product’.

• 9. Give a detailed
• verview of your

company

what you do but you need to be concise on this. You are there to solve their problems so spend more time on that than telling your audience your history.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

• Ms. Pia Marie Tandog

p.tandog@bciasia.com CONTENT WRITTER Sarah Findlay s.fjndlay@bciaustralia.com

EDITORIAL TEAM