When we train enterprise sales people how to use a whiteboard to have a compelling, consistent and confident interaction with customers and prospects, we often hear, "I'm terrible at whiteboarding", or "I have awful penmanship." At the end of our half-day or full-day whiteboard symposiums, however, participants surprise themselves when they realize they now have the confidence to go pitch their company's whiteboard story to C-level buyers the very next day.
By following some very simple best practices, an awkward and "one-way" presentation can be turned into an engaging and fully interactive dialogue.
Know Your Story
Before you even think about getting in front of a customer or prospect to begin whiteboarding, you've got to have complete "knowledge ownership" of the solution or service you are positioning. Whiteboarding is requires that you're able to dive a level deeper into the content. If questions come up during a PowerPoint presentation, it's easy to defer it by saying, "let's take that offline." The slides actually rescue you from going a level deeper if they only contain high level bullets. When on a whiteboard, you really have no excuse for not being able to "add brushstrokes" to enrich your canvas.
Consider Your Stance
A very minor adjustment in stance can make a big difference when delivering a whiteboard presentation. Position yourself so your feet are perpendicular (at a right angle) to the whiteboard surface, and be conscious not to ever alter this position except to turn and face your audience completely. It's a small detail, but it will prevent you from ever having your back to your audience. It's analogous to having an "open stance" in baseball - it gives you more control and a better view of the ball's trajectory.
Engage
Because you are now positioned with the open stance, you are now able to truly engage your customer or prospect in an interactive dialogue. Smile. Make eye contact. And use hand gestures! Pull up YouTube and do a search on "Billy Mays", the ubiquitous and bearded "pitch man" for products like Oxyclean. You're selling enterprise-class solutions, not house cleaning products, so don't take it to such extremes. But Billy is using gestures that are proven to subconsciously draw in the audience and keep them focused on what you are saying.
Avoid "Dead Air"
One of the most common missteps when whiteboarding is to write in silence and then turn to the audience and regurgitate what you've just drawn. This creates an awkward silence that interrupts the flow of your presentation, giving your audience an opening to check their Blackberries. With just a little bit of practice - and by using the open stance - you can easily overcome this. Be sure to talk as you draw, then turn and face your audience to expand on the topic at hand. Using some simple techniques, most of the participants in our training symposiums are able to modify this behavior after just one role play exercise.
Use Color
The use of different dry erase marker colors will result in a visually richer whiteboard illustration that will subtly enhance the value of your solutions and services. By using black to frame the discussion and red to depict challenges (the "current state") you can then use green towards the end to depict how your solutions "save the day." The use of the colors in this order creates a subconscious psychological response that may help to "green light" the signing of a PO.
Take Your Time
If you're one of those sales professionals who wouldn't dare approach the whiteboard because you think you've got lousy penmanship, be prepared to surprise yourself. Bad penmanship is primarily a result of going too fast. A good story is not a rushed story, so pace yourself, have fun, take time to engage your audience, and don't feel you need to scribble furiously on the whiteboard!
Come Prepared
And finally, make sure you have the necessary tools at your disposal. Call ahead to ensure your meeting is in a conference room or office with a whiteboard. Always bring your own set of dry erase markers, preferably the retractable type so you'll avoid the problem of leaving the caps off and drying out the ink. Bringing a package of "whiteboard wipes" - single use towelettes that you can get at any office store - will show your customer that you have thought ahead and it will give you just one more excuse to say, "I carry all of this with me because this is how I always present our story to our customers and prospects - we know you've seen enough PowerPoint." You'll start the meeting off on the right foot when your customer smiles and nods in agreement.
David Barr
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