There are many different stages of the sales and relationship management cycle where it makes sense to deliver a compelling presentation. Some of these presentations are conceptual in nature (for instance, a Business Fit presentation where our goal is to propose a potential business fit to an executive and earn an opportunity to pursue a specific path forward with their endorsement). In other types of presentations we want to be more specific and include an overview of our solution(s). If the flow of an IMPAX-style presentation is Them-Us-Fit-Action, where does a solution overview fit best?

One option is to include our solution in the "Us" section of the presentation. In this section we are providing the customer with relevant, specific positioning of our company in an effort to position ourselves as a strategic resource, and it might make sense to transition into an overview of the solution. This can be effective because it flows really naturally, "As I mentioned, we are proud of our track record of innovation, and the System3000 continues this trend by..."

A second option is to position the solution as a part of the "Fit" section, where we are positioning the potential business fit between the two companies. After we make our case for a great business fit, we can introduce our solution, "The solution we are recommending that can help bring this fit to life is the System3000..."

In either case, proceed with caution. We can get really excited about our solutions but we want to remember that the focus of the presentation is really the business fit. The solution is critical and it's there to help enable the fit and bring it to life, but the fit is the sale

More to follow in the next Tip...