5 Tips For: Presenting To

“This better be
worth my time!”
5 TIPS FOR
PRESENTING TO
EXECUTIVES
EXECUTIVES ARE THE SIMON COWELL*
OF THE BUSINESS WORLD
“You make me want to

projectile vomit.”
* Grumpy judge on American Idol See >>

IMPATIENT “I think the word
you’re searching
CRITICAL for is HONEST.”
CAUSTIC
ULTIMATE JUDGE OF TALENT
IMPATIENT
CRITICAL
CAUSTIC
ULTIMATE JUDGE OF TALENT
BUT REMEMBER
(and this is very important)
EXECS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR TALENT
“I would say…you have

SOME potential.”
in fact
MOST OF AN EXEC’S WORK

GETS DONE THROUGH
THE PEOPLE THEY HIRE
AN EXEC’S SUCCESS DEPENDS ON
SURROUNDING THEMSELVES WITH
PEOPLE THEY CAN TRUST
PEOPLE WHO WILL HIT DEADLINES
PEOPLE WHO CAN AVOID MAJOR PROBLEMS

AND THEY JUDGE YOU BY
HOW YOU PRESENT
CAN YOU HANDLE PRESSURE?

DO YOU KNOW YOUR BUSINESS?
ARE YOU AUTHORITATIVE?
ARE YOU CREDIBLE?
ARE YOU TRUSTWORTHY?
IF YOU’RE THAT KIND OF PERSON,
“I could see you in the

recording studio
TOMORROW!”
YOU CAN COUNT ON THE

EXEC’S FULL SUPPORT
HERE’S 5 TIPS
TO HELP YOU NAIL YOUR NEXT
EXECUTIVE PRESENTATION
“Let’s see what you’ve got.

When you’re ready…”
#1 GET TO THE POINT IN ONE MINUTE
EXECUTIVES ARE BUSY
TIME IS THEIR MOST PRECIOUS ASSET
“I have 3 emergencies that

need my attention right
now.”
DON’T WASTE IT
ARRIVE ON TIME
AVOID LENGTHY OPENINGS
GET TO YOUR POINT IN THE FIRST MINUTE
“I’m here to present our
marketing plan. We want to spend
$1 million on channel incentives.”
“Okay. Why?”
IF YOU DON’T
THEY’LL INTERRUPT YOU AND START

ASKING QUESTIONS
marketing plan. Now, as you can
see from this SWOT Analysis, our
strengths are in technical support
and integration with existing
infrastructure. Our weaknesses are
in perceived cost and perceived
technology lock-in.
Next slide please.
Awareness is trending up over the

past four quarters, but…
“STOP!”
IN FACT, HERE’S AN IDEA FOR YOU
AFTER YOU’VE SPOKEN FOR A FEW MINUTES,

STOP AND ASK THEM A QUESTION
marketing plan. With this plan,
we’ll increase sales by 15% over
the next 4 quarters…”
“Do you think we’re being

aggressive enough?”
“Actually, I was just going to

suggest…”
“Do you think we’re being

aggressive enough?”
“Actually, I was just going to

suggest…”
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT ASK
“Is this how you’d define success?”
“How important is this market to

our long term strategy?”
“Do you agree we’ve prioritized

our opportunities correctly?”
#2 TALK ABOUT PROBLEMS WINNING IN
THE MARKETPLACE
EXECUTIVES LIVE IN A DIFFERENT TIME ZONE
THE FUTURE
“How can we turn this multi-

million dollar company into a
multi-BILLION dollar company?”
THEY ARE ALWAYS THINKING
3 YEARS AHEAD
HOW DO WE GROW?
HOW DO WE BEAT COMPETITORS?
HOW DO WE DEFEND PREMIUM MARGINS?

ABOUT 3 YEARS FORWARD
HOW DO WE GROW?

ABOUT 3 YEARS FORWARD
HOW DO WE GROW?

