Seth Godin discusses an interesting shift from an “I talk, you listen” presentation to an interactive working session through the use of what he dubs a modern talking pad. The nutshell is that you take an existing presentation you have, remove some information from each slide, then print it out on a yellow legal pad, and have it bound. When you present to your prospect, you go through each slide — and here’s the key point — and fill in the information in front of them, interactively.
So if you have a slide that talks about how much money your product will make or save your prospective client, don’t show them an already-made slide with that information pre-populated. Rather, work out the numbers with them right in front of their eyes. Then when you’re done presenting, instead of leaving behind a boring pre-printed presentation, you can leave behind the workbook. Having worked over the numbers with you and having seen you (and them) write in the workbook, it transforms from being a sales brochure into a snapshot of their personal experience.
Next time you’re presenting to a single person or a very small group, give it a try. Then let me know how it went for you.
