Aldous Huxley, an acclaimed sci-fi novelist, philosopher, and intellectual, once said, “The more you see, the more you know.” And it’s true. While it’s possible to describe, in words, an entire process, story, or set of instructions, it’s the act of letting an audience see things for themselves that really drives a point home and helps them to understand the intended message.
Historical Object Lessons
Live, visual presentation has always been important to helping drive home a point. Think of some of your favorite teachers and professors. Chances are the lessons of theirs that you still remember involved some sort of hands-on demonstration. Or, think of some of the famous presentations throughout history.
For example:
- Alexander the Great, at the beginning of his career, famously cut through the impossible Gordian Knot, demonstrating both unconventional problem-solving skills and his own superiority. It was such an impressive display that it aided him in becoming King of much of the known world.
- In the Bible, it is said that Jesus used everything from gold coins to fig trees to illustrate his teachings on morality, even once going so far as to overturn tables with a whip to send a message about what was going on in the temple.
- Throughout the Middle Ages, all the way through Victorian times, traveling salesmen used to gather the entire town together in the public square to demonstrate what they were selling, how it worked, and what made it so revolutionary.
B2B Sales Presentation
Sadly, we don’t gather entire towns together to hear our pitch anymore, or in the case of a B2B sales presentation, an entire company. But, the use of visual and tactile sales tools to help drive home a point is still essential. You can get on the phone with a potential customer and talk a blue streak about your products and what makes them indispensable. Yet, in the end, all it adds up to in their minds is a lot of hot air. You can send them descriptions, testimonials, and even pictures, but how do they really know what the product is like until they get a chance to experience it for themselves?
That’s why, to drive home your point in a B2B sales presentation, you need to make use of visual sales tools. Meet with your potential customers, look them straight in the eye, and show them firsthand what you can do for them. Let them see your product up close. Let them see what it does, and how it looks and feels. Then, let them try it out for themselves and see how it works, what it can do for them, or how easy it is to use.
You can even use objects and props, besides your physical product in your demonstrations. Use your imagination! Brainstorm creative ways that you can illustrate your point to people in order to really make things stick. Include props and visual aids that will make the demonstration more concrete.
You’ve heard the old adage, “Show, don’t tell.” It applies to any form of presentation, but especially sales. Developing physical sales tools to aid in your presentations will give potential customers a hands-on quality that they will not only be able to understand, but also remember, long after the presentation is finished. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a hands-on demonstration is worth even more. Show, don’t tell, and your presentation, too, could go down in history.
