The Tyranny of The Deck
Canned presentations (herein, "The Deck") have done a lot of damage to how we tell our company stories, especially in sales situations of all types (customers, partners, investors, etc.) There are several bad habits that preset slide narratives engender. I've made a concerted effort in my latest company to move completely away from a set sales presentation with PowerPoint. And I used to be a hardcore addict of The Deck. Now, I'm happy to say I'm 'clean and sober' and have not used PowerPoint in months. Our sales are actually accelerating in a profound way because of it (and our sales process has adjusted to this reality, which is another post, as well.)
We sell to a corporate audience, and our decision to step away from a "show up and throw up" approach to customer engagement helps us better meet our customers' actual needs, respond with our authentic expertise, and address their real questions instead of driving to our presumably safe talking points.
In a subsequent post, I'll share my thoughts on the good stuff that a well crafted and "open-ended deck" provides, since some businesses absolutely require one. Here are my gripes with The Deck that led me to give it up:
1. The Deck Gives False Security
A presentation deck gives you the completely false security that you're doing the right thing for your audience. Just because you've put a lot of thought into a presentation and it looks great does not mean you're connecting with the audience. Very few people are ever going to tell you, "You've failed to connect with me in a meaningful way because of your presentation's structure." It would be fun to say that to somebody, though...
2. The Deck Forces Linearity Where It Doesn't Belong
If you've done a presentation repeatedly with any given deck, you've probably felt irritation when the occasional audience member will take you "off-track" versus your normal pitch, right? Its actually your problem, not theirs. They may well be taking you towards their biggest pain or desire, but your past patterns of reliance on going section by section and slide by slide are forcing you into a rut. You're actually MAD at them inside for taking you to their concern because its not the way you like to tell your story. This is a really bad habit, especially when selling.
3. The Deck Makes You a Talker, Not a Listener
If you're selling with your deck, it means your doing a lot of talking and not listening to the customer. Period. This is bad. In a 60 minute meeting with a 15 slide deck, you're going to probably talk 70% of the time, minimum. You're giving a ton of information that may or may not be relevant. Its easier than thinking about detailed questions you'll want to ask a customer or partner to actually create a solution for them, but it sure feels safer! Listening means asking good questions that evoke the other side's engagement. Its far better than slide warfare.
4. The Deck Suggests New Objections For Your Audience
If you are using a big fat deck to sell to a customer or investor and you're doing a major "data dump", you're almost certainly bringing up questions that the other side would not have thought of on their own. You might think you're being thorough, but you're also creating the opportunity for somebody to say no for a reason they had not even considered. Showing what people want to see and know about is far superior to proactive presentation of what you've curated ahead of time.
5. The Deck Makes Business Boring For You And Your Audience
Last and most importantly, presenting to people with The Deck is really boring. I greatly enjoy how my sales calls go now knowing that I have only a general idea where my customer is going to take us. I have a method and a very sound approach, and I have all the data I need to answer any of their questions, but I am excited to have these open conversations with them because every single one of them is unique. "I thought today we'd have a structured but open conversation about what we do and what you may or may not need instead of me walking through a big, boring PowerPoint, is that okay?" The answer is always "Yes!"
Next post, I'll share some general thoughts on what needs to be in place to get beyond The Deck with a truly engaged presentation style. That way, even if you are using "a deck", it won't be The Deck!