SO DON’T FOCUS ON
PROBLEMS AFFECTING YOU TODAY
“Customer satisfaction is down

about 3% this quarter.”
“Ted’s team is supposed to be

working on that.”
FOCUS ON PROBLEMS THAT WILL AFFECT
THEM OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS
AND HOW THEY’LL WIN IN THE MARKETPLACE
“Customer satisfaction is down

about 3% this quarter.”
“If we’re going to grow 15% over

the next three years, we need to
hold onto our existing customers.”
“I agree. What do you

recommend?”
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HELP THEM
SELL FASTER?
RETAIN EXISTING CUSTOMERS?
CAPTURE NEW CUSTOMERS?
INCREASE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION?
REACH NEW MARKETS?
DEFEND HIGHER MARGINS?
TAKE THE COMPETITOR’S CUSTOMERS?
FIND NEW DISTRIBUTORS?
CREATE DIFFERENTIATED PRODUCTS?
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HELP THEM
SELL FASTER?
RETAIN EXISTING CUSTOMERS?
CAPTURE NEW CUSTOMERS?
INCREASE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION?
REACH NEW MARKETS?
DEFEND HIGHER MARGINS?
TAKE THE COMPETITOR’S CUSTOMERS?
FIND NEW DISTRIBUTORS?
CREATE DIFFERENTIATED PRODUCTS?
NOT JUST SOLVE TODAY’S PROBLEMS
#3 SELL A VISION BEFORE DISCUSSING
THE DETAILS
NEW PRESENTERS MAKE A BIG MISTAKE
THEY ARE IN A HURRY TO TALK ABOUT WHAT

THEY WANT TO DO BEFORE THE EXEC IS
BOUGHT INTO THE VISION
“We need to invest $1 million in a

big public relations push.”
“One million?
That’s a lot of money.”
EXECS ARE BIG PICTURE PEOPLE
THEY WANT TO KNOW WHY BEFORE

GETTING TO THE DETAILS
“Yes. Shudder Chapstick is the

agency of record. They aren’t
cheap.”
“What about WBBC? They’d

probably do it for half.”
INSTEAD, FOCUS ON GETTING THE EXEC
NODDING AT THE VISION
THEN MOVE INTO THE DETAILS

“The press is ripping us apart. Our
sales guys say it’s really slowing
the sales cycle.”
“So what are we going to

do about it?”
“We need to get some of the key
papers on our side. Like the Wall
Street Journal and USA Today.”
“Good thought.”
“We’ve found an agency with

good contacts at both papers. We
can probably have features
printed within 4 weeks.”
NOW THE EXEC IS READY TO
MOVE INTO THE DETAILS
“We’ve found an agency with

good contacts at both papers. We
can probably have features
printed within 4 weeks.”
“DO IT! GO!”
#4 LEAD WITH STORIES, NOT DATA
EXECS ARE SMART PEOPLE
THEY RESPECT DATA
“You have the most votes…”

EXECS ARE SMART PEOPLE
THEY RESPECT DATA
BUT THEY TRUST THEIR GUT
“But I think we’ve learned that

having the most votes does NOT
guarantee a big career.”
THEY KNOW DATA IS OFTEN INCORRECT,
INCOMPLETE OR EVEN BIASED
SO THEY LISTEN TO THEIR OWN INSTINCTS

WHEN MAKING BIG STRATEGIC DECISIONS

“What are CUSTOMERS saying?”


“What are COMPETITORS doing?”


“What are COMPETITORS doing?”
“What do our LARGEST PARTNERS think?”

SO LEAD WITH STORIES THAT
APPEAL TO GUT INSTINCTS
“Our biggest partner is getting

into this space.”
“I know Al. He’s a smart guy.”

SO LEAD WITH STORIES THAT
APPEAL TO GUT INSTINCTS
“Our biggest partner is getting

into this space.”
“I know Al. He’s a smart guy.”
USE DATA TO BACK IT UP
“This study shows customer

interest is increasing.”
“Maybe we need to be
doing something here.”
#5 DON’T BE AFRAID OF EXECUTIVES.
BE AFRAID FOR THEM
IT’S COMMON TO BE
AFRAID OF EXECS
“I’m not MEAN,

