| When making a professional impression counts, be | | | | "Wow" factor. |
| careful where you cut corners. In the sales world | | | | Consequently, the attempt to include a "bonus" to |
| presentation is everything. Whether you are selling the | | | | heighten the value of your presentation ends up having |
| boss or the boardroom on a new concept, or formally | | | | the exact opposite effect, devaluing the delivery by |
| engaging a client to evaluate your product or service, | | | | conveying a homemade appearance rather than a |
| you will be judged not only by your appearance and | | | | polished one. It is unfortunate that most short-order |
| demeanor, but also by the attention to detail devoted | | | | office supply stores do not offer professional disc |
| to your literature and media. | | | | production along with their printing and binding services. |
| There are many intangibles related to how people | | | | The successful person usually gets their act together |
| "buy" you. Some would call it shallow, but with two | | | | in advance, so why not prepare your media in |
| otherwise equally qualified candidates side-by-side, one | | | | like-fashion? |
| dressed in a well-fitted suit and the other in casual | | | | The solution is simple and readily available, |
| clothes, the odds are in favor that the professionally | | | | professionally called "short-run disc duplication". |
| dressed person will be better received than the | | | | Technology has made it possible to produce small |
| casually dressed one, based on nothing more than | | | | quantities of discs (and professionally label them) for |
| perceptions and impressions. Although many decision | | | | delivery within a matter of a few days at economical |
| makers may feel that they typically remain impartial to | | | | prices. In fact, the cost of producing a CD or |
| "superficiality", they will concede that they are | | | | DVD-ROM is often less than the cost of producing a |
| impressed with employees who predictably | | | | small full-color report, and it can usually be delivered in |
| (consistently and reliably) add finishing touches to fine | | | | about the same amount of time. |
| tune presentations. Those employees are often the | | | | What does this mean for your presentation? It gives |
| "go to" people in the company. They are also the ones | | | | you the professional edge over other presenters. It |
| who dress one notch above their peers, use a color | | | | captures the "Wow" factor. Specific comments may |
| copier rather than a black and white one, bind their | | | | not be made by the decision makers on the spot, but |
| reports rather than staple them, and add animations to | | | | eyebrows will raise and your "above-and-beyond" |
| their Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, rather than | | | | professionalism will be mentally noted by all. You will |
| use static screens of boring text. | | | | read it in people's faces as you stand before them, |
| To tie it all together, a successful presentation with | | | | making your presentation. It's high-impact. |
| handouts provided in a multimedia format, whether | | | | Your goal is not necessarily to make your competition |
| CD-Rom or DVD, is a nice touch. But it is also where | | | | look bad, but when you look great by adding finishing |
| most people, even the best prepared, fail to make their | | | | touches to your presentation that are conspicuously |
| mark. True, including a digital copy of your report and | | | | absent from theirs, the end result is what you want to |
| slide show is a cut above the norm. In most cases, | | | | achieve; yours shines and is remembered, while the |
| however, the discs end up being hand labeled with a | | | | rest are generically forgotten. The next time you need |
| marker or affixed with stickers, giving the feel of it | | | | to make your mark in the boardroom in short order, |
| being an afterthought rather than an integral | | | | consider a quick batch of short-run discs. |
| component of the agenda. In short, it misses the | | | | |
