The old adage, ‘you only get one chance to make a first impression’ is so true. A friend of mine was recently invited to an AFPOP evening where 3 companies had a captive audience to present themselves and generate sales or interest in their products.
The companies were all different, Healthcare, Asset Management and a local development. A series of projected PowerPoint presentations ensued. My friend reported that without fail all of the visual presentations were a distraction from the speaker. One presenter had hundreds of words per page, which he simply read aloud.
In some cases, the companies - who were presenting to an English speaking audience - had not even put their text through a spell check, resulting in a level of spelling and grammar that was apparently laughable.
When you think of the adverts that we are subjected to on TV, it becomes quite clear that the market expects to be wooed in the most captivating and clever way possible.
Presentations need to be dynamic, perhaps even interactive, easy to follow, visually pleasing and able to show your company in its best possible glory and credibility.
The market is not easily fooled into parting with money, they want to know in depth features and even historical facts about the company that is being represented. What is shown on screen should be only a reminder point for the speaker to elaborate on, and once the presentation is over and questions and answers have been dealt with, there should still be something extra to encourage the audience to speak to you privately.
My friend did not approach any of the companies and ruled them all out as improbable contacts. All this because of 3 unappealing home-made presentations.
Design companies are here for a reason, they know how to sell for you, they know how to make you credible, suggest innovative and animated ways to get your message across and generally leave your audience wanting more of what you have to offer.
Designworks! is an independent design consultancy dealing with brand communication and advertising for a range of clients in Portugal, Brussels and Paris.
Call +351 917 203 850 and speak to Suzi Steinhofel.
Suzi Steinhofel
Independent Design Consultant
T: 00 351 917 203 850
E: design@suzisteinhofel.com
W: http://suzisteinhofel.wordpress.com | www.suzisteinhofel.com
