It’s wonderful pulling off a really slick presentation where everything went well, you were within time, felt you’d made that special connection and that your audience liked you. Here then are the critical outcomes: 1. Did the audience understand what your central point was? 2. Did you remember to clearly state your objectives? 3. Did you actually ask for the business? 4. Did your audience buy? Many seemingly good presentations that seem to go off well are in reality failures as the end result was not obtained – getting the business. Make sure that your “outcomes strategy” is well in place before you start. Put simply, at what stages will you ask for the business and how will you close if they say “yes”? When presenting, it’s good policy to start with the end in mind.
