This article is based on Drayton Bird's advice on how to make successful presentations. Bird was former International Creative Director and Vice Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather and these tips were previously only available to the employees of Ogilvy & Mather. His advice applies not just to account executives, but also to anyone who makes business presentations.
Presentation is Not Confrontation
Sometimes account executives turn out to be "yes" men to the detriment of the ad agency they work for. Says Bird: "Do not ram anything down the client's throat. Say what you have done, why you have done it and why you think it is right.
It is not your job to hard sell the client. He likes to feel he makes the ultimate decision. It's his money. On the other hand, don't grovellingly acquiesce to everything he says. If you agree with everything he says, what the hell does he need an agency for?"
The Target of the Presentation
Although the presenter should be aware of who the important decision maker is, ignoring the others will antagonise him. This could be fatal eventually since they may be the people the agency will actually have to work with day-to-day.
How to Deal with Questions During a Presentation
If possible, the presenter should allow questions to be asked at the end. The client should be politely requested to make a note of any questions he may have, because the agency may well cover them during the course of the presentation.
Some clients prefer to interrupt and ask questions as they go along. If so, the presenter should let them do it. It's their money after all.
Says Bird: "Never dismiss questions out of hand – no matter how foolish you may think they are. If you don't understand a question properly, don't be afraid to say so.
And never underestimate one important fact: all clients think they're experts. Everybody, from banker to housewife, has an opinion about advertising. And they all believe they can write direct mail letters. This is something you have to accept and overcome, by producing work which is clearly much better than anything they could do."
Listen Carefully to Clients
It's very tempting for agency people to think of difficult clients as fools. But this is not necessarily true according to Bird. Also, they are the people who pay the presenter's salary.
He says – "Agencies tend to be somewhat arrogant, and many a meeting has gone astray because the agency has blithely carried on ignoring the fact that the client is saying: "I don't like this." Often, the client is right and you aren't. Often, too, the client can improve your thinking. He certainly ought to know his business better than you do."
If you enjoyed this article, you might want to read the others in this series on theme and attitude, structure and timing, and the importance of a sound rationale for creative work.
Source:
The Notes of Drayton Bird – Commonsense Creative
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