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Sales Presenting - Whiteboards Are Not Just For UPS Anymore

Guest post by: Milly Sonneman

Article Overview: Need to give a dynamic, informal highly effective sales presentation? Look no further. The answer lies in the little-used whiteboard on the wall.

Sales Presenting - Whiteboards Are Not Just For UPS Anymore

Get Your Message Across

Need to give a dynamic, informal highly effective sales presentation? Look no further. The answer lies in the little-used whiteboard on the wall.

You know the basics of whiteboard sketching, but when it comes to doing it in front of a client, you run for cover! If you think whiteboards are only for professional artists, educators and talented folks at UPS and FED EX, you'll be shocked to find that you too can look like a pro with a marker.

Fortunately, learning how to impress clients at a whiteboard is no longer difficult or time consuming. A new webinar series on business presenting is helping non-experts navigate their way around a whiteboard. (Even if you can't draw a straight line, had to sweep the art-class to get a passing grade and don't think you could make an impact with a marker to save your life.)

Thomas Sechehaye, founder of Presentation StoryBoarding, is a self-taught whiteboard master. He advises 5-simple steps for non-artists to get comfortable using whiteboards in sales presentations:

1. Kick out your inner critic

No one ever woke up in the morning thinking: "I'll go make a fool of myself today in front of an important client." This is just negative self-talk having a field day. Kick out your inner criticisms to make room for experimenting with new techniques, and learning new skills.

2. Get step-by-step help

Working at a whiteboard, and doing it well, is easy to achieve with step-by-step help. Take a webinar. Join an online class in visual language for business whiteboards.

Look for classes, webinars and events that speak a simple, non-expert language. Once you see the shortcuts, you'll realize something quite amazing. It's a lot easier to look like a pro when you have a paint-by-numbers roadmap to rely on.

3. Simplify your whiteboard story and pictures

Avoid the trap of making your sketches super complicated. This is another trick of the inner critic (see #1) and you must constantly be on the lookout.

The best business sketches are the simplest one. Instead of asking, "how can I show more detail?" ask a more important question: "how can I simplify my story and pictures?"

4. Practice!

Just like actors, athletes, dancers and musicians, to get really good, you must practice. Practice like crazy. Get comfortable with the tools. Get comfortable with the delivery. And most importantly, practice until you don't have to think consciously about it.

Once you've established a muscle-memory for working with a marker, you can focus on critical elements of your presentation. These include focus on interaction, flow and calling to action.

5. Be Authentic

Don't try to draw and write like someone else. For instance, if your boss is a wizard at the whiteboard, don't try to do everything exactly the way he does. Instead, find your own personal style.

The key to being genuine and authentic is to work with a presentation coach. An expert coach can quickly help you spot how to use your core strengths in business presenting.

Examples of core strengths are as diverse as humor, enthusiasm, storytelling, and visual creativity. Instead of trying to be all things, find your genuine strength so you can use this effectively during business presentations.

Sales presenters are facing more pressure than ever to win new deals, get undecided prospects off the fence, and sell more of what they are offering.

Sechehaye is offering new training webinars devoted to business presenting with whiteboards. These events help non-artists get comfortable with sketching and writing key ideas to win attention and drive bottom line results.

In the new professional training webinars, attendees learn how to adapt stories to this unique medium, translate ideas into pictures, and inspire clients to take action.

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Article Tags: business presentation, presentation coach, visual story



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