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Turn Ho-Hum to Wow! in your Introductions
By Anne Miller
A dash of (appropriate) creativity in the beginning of your presentation will leave listeners eager to hear more of what you have to say. Here are four examples.
1. Use a story
Ever since the caveman, people have loved stories. They work very well as long as they are short and relevant.
Scenario A real estate salesperson wants to convince a reluctant buyer to rent in an area that, while a bit rundown now, is expected to grow rapidly.
Seller: Mr. Buyer, you’re looking to increase business by opening more stores. You’ve told me you want a location that is heavily trafficked, at a reasonable rental, with upscale customers. You’ve seen the plans for location X, but you’re concerned that the neighborhood isn’t quite right. Buyer: Yes, I can’t afford to make the wrong move here.
Seller: I hear you. Let me ask you a question. Do you know who Willy Sutton was?
Buyer: Wasn’t he a bank robber?
Seller: Yes! And when they caught Willy, they asked him why he robbed banks. Do you know what he said?
Buyer: What?
Seller: Because that’s where the money is! And, Mr. Buyer, location X is where the money is for you too!
1. It’s the fastest growing neighborhood in the city.
2. Other top stores are already opening up there, and
3. You can lock in a very favorable long-term lease now before it really takes off.
Use props
Props are effective because they engage your audience immediately.
Scenario: A sales person is selling training seminars wanting to show the value of her offerings. She pulled out a wad of jumbo-sized dollar bills and placed them on her client’s desk to reinforce the point that her firm could save this prospect a considerable amount of money (“big bucks”) by using her company’s services. She carried that theme into the middle of her presentation and every time she explained another benefit, she gave her prospect another “big buck.” She got the business.
Play a game.
A good perception game is challenging and effective with skeptical listeners.
Scenario: Suppose you have a buyer who feels your firm is just too small to handle the volume of his business. You could open your presentation this way:
Seller: Mr. Buyer, let me ask you a question. What do these beliefs clearly have in common?
- The world is flat.
- Women shouldn’t have the vote.
- Man will never fly.
- The Berlin Wall will never come down.
Buyer: Obviously, they were all once gospel and then were proved wrong
Seller: Yes. And there’s one more belief that you’ll find equally wrong: that XYZ company is too small to handle your firm’s work! What I’d like to show you today is how we can not only handle your work but do it to exceed your expectations.
Use a startling fact and/or a question
Giving presentations on financial, technical, or other “dry” topics can be very daunting.
Scenario: A career change counselor presenting at a seminar to sell the idea that anyone seeking a job has to explore many avenues simultaneously: friends, on-line job sites, books, ads, old business contacts, etc. She opened her presentation with, not one, but with several questions.
Good morning. Let me ask you some questions. If someone you loved (a child, parent, spouse, friend) was diagnosed with a terminal disease, had only a year to live, and you were told there was a doctor in this country who could save that person, how many of you would find that doctor? Raise your hand. (Everyone raised their hand)
Next question. How would you find this doctor? (They shouted out a variety of answers: call friends, go to their own doctor, check out university libraries, go on the Internet, write to congressmen, etc.)
Good. Last question. Would you do these things one at a time and wait for a response from each before making the next contact, or, would you do all these things simultaneously? (Simultaneously, they all answered)
Exactly, said the counselor. Your goal to find that doctor is too important to waste time or leave any stone unturned.
What does that have to do with career change? The process you just described is exactly the process you need to achieve your goal of finding a new job: simultaneously do research and develop multiple avenues of contact.
Let’s start to compile the kinds of contacts you can make...
Summary
Creative introductions engage immediately and give extra magic and meaning to your ideas. Just remember: creative introductions need to meet three criteria:
A. They should be appropriate to your audience
B. They need to be timed right
C, You must clearly connect them to the point you are making, and
D. Always, always practice them on colleagues first
Learn more about Anne Miller in our Contributors area.
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