How many times have you been in a meeting where the sole purpose is for someone to deliver a presentation or pitch?  It could be your agency presenting a new creative idea.  Or perhaps its a start-up that is presenting why you should do business with them.

Or maybe you have even been the one giving the presentation?

The common fact with all of these is that in most cases, a presentation is a Hail Mary pass.  If you are just simply giving a one-way pitch, you are giving the audience two choices at the end….to say yes or to say no.  And the worst part about most presentations is that you have no idea which of those two choices the decision maker is going to make.

Some people love the thrill of the presentation, of trying to close the sale.  But business should not be a sport for thrill seekers.  Its not good business to have hold your breath and hope a decision goes your way.

To continue with the sports analogies, you should try to make your presentations a lay-up, instead of a Hail Mary pass.  Make the  presentation a formality where you know that the deal is closed before you even flip through your first slide.  Work with the decision makers in advance so they feel bought into the work.  Enroll your client in the process so they feel the same sense of ownership as you have.  Devote as much time to making the decision an easy one as you spend making the presentation look / sound good.

Delivering a great presentation is an important skill in business (Steve Jobs has shown us that).  But an even more important skill is being able to make the sale before the presentation even begins.

“Don’t sell, help people buy” – Chris Fralic

On Friday, I came across a presentation called “Biz Dev for Startups” by Chris Fralic, a Partner at First Round Capital.  The presentation caught my eye for three reasons.

1. First, I just been hanging out with the crew from First Round at their Cincinnati Office Hours.
2. Second, Chris is a guy who knows a thing or two about Biz Dev, having previously held that responsibility at eBay, del.icio.us / Yahoo and TED Conferences.
3. Third, too many people misunderstand the difference between Business Development and Sales… especially companies that are trying to get a Brand Manager’s attention.

It is that last point that I think people really need to keep in mind.  As Chris outlines in his below presentation, Business Development is an “Exchange of Value” while Sales is generally just about generating revenue.

Every week, I probably get a dozen cold calls from companies that have a Sales mindset and our looking to tap into the bank account of our brands. Few of these brands get in the door.

But contrast that with the rare company that has the Business Development mindset of an “Exchange of Value.” These folks realize that Business Development is about forming relationships that evolve into longer lasting partnerships.  In other words, they follow Chris’s advice of:

• Asking what problem are you solving for your partner.
• Selling benefits, not features.
• Realize it “Should be as much about their needs as your offering.”

If you want to get a Brand Manager’s attention, I could not recommend more strongly that you act with a Business Development mindset instead of a Sales mindset.  Your chances of getting a meeting – and eventually business – increase exponentially when you act that way.

Business is a long-term game best summed up in the advice of fellow First Round Capital Partner, Josh Kopelman:

“Reputations are not built over a deal, but over a career.” – Josh Kopelman

BDforStartups

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