From Short List to Client List:
Avoid These Presentation Traps
and Use These Tips to Win More Business
Congratulations!
You made it to the short list
and you’ve been invited to
the client interview,
credentials presentation,
new business pitch.
Regardless of what you call
it, in reality it’s a meeting
that could be a shoot-out
between you and “the other
guy” or a line up of back-to-
back, dog-and-pony, show-
your-credentials
presentations where the
client parades you and the
competition in and out of a
conference room all day.  23, and still came off as
Regardless of the staging or
format, one thing’s for sure:  minutes per slide. Whether
It’s your make-or-break
chance to win the business.
This article will help you
avoid three typical
presentation traps or
mistakes and give you tips
that will make your
presentation stand out and
win you more clients.
© Terri Langhans, CSP
by Terri Langhans, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional)
Trap #1:
Too much stuff.
You know your stuff, and
you want to share it. We all
do. We figure the more stuff
we share, the more credible
we’ll be and the more likely
we are to get hired. 
Wrong. It bores people into
a stupor or frustrates them
into belligerence.
True story:  I recently
worked with a client who
had more than 100 slides
for a 30-minute interview!
They whittled it down to
harried and rushed. The rule
of thumb is about two
you have 30 minutes or an
hour or more, picture your
audience extending you a What do you want them to something like it. That’s the
thimble’s worth of interest. say when someone asks, point of your presentation,
Don’t fill it with a fire hose. “So, what do think about and everything you say, or
Acme Engineering?” do, or show needs to
Trap #2: support, defend, prove,
Failure to make or A.) “Well, they talked demonstrate or bring to life
get to the point. about this, and they showed that point.
us that, and they’re located
Instead of thinking about all there, and they were pretty HINT:  Your point is not
the stuff you want to say, easy to talk to…” “hire us.” That’s your call to
that you hope you get time action. It’s what you want
to say, think about this:  B.) “They’ve got the them to do as a result of
When you leave the room, experience we need and being convinced of your
what is the single most can hit the ground running.” point. Don’t confuse the
important thing you want two.
remembered and repeated Obviously (at least I hope
by the client? it’s obvious), you want B, or
www.BlahBlahBlah.us (800) 207-0015 Terri@BlahBlahBlah.us
FROM SHORT LIST TO CLIENT LIST: USE THESE PRESENTATION TRAPS AND TRIPS TO WIN MORE BUSINESS

Trap #3: important personally to this

The presentation is
too much about you.
No one cares about you.
Even though they put you
on the short list, invited you
to present and specifically
said they want you to talk
about your business, they
don’t mean it. Prospects
don’t care about you. They
care about themselves, their
work and what you will do
for them.
decision maker?”
5.) Look at your answer
and ask it again. “Why is that
important personally to this
decision maker?” Or, “What
is it about your answer that
is important, personally to
this decision maker?”
6.) Ask it again. “Why is
whatever you just answered
important personally to the
decision maker? “

Here's how to convert your

credentials and capabilities
to something your
prospective client will care
about:
1.) Before you create your
presentation or pitch, go
ahead and describe your
firm, the team, your
qualifications or experience.
This is an exercise; don’t do
it in front of the prospect.
Not yet, anyway.
2.) Now, isolate at the most
three or four key attributes
that you think are the most
important to the specific
decision makers on this
project.
3.) Now that you have the
features, look for the
benefits—the need or the
want that is satisfied by
those features.
4.) Go beyond the benefit
and drill down even further. Remember the thimble and
Look at those features and
benefits and fill in the blank:  Make it more about them,
“Why is [experience]
7.) Keep going and you will
have a list of want or need
words and phrases that are
all about the client. Save
money, maximize budget,
higher trust, no surprises,
more flexibility, more
confidence, less stress,
better communication.
These are the words that
not only help you connect
to what clients care about,
they set you apart, increase
your credibility and help
convince clients to hire you.
Assuming you already know
what your point is, once you
complete this exercise you’ll
also know what’s important
to your prospect.
From there you’ll be able to
decide which facts, features,
stories and benefits will
prove that point. You can
select case studies or
examples will make your
point clear and compelling.
choose your content wisely.
less about you, and you’ll
win more business.
About the Author
Terri Langhans, CSP is the former CEO of a
$30 million national ad agency and marketing firm
that she started from scratch and grew large
enough to sell to a publicly traded Big Boy.
Now Terri is COE (Chief of Everything) at Blah
Blah Blah, where she is relentless about helping
business people make their marketing and
presentations less ordinary and more effective.
As a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), Terri is
one of only 213 women worldwide to have
earned the designation from the National
Speakers Association and the Global Federation
of Professional Speakers. She’s known for packing
her programs with real-world examples, creative
ideas, plenty of laughs, simple strategies and
tangible tools you can use right away to make any
message stand out and be more effective.
Speaking:
www.BlahBlahBlah.us
1:1 Coaching & Presentation Skills:
www.BlahBlahBlah.us/presentationskills.html
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© Terri Langhans, CSP www.BlahBlahBlah.us (800) 207-0015 Terri@BlahBlahBlah.us