Win More Business with Virtual Presentations
By Robin Boehler & Stephen Boehler (Founding Partners of Mercer Island Group ) Covid-19 has changed our lives and our work. Business as usual has been interrupted, yet your clients and prospects are trying to remain truly operational. Agencies may find themselves in a pitch process that has become a virtual exercise. To capitalize on these opportunities, agencies need to adapt – and adapt quickly. How do you pitch your agency without a face to face meeting? The pitch will likely be a virtual meeting which requires different planning and approaches for your agency to stand out and win. To help agencies during this difficult time, we have put together a practical guide on how to pitch effectively via virtual presentations. 1) Ensure you have the right technology in place, and expertise using the technology Use a professional web conferencing platform for your presentation. These platforms enable the agency team and the prospects to see each – a much more personal experience than a conference call. You are also able to control the slides that your prospect sees, enhancing the communication. There are many fine web conference platforms like Zoom, GoToMeeting and BlueJeans. Choose one and master it. The presentation is not the time to explore the rich capabilities of these platforms. Also, keep in mind that your agency may need to use the prospect’s platform of choice. Some client firewalls prevent other platforms. Be sure all agency presenters have hands-on experience managing the intricacies of the selected platform. 2) Prepare materials with the medium in mind Online presentations are very different than in-person presentations. For example, the screen sizes of the participants can vary dramatically. You need to be sure your presentation is clear and [...]