Dumping PowerPoint

Does Powerpoint actually reduce your sales? When does PowerPoint need to be dumped? And when should you make sure you don’t dump Powerpoint? This article will show you exactly what you need to do to increase your effectiveness when speaking.

You’re probably already wondering: Why on earth would you get rid of Powerpoint? Why would you want to get rid of the one thing that would  help you through your presentation? There’s a good reason.

It’s called: You sell more!

When I first heard this preposterous idea  to dump Powerpoint, I was aghast. I’d made dozens of presentations using Powerpoint and being very successful. I’ve sold at events and presented in board meetings. And every single time, Powerpoint worked like a charm. I wowed the audience. I sold my products or services.

So why drop an idea that works? There’s only one reason. Another system works even better.

Here’s what happens to an audience in a Powerpoint presentation:

1) You click the slide. The audience’s eyes move to the presentation.
2) You speak about the slide. The audience looks towards you. Part of them are still looking at the slide.
3) You click the slide. The entire audience looks at the slide.

Notice what’s happening here? The slide is the main performer. Your content is dominating your presentation. And contrary to what you may believe,  your content is not what most customers buy into. A customer tends more to buy into the person selling the concept or product.

Here’s what happens when you don’t have a Powerpoint presentation:

1) You speak. The audience listens.
2) You write one point on the whiteboard. They pay attention to that one point.

The more you get the audience to listen to you and look at your face, hand gestures, the greater the branding it creates in the audience’s mind a very short space of time.  I’ve done presentations with and without Powerpoint and not so much as changed a single word in my presentation. And the non-Powerpoint presentation sells a product/service a whole lot better.

There are reasons why:

1) Your presentation doesn’t depend on technology. No last-minute chaos.
2) The audience’s focus is totally on you. You control the situation; the Powerpoint doesn’t take control.
3) You’re forced to keep your presentation down to just three points at best. This not only allows you to be very focussed on your content, but it also helps the customers to quickly absorb what you’re saying and buy into the idea.

I know what you’re thinking. Your Powerpoint helps you move along. It forms a sort of guiding path that you can hold onto and not ramble on. Well, force yourself to cover just three points instead of twenty thousand points in any given presentation. Talk elaborately about those three main points you have to cover, and you’ll find you neither need notes nor any PowerPoint crutch.

Dump Powerpoint today. And see the difference in your sales.

Note: I’d recommend you keep Powerpoint when you’re training or teaching. Training and teaching often extends for many hours and often over many days. In a training mode, Powerpoint slides are a vital tool to keep you on track. Powerpoint should be used only to jog your memory. The most boring presenters have twenty points on one slide and/or read off their slides. The main two purposes of your PowerPoint slide should be to be your prompter and  to demonstrate a picture/illustration/photo/concept that may not be possible to describe with words.