So four ad agencies were called in to pitch for a multi-million dollar account. The client gave each agency 2 hours. The first 3 agencies went in with big suitcases of slides (this was still when the LCD projector was not connected to the laptop or (shudder!) Microsoft PPT. They took the two-hour window to showcase their capabilities, client lists, and awards. In the end, they each had one slide for “Questions?”

The last agency went in with 6 people. The CEO stood up and said, “You are probably brain-dead by now. We can shovel another 2 hours of our past at you, or we can spend the next two hours understanding your business and offer 12 hours (2 hours x 6 people) of free consulting.”

Guess who won the business.

How are we presenting our services? Suffocating by slideware? Death by the bullet-points? If we are called in for a presentation, should we not first ask the client to speak, and then tailor our conversation around their discussions? Assumption is the first step to ignorance.

Let me know how you plan your next presentation.
Maybe we could help you turn it into a conversation with your client.