Day 6
THE BIG PRESENTATION
Skip To The Key Takeaways & Action Items
On Day 3 of the 100 Days of Business, I met with Bob, an old colleague, as part of my Network Chain challenge. The connection immediately paid off as Bob invited me to present a short course of “How To Shoot Real Estate Videos” to a group of top agents at Keller Williams Capital Properties in Fairfax, Virginia.
For a brand new company, being touted an expert and teaching potential clients how to create videos (or how to hire me to create the videos for them) was a big opportunity that I was not expecting so soon. However, it is just another example how a quick Facebook message can create opportunities.
I had a limited amount of time to prepare the presentation, so I worked as hard as I could to but together a 20 minute course that the common person could understand. Learning how to create effective videos took years and years of experience and training, so it was quite difficult to try to simplify it into a short presentation for an audience of people who had little to no experience.
When the time came, I stood up in front of everyone and gave my presentation. While I’ve presented things for the past 18 years, I always get a bit nervous, especially in front of small groups of people. (For some reason large groups is easier for me).
There was a lot to improve on. Reading too much from the slides, equipment issues, and getting distracted were a few of the negatives. But the big negative that Bob pointed out, was that I was afraid to sell myself. It is something I’ve watched other presenters fail to do, and in the audience it seems so simple. But when I went up there, I was focused on instructing, when I should have also been focusing on answering the question “How Can I Help You”.
The best moments came when I stepped outside of the podium, forgot there were slides at all, and just talked about things I’ve encountered and mastered in my years of experience. Not only was there a noticeable confidence, but I was more relaxed and more entertaining.
When the presentation was over, I failed to really “close” and provide everyone with ways that I could help them specifically. (No Coffee For Me!) I spoke to a few people at the end, and had great conversations and connections, but if I had just finished strong I think more people would have joined that after-class group.
In terms of the Network Chain, I actually did connect with ONE of the other realtors. We had a great discussion about the topics in the presentation, and then about the services I provided. Not only did I learn some key things, but I was also invited to make more connections at an event next week.
Here are a few of the key takeaways from my day:
Key Takeaway #1: There Is No Substitute For Preparation
One of the issues I faced was that I did not 100% have the entire presentation memorized. I did know everything I was going to say before I started, but each topic was cued by a bullet point. And those bullet points didn’t show up when I was in front of the group due to technical issues. This threw me for a huge loop.
This was also the first time I ever presented these materials. So it was a good experience to see what I need to add and subtract the next time I do it.
Action Items:
Practice The Presentation On Camera and Watch It Back To Memorize & Critique
Key Takeaway #2: Don’t Be Afraid To Sell Yourself
I often feel “scared” that I am going to look like a pushy salesperson, and I tend to forget to let people know that I can help them. This is a mental thing I need to get over ASAP because if I don’t sell myself, the business has no sales. In fact, I am actually doing those people a DISSERVICE by not selling myself, because I know I can help them gain more clients by hiring me.
Action Items:
Add A Closing Slide To The Presentation Asking For Business
Add A Slide In The “Editing Section” With Ways I Can Help With This Step
Key Takeaway #3: Don’t Assume You Know The Market
So far in the 100 Days of Business, all 3 of the Realtors that I’ve talked to have told me different things about their needs. I learned that the way my services are packaged are amazing (in my opinion) and they are what the customers need (in my opinion) BUT they are not what the customers WANT.
For example, I set a price for one of my services that is pretty comparable (although lower) than the competition. However, my price included 3 items that the other people were charging for, so it was an overall better deal. What I realized was that I was basically offering free extras that most customers don’t want (like when you buy a camera from Amazon and it comes with 40 useless camera accessories). This was very eye opening and caused an important shift in my strategy.
Action Items:
Give the pricing sheet a facelift
Do NOT offer the 3D tour service at this point in time
Talk to 3 more Realtors this week
I would describe the day as a great failure. I learned so much from the mistakes I made in terms of presenting. And my 3rd takeaway was such an important one that I think the action items are going to start generating business soon.
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