Sensational Presentations

The value of your marketing materials cannot be measured by looks alone. There are probably hundreds of thousands of gorgeous, brilliantly written brochures gathering dust in storage rooms right now.

To be effective, a sales system has to work with the way you want to prospect. Before thinking about "the stuff" you or your sales team needs, spend some time thinking about the sales process at your company. Do you get referrals or research leads? Are you calling on people who have an awareness of your company and what you do? Would it be easier to contact them if they did? Are you sending out mass mailings or responding to inquiries? Review your steps and evaluate at which points having support materials would be helpful.

Both for organizations with large, fully staffed sales departments and entrepreneurs struggling to learn the ropes of generating business, having a process saves time by avoiding having to decide what to do each time a lead is pursued. The right system is one that is appropriate for your market, helps you to relax and focus on your contact, and offers "grab it and go" simplicity.

Responding to "send me some information…"
If your company doesn’t have its own postage meter, you’ll be driving to the post office every time you send anything over first class weight. Save those oversized folders for face to face meetings.

Email is a huge money saver. Have your designers convert your marketing collateral to a pdf file. Consider editing the content down to a one-page version. Use the full size printed piece as a leave behind when you get the appointment.

When developing a presentation folder…
How many can you store? It’s just not cost effective to print less than 500-1000. That’s a couple of bulky boxes that have to go somewhere. If you won’t use that many in a year, a good quality blank folder with a sticker that coordinates with your stationery is the way to go. Sorry, office supply folders won’t cut it. Look at www.folders.com to see great choices in quantities as low as 25.

Have you got the guts?
What’s going on inside? Whether you need a fixed system of inserts, or flexibility, the last thing you need is to have to think about it before every meeting. Stair stepped inserts are great if you need a complete package that rarely changes. Have your printer collate and insert them into your folders to save you time.

If every presentation requires different content, you may be better off with letter-size inserts that you can swap in and out as needed. They can be printed commercially, or as needed on a quality desktop color printer. We recommend creating a filing system using stackable shelves, hanging files or a multi-pocket folder to sort and store small quantities within reach.

Other ideas
The traditional presentation folder is not the only way to go. PowerPoint presentations, multimedia CDs, brochures and more all have their uses before, during and after contacting a client.

The key to a great presentation is developing a system of tools that support your sales efforts throughout the process, allowing your team to focus on the needs of the prospect, rather than what to do next.

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