Over the years of presenting in front of prospects, panels and large audiences, I come to realise that in any effective structure of a presentation, there are essentially only 4 questions I need to answer. Regardless how long the presentation is, what type of products/services I was pitching, or even the audience. These four questions have helped many power-packed presenters win audiences over and seal mega deals, and I thought it'll be good to share these fundamentals, so you can use them in your next business presentation.
And remember, this can be used for a product pitch, fund raising, marketing presentation, sales, financial report and even the most technical of topics. It has been used my marketers over the decades, in commercials and all, so you know it's something that's proven to work.
Ready? Let's go.
Why? - The Purpose Question
What’s your story? Why are you doing this? Why does the solution exist in the first place? The purpose question sets the tone of the entire presentation, and serves as the “hook” for your listeners to want more. A must-have for presentations to key leaders and top management, answering the Why question gives clarity to your work, and allows people to connect with what you have to say next.
What? - The Growth/Clarity Question
Once you got the audience hooked, here is where you give them answers. If you started with a problem statement, this is where the solution statement comes in. "What" is where you satisfy the audience, to a certain degree, but leaving enough “hook” for them to want to get more details, and that’s in the next question.
How? - The Mechanic Question
How do you make money? How is this better than the rest? Show me a process flow. "How" is where you get into the details of your plan. Timelines, flow-charts, screen captures of apps, and sometimes (although not always recommended) even a demo of the solution you’re pitching.
What if - The Action Question
To those in sales, this is your killer question - the question you have to rehearse the most, because this is where you seal the deal. Great "What if" questions are geared towards your prospects and audience taking an action. Let’s face it: if your first three questions are set up well, the audience would feel cheated if you don’t do a great "What If" closing question.
Traditionally, this is called the 4MAT, and if you look at the best commercials in the world, they always answer these 4 questions of you.
Practice them well and watch as your effectiveness increases.
Oh yeah, and let me know how it works for you too. :)
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