As a real estate agent or investment professional, you may be called on at any time to make a presentation. Whether to a group, or an individual, here are some simple tips that can be easily adapted to ensure your presentation is not only more powerful, but that it will actually sell the property or opportunity you’re promoting.
1. Tell a story. While it may be easier to create individual slides that offer unrelated data in order to cover all your bases, creating a running commentary with a beginning, middle and end, as in a story, will be more effective. Start by outlining the purpose of your presentation, then offer important facts and information, then offer a solution or call to action. Your audience should understand your objectives and how trusting you with their business is the right thing to do.
2. Remember that less is more. It’s easy when you’re using Powerpoint, in particular, to go overboard with the bells and whistles thinking they add to your presentation’s effectiveness. More often than not, however, they simply distract from the message. And since the heart of your presentation is your message, it’s best to keep the fancy stuff to a minimum and allow your words to speak for themselves.
3. Use your presentation to brand your business. Regardless of your business, your opportunity or your product, use your presentation to clearly reinforce your personal brand. This means to keep the colors, graphics, logos, fonts, and anything else the same as what you use on your letterhead and website. This allows prospects to connect the literature to you and creates a personal brand, whatever your line of work.
4. Give your audience a break. University of Tennessee research has shown that the attention span of the average adult during a presentation is only 20 minutes. That’s why it’s important to keep your presentation short, but you can also give your audience a break by telling an anecdote, offering a handout, or giving them another way to take their mind off the presentation for a few moments. This can actually lengthen their attention span and give you a better chance of impacting them with what you have to say.
5. Practice until you’re perfect. Remember that corny old line that answers the question, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Practice, practice, practice. Practicing your presentation and rehearsing it for an audience or by yourself will help ensure you’re comfortable with it, you know what you want to say, and you can find (and fix) any cumbersome aspects in advance.
