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Proposal and Presentation Tips

Written by: Todd Willard

Article Overview: A simple set of tips for sales presentations and business proposals in today's business environment.

Proposal and Presentation Tips

When presenting a proposal to a prospective buyer, it is extremely important to follow some presentation guidelines along the way.

• 1) When handing out a proposal document, hand the document directly into the hands of the recipient and look them in the eye when you hand it to them. I have experienced sales reps that simply lay the document down in front of or even throw the document at the intended recipient as opposed to hand it to them. If you want to appear to be a professional, hand it directly to your buyer.
• 2) If using PowerPoint (Office) or Keynote (Mac) as a presentation tool, please remember the rule of thumb when it comes to content showing on the slide. No more than 3 lines per slide and 5 words per line. This will keep the presentation looking clean and well thought out. This rule obviously does not apply to a graphic that needs to be shared with the buyer. Keep the slides simple and clean.
• 3) When using a white board or easel pad, only use the colors of black and blue when writing on those presentation tools. Remember, some in your buyer audience may be colorblind and may not be able to see clearly if written in red and green. It is fine to use colors like red or green if "highlighting" a point on the white board or easel pad.
• 4) The single most important presentation tip is to remember that eye contact is vitally important when making a presentation. The old way that we were taught in terms of "scanning the room" simply does not work in today's environment.

WILLARD'S WISDOM

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Article Tags: business presentations, business proposals, sales, sales training



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