CONSUMER GOODS COMPANY
Wilder Makes Presentations Work in the Field

The Situation This consumer goods company realized that their sales people in the field were not using company-prepared presentations, but instead were designing their own. Why? Because the corporate product presentations were much too long and contained too many details not focused on the account's interests. Consequently, sales people spent too many hours redoing corporate presentations on their laptops rather than selling. Since the sales people had already taken a basic course in presenting, the company decided to offer an Advanced Presentation Seminar that would help them create and deliver more results-oriented, customer-focused presentations.
The Wilder Process Wilder Presentations developed a two-pronged approach. First, we trained marketing and product managers to create presentations that sales people would actually use. Together we agreed on certain company standards and conventions to use when developing future presentations. Managers learned how to design presentations using two formats-one for account updates and one for product launches. These data-organizing outlines saved everyone time and provided a consistent, unified corporate look and feel. Finally we showed many before-and-after visual examples to give the managers ideas for creating persuasive slides.
Second, we offered a two-day Advanced Presentations Seminar limited to eight participants per session. The small group size allowed for personalized feedback on presentation design and delivery. Participants also had time to interact and share ideas.
The seminar had three goals: to teach participants how to (1) develop a presentation from scratch using a format, (2) follow corporate standards and conventions when designing slides, and (3) deliver the presentation with lots of audience interaction. In addition, each participant had six or more opportunities to practice stand-up skills using a laptop and a remote mouse.
The Results

• Corporate professionals now produce higher quality, account-focused presentations that sales people actually use. Where in the past a product launch presentation might have had 80 slides, it now has 30.
• Customers are motivated to listen to an account-update presentation because the information is focused on their needs and interests.
• Sales people are better at delivering the information, which also holds the customer's interest.
• New product launches have become less of a dreaded experience for all involved. The presentation's key points now focus on how the account can sell the new product. The bottom line is improved account satisfaction and increased sales volumes.