Death from Powerpoint part 2

I am sick and tired of seeing seasoned well intentioned sales executives butcher a dialogue with a client because of their crutch, freaking Powerpoint. I swear some Business Executives really rely on it as their only way to communicate with clients. It is a drug for them. They have to have it in the room or heaven forbid they might actually have to be so prepared for the meeting that they could just talk. Remember just talking and figuring out a need, a pain point that the client has and then trying to work up a solution that would make that pain point go away?

Now that I have left the Corporate sales world and am in the Advertising space I see even a worse travesty of justice happening. Creative people, designers, Architects, Advertising pitches and Web Designers all using Powerpoint to convey a creative solution. That is like trying to show the beauty of the Grand Canyon using LightBright.

So my soapbox for the day. Put Powerpoint away. I mean it. Do not use it for the next 6 interactions you have with clients be it a small meeting or a huge presentation. Get that pad of paper out or get that Whiteboard ready and start a dialogue during the meeting. Be so prepared that you are ready to brainstorm and or show the final solution in a dynamic and innovative way. Be creative again and even the most complex problem can be figured out with the old marker and paper. I promise.

Adam and I were tasked with finding out who a new client “really was” both internally and externally. Who were they? What did they stand for? What made them stand out in the marketplace? After over 25 interviews and over 130 pages of notes we simply began white-boarding everything we heard. We drew it out and looked for the parallels. 18 large whiteboards full of information later we saw the “Ah-Ha” moment. We saw who they were.

So try it. Push away the latest template with the headlines and 3 bullet points per slide. Draw it up and talk through it. You will be free my friend!