The presentation after your proposal: how to win the pitch

What the client wants to see

Most presentations are about what the supplier wants to say: the company, its history, its approach. The ones that win are about what the client wants to see. What doubts remain after reading your proposal? What do they want proven before they sign?

Ask yourself those questions beforehand. Who will be at the table, and what does each of them look for? Procurement looks differently from the user or the board. More in the decision-making unit.

Show what they want to see, not what you want to tell.

Short, concise and to the point

A presentation is not a summary of your proposal. The client has read it. Use your time for what your proposal cannot do: show the people, answer a question on the spot, show something instead of describing it. Leave room for questions. A conversation convinces more than a story.

1. 1Start with their questionWhat does this client want to achieve? Say it in their words, in the first minute.
2. 2Show, do not tellAn example, a timeline, a short demonstration. What they see, they remember.
3. 3Answer the doubtsName what they still doubt yourself, and take that doubt away with proof.
4. 4End with what you agreeWhat happens in the first weeks if they choose you? Make it concrete.

Come across as genuine

In a private tender a client also chooses people. So bring the people who will actually do the work, and let them speak. A rehearsed story stands out, and so does someone who only came to sell. If you are not good at something, say so. It makes the rest more credible.

And the design of your slides matters, just as with your proposal. Why the first impression weighs so heavily, read in the psychology of the first impression.