You're On!

You're On!

-by Jerry T. Hancock

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Does the thought of making a presentation to a prospect or client give you the sweats? Great! This is exactly as it should be. You should be concerned if you do not feel some anxiety or nervousness because it is normal. This nervousness and anxiety will give you energy to do a good job in the presentation if you use it properly. The trick is to turn negative energy into positive energy and make it work for you.

Nervous energy comes with every presentation no matter how many you have done. It is the body's way of gearing up for an unusual event which could be threatening, and so it produces extra adrenaline. If you use the energy to stutter, or pace around the room, or jiggle the change in your pocket it will ruin your presentation. But if you use the energy to add enthusiasm and excitement to your voice, gesture appropriately, walk around the room purposefully, the energy is released and you will do better.

Think about your next presentation. How can you dissipate the nervousness before you stand up? How can you continue to dissipate the extra energy during the presentation? Believe it not, adding extra volume and enthusiasm to your voice will burn up a lot of energy. So will using audiovisual aids or product demonstrations to take the focus off you. Walking around the room, making eye contact with every individual, speaking from the heart--all these things will help dissipate the extra energy and make you much more credible.

People are very sympathetic to presenters. You have this going for you already so relax and make it a simple conversation like you would have if you were sitting across the table from one person. In fact it should sound like a conversation, with more volume, energy and enthusiasm.

Here are some other pointers to keep in mind:

	Announce up front that you will be taking questions during the entire presentation. Never say, "I'll cover that later in the presentation." It makes the questioner feel awkward and it makes you sound controlling. You should be on top of your game and answer the question without getting too far off track.
	Make eye contact with everyone in the room. Chances are individuals other than the key people will influence the buying decision. Leaving them out of your eye contact can alienate them to the point they reject your proposal.
	Keep your hands in front of you and they will gesture as they should without your having to do anything. Never have them in your pockets.
	Have a strong opening and closing that is very customer focused. Demonstrate benefits to the customer, not features of your product.
	If you don't know the answer to question simply say so but promise to follow up with the answer. Your credibility is too important for you to fake an answer that will turn out to be wrong.
	Never badmouth the competition--it is simply bad form.
	Stress the partnership nature of the relationship you're trying to create. Demonstrate how the two organizations will benefit mutually by working together.
	Ask for the business but explain why it is to the client's advantage.
	When in doubt, say less than you could about most items in your presentation. It gives the audience a chance to ask questions and follow-up and it keeps you from rambling on and on with unnecessary detail.
	Finally, believe in yourself. *This is something you can do!* Practice the presentation at home or in front of colleagues and get feedback. Then do a knockout presentation--and smile!

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