I’m just HONEST.”
THERE’S EVEN A TERM

FOR IT: EXECUPHOBIA
BUT DON’T LET EXECS INTIMIDATE YOU
AND RATTLE YOUR PRESENTATION
INSTEAD, BE AFRAID FOR THEM

INSTEAD, BE AFRAID FOR THEM
AND SHOW HOW YOUR

PROJECT CAN PROTECT THEM
FROM THE THINGS THEY FEAR
BELIEVE IT OR NOT
EXECS HAVE A LOT TO FEAR
FEAR OF FAILURE
FEAR OF DEMOTION
FEAR OF LEGAL ACTION
FEAR OF EMBARASSMENT
FEAR OF EMPLOYEE LEAKS
FEAR OF BAD INVESTMENTS
FEAR OF LOSS OF REPUTATION
FEAR OF A TEAM MEMBER SCREWING UP
YES, IT’S EASY TO BE AFRAID OF EXECS
BUT KEEP THEIR FEARS TOP OF MIND

AND SHOW HOW YOUR PROJECT WILL
HELP TAKE THOSE FEARS AWAY
BUT KEEP THEIR FEARS TOP OF MIND

AND SHOW HOW YOUR PROJECT WILL
HELP TAKE THOSE FEARS AWAY
THIS MINDSET WILL

REDUCE YOUR OWN ANXIETY
SO LET’S RECAP
tips for presenting to

EXECUTIVES
SUMMARY
5 TIPS FOR PRESENTING TO EXECUTIVES
#1 GET TO THE POINT IN ONE MINUTE
#2 TALK ABOUT PROBLEMS WINNING IN THE MARKETPLACE
#3 SELL A VISION BEFORE DISCUSSING THE DETAILS

#4 LEAD WITH STORIES, NOT DATA
EXECUTIVES
#5 DON’T BE AFRAID OF EXECUTIVES. BE AFRAID FOR THEM
NOW…
GO NAIL YOUR NEXT EXEC PRESENTATION!

EXECUTIVES
NOW…
GO NAIL YOUR NEXT EXEC PRESENTATION!

EXECUTIVES
“That was
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!”
BRUCE GABRIELLE
AUTHOR, Speaking PowerPoint
TRAINING
COACHING
CONSULTING
www.speakingppt.com
CLICK TO VISIT >>

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“This better be

“You make me want to

* Grumpy judge on American Idol See >>

“I would say…you have

MOST OF AN EXEC’S WORK

PEOPLE THEY CAN TRUST

PEOPLE WHO WILL HIT DEADLINES

PEOPLE WHO CAN AVOID MAJOR PROBLEMS

CAN YOU HANDLE PRESSURE?

“I could see you in the

YOU CAN COUNT ON THE

“Let’s see what you’ve got.

TIME IS THEIR MOST PRECIOUS ASSET

“I have 3 emergencies that

THEY’LL INTERRUPT YOU AND START

Next slide please.

Awareness is trending up over the

AFTER YOU’VE SPOKEN FOR A FEW MINUTES,

“Do you think we’re being

“Actually, I was just going to

“Do you think we’re being

“Actually, I was just going to

“Is this how you’d define success?”

“How important is this market to

“Do you agree we’ve prioritized

“How can we turn this multi-

HOW DO WE BEAT COMPETITORS?

HOW DO WE DEFEND PREMIUM MARGINS?

HOW DO WE BEAT COMPETITORS?

HOW DO WE DEFEND PREMIUM MARGINS?

HOW DO WE BEAT COMPETITORS?

HOW DO WE DEFEND PREMIUM MARGINS?

“Customer satisfaction is down

“Ted’s team is supposed to be

AND HOW THEY’LL WIN IN THE MARKETPLACE

“Customer satisfaction is down

“If we’re going to grow 15% over

“I agree. What do you

THEY ARE IN A HURRY TO TALK ABOUT WHAT

“We need to invest $1 million in a

THEY WANT TO KNOW WHY BEFORE

“Yes. Shudder Chapstick is the

“What about WBBC? They’d

THEN MOVE INTO THE DETAILS

“So what are we going to

“We’ve found an agency with

“We’ve found an agency with

THEY RESPECT DATA

“You have the most votes…”

THEY RESPECT DATA

BUT THEY TRUST THEIR GUT

“But I think we’ve learned that

SO THEY LISTEN TO THEIR OWN INSTINCTS

SO THEY LISTEN TO THEIR OWN INSTINCTS

“What are CUSTOMERS saying?”

SO THEY LISTEN TO THEIR OWN INSTINCTS

“What are CUSTOMERS saying?”

“What are COMPETITORS doing?”

SO THEY LISTEN TO THEIR OWN INSTINCTS