Whether we sell ourselves, an idea, product, service, proposal, or policy, we are all salespeople at one time or another.

Your success often depends upon your ability to deliver a polished and persuasive presentation. Although you spend 80 percent of your time verbally communicating, you may have shortcomings in your presentations that hurt your sales results.

The following nine tips will enable you to deliver more professional presentations that have a positive impact on your bottom-line results. The first four items address content; the last five items focus on delivery.

1. Be prepared. When you “wing it,” your presentations tend to jump all over the place, lacking logical, progressive flow. Ill-prepared presentations take too long to deliver, and prospects may find them hard to follow. You may leave out many points you want to make, including effective illustrations that bring the presentation to life. Prepare and practice using an outline. Be sure your presentation clearly and concisely covers all the points you want to make. Provide a copy of the outline to your listeners.

2. Informative vs. persuasive. It is common to deliver an informative rather than persuasive presentation. The reason? A prospect can’t say “no” when you’re only disseminating information. Remember, it’s a teacher’s job to be informative, but a salesperson must be persuasive. Learn how to build a presentation that creates need rather than analysis. Think “proactive” versus “reactive.” Design a presentation that anticipates objections and overcomes them before they become reasons not to buy your product or work with your company.

3. Providing support. Your prospect won’t accept your proposal if you can’t support your claims. Many people deliver presentations based upon opinion rather than logical argument for why a client should take action. You must prove your case when confronted by the prospect, or you will lose credibility. Use examples, statistics, stories, and anecdotes to support your points. Magazines, books, interviews, and studies can build your case and enhance your credibility.

4. Closing the sale. Most people conclude but do not close. The close is the action you want your prospect to take as a result of your message. A conclusion is a wrap-up of what you just said. Delivering a persuasive presentation requires the ability to close. Remember to ask for the commitment. If you have been meeting with many clients but haven’t been completing many transactions, ask yourself, “Do I conclude, or do I close?” One generates action; the other gives your prospect a reason to stall.

5. The proper image. Based on your dress, clients begin to determine whether or not they like you within the first few seconds you walk in the door. Although you haven’t had time to talk about your company or product, they’re already deciding if they will be doing business with you. Certain clothes are appropriate for the beach, and others are fine for a night on the town. Business attire is appropriate for giving presentations. These are not all one and the same! Meet with a clothing consultant at a reputable department store for recommendations on color, style, and protocol for dress. They will advise you with the most current and appropriate dress for sales presentations.

6. You need pizazz. Many professionals give the same presentations for so long they slip into auto pilot and do not realize just how boring their presentations are—too many facts, a flat, boring monotone voice, and the same old stories. In today’s competitive market, your presentations must be entertaining to obtain and maintain the attention of prospects. Be creative! Put some energy into it! To stay sharp, practice with a tape recorder, and listen to the playback to determine when your presentation begins to fall apart.

7. The time factor. When a presentation runs overtime, the prospect will get bored and tune you out or become angry with your misuse of time. Know how much time you have and develop a persuasive presentation that fits within those time parameters. Practice your presentation in advance. Cover every important argument with an illustration, and know what to include and what to delete in case you are asked to shorten or lengthen the presentation at the last minute.

8. Visual aids. If brochures, hand-outs or slides could sell a product or service on their own, companies would not need salespeople. Depending too much on visual aids can give us a false sense of security. We tend to think it isn’t necessary to prepare thoroughly because our props will lead us right through the presentation. Wrong! You are the star, and the visual is the bit player! It’s your job to bring the presentation to life. Strategically place visual aids in your presentation for emphasis of a major point or argument. You must practice with all hand-outs or aids to ensure that they enhance rather than detract from your presentation.

9. Body language. Your body naturally wants to gesture. But some natural body movements and actions, such as fidgeting with your tie, playing with your hair, or clicking your pen can become distractions to the audience. The focus of the presentation will become lost once the audience becomes engrossed in monitoring your body movements. You must practice in front of a mirror to be polished. Use a video camera to tape your presentation. This affords you the chance to objectively review your body motion and presentation style to become more aware of your habits and learn how you appear to your clients. SME

Terri Sjodin is the president of Sjodin Communications, a public speaking, sales training, and consulting firm. 714-540-5594. She is the author of New Sales Speak. (John Wiley).

ACTION: For your next presentation, try these tips.