Business Profile

Creating a Product Presentation

A product presentation is an important part of selling a product to prospective customers. In many cases, this will be the customer's first introduction to your product and potentially your company. Proper preparation is vital to presenting your product in the best light possible.

Objective

The objective of the product presentation is different depending upon the target audience and the presentation should be adjusted accordingly. It is important to know your audience and why they are interested to listen to your presentation.

Points to Consider

Before you start building your presentation, be sure you know the following information:

• Objective -- What's the purpose of your presentation? Is it to inform, persuade, or entertain?
• Target audience -- Who are you giving the presentation to? What are their needs and immediate concerns? What are their individual goals?
• Target presenter -- Who will be giving the presentation? Yourself, a salesperson, or a company executive?

It is important to have a target audience and a target objective when building the initial presentation. Failure to do so can result in a presentation that doesn't speak to the audience and one that is not focused on their needs.

Outline

It is important to keep your presentation concise otherwise your point will be drowned out in detail. The following is a basic outline for a product presentation.

• Introduction -- Introduce yourself and the main points to be covered by the product presentation. This is where you want to attract your audience and tell them what is in it for them.
• Positioning -- Successful products have a unique technology or positioning that sets them apart from other products on the market. You are supposed to introduce this aspect of your product so as to let your audience know how your product is different and why they should listen to the rest of your presentation. Use this as an attention getter.
• Product description -- Clearly describe your product in terms that your audience will understand. It may be helpful to have a chart showing the product's components. You should give the audience a frame of reference for the features and benefits that they are going to see. Show how the product interfaces with other products or systems they may be using.
• Examples / successes -- At this point in the presentation your audience should be familiar with your product and why it is different and / or better than other similar products in the market. In order to drive this point home, use examples of how your product is being used and how customers have benefited or will benefit from the product.
• Closing argument -- This is your opportunity for a "call to action". You should summarise your presentation, reiterate the points of the presentation, and ask your audience to do something, if that is the purpose of your presentation.

Before the Presentation

Practice your presentation. There is nothing worse than watching a presenter bring up a slide and then try to interpret it as if this is the first time they are seeing it. Give the presentation to a practice audience within the company first before giving it to an external audience. You will get some great suggestions from people who have a slightly different perspective.

Other Helpful Hints

• Use gestures to make things visual and clear.
• Use an expressive voice to emphasise points and show your enthusiasm for your product.
• Always stand, even when you are talking to a small audience.
• Use highlights or colours on charts to emphasise important points.
• Use controversy -- It is sometimes useful to start your presentation with a controversial statement to grab your audience's attention.
• Use metaphors to help with visualisation.
• Make sure you have a smooth verbal transition between slides for a very polished presentation.