The White Rabbit

Inspired by a recent guest's comment, Matt and Alper dig into Alper's patented 4-step process for presenting bad news, not just bad news to the board, but bad news to pretty much any audience. The four steps are: 1. State the obvious (be upfront about the problem); 2. Tell them why you believe this happened; 3. Tell them what next steps you will be taking; 4. Give them a timeline. Anybody who need...

In this episode, agency coach Brad Farris goes into the big picture of what a speaker is going through. Interestingly, he sees nervousness as not entirely a bad thing. He also goes into making mirror neurons work for you, how audience agreement doesn't necessarily mean everyone thinks like you do about something, and how to go about presenting bad news.

Today we talk about pitching to procurement. It's a department feared by many, and with a reputation for commoditizing all who appear before it, but Ebru reminds us that the procurement department is staffed by regular folks just like the rest of us, and the department is nothing to be feared. This episode is filled with ways to build a relationship with a company's procurement department so that...

Matt and Alper go into one of Matt's favorite phrases, "Kill your darlings," including how to implement it, why it won't make your audience think you're stupid and simple, what it means for slide design, and more. A hot tip: It's an alternative, easier, "back door" way to achieve a potentially difficult and nerve-wracking style they've discussed in the past, the non-linear presentation.

Jonathan Stark guests on the podcast again, this time to tell us how to have a conversation that will uncover the real reason the client has called you in. Jonathan outlines the three specific questions to ask, plus why it's so important to just sit there for a bit and let the client do the "brain dump." Also, the value of trying to talk them out of hiring you, and why they're unlikely to think, "...

In this episode, guest Jonathan Stark, the king of not billing hourly, goes into how he came to the realization that hourly billing is a huge mistake, how hourly rates are actually "corrosive" to your relationship with your client, and how moving past them ushers in a huge mindset change.  Also, dear listeners, feel no inadequacy. Notice that Jonathan mentions he started this process in 2006, so h...

Alper riffs on a subject a guest brought up recently, that maybe the pushback you get during your presentation isn't about you, it is legitimate questions about your idea. We tend to take things personally (after all, we're human, at least most of us), but as Alper says, it's "crucial" to separate pushback related to you from pushback related to your idea, and to not get caught in the trap of feel...

This week business owner and industry organization board member Ebru Demirel goes into how to present an idea to a company or organization. In particular, she talks about the need for transparency, the willingness to discuss the downside risks of an idea, the importance of training and preparation, and the value, for the leaders being pitched to, of making rapid decisions.        

Almost every slide designer has heard the phrase, "But we can get this done in [insert country here] for a fraction of the price. Slide designers aren't alone in feeling this pressure. So in the interests of hearing how another industry deals with this, today we talk to business coach Geraldine Carter to find out what Certified Public Accountants are doing about it.        

On the docket for today, measuring the efficacy of a presentation. Can it be done? Our answer: Yes. Actually, it's not so simple. Matt not-so-secretly suspects that the presentation itself has no value, and Alper suspects that it does. 

Matt and Alper revisit the low-hanging fruit, the clients' perennial favorite question: "I have a surprise presentation coming up in a few minutes, what are the quick things I should do first to get the biggest part of the improvement?" Hint: They are: 1. Answer the Three Questions, 2. Follow a simple story structure like "man in hole," 3. Make sure your headlines match your message, and 4. Use th...

Amidst all the solopreneur emphasis on the need to niche one's business, Matt mentions that his favorite clients, by far, are the ones who, months later, have evolved to something that has absolutely nothing to do with his niche. He highly recommends that the other solopreneurs out there follow the niching literature and consider niching a vital survival technique, but he urges them to, at the sam...

Alper goes into the traits he sees making for a successful client. They are 1. Recognizing the power of exceptional communications, 2. Understanding that this is not an overnight process, 3. Recognizing the fine line between persuasion and fit, and 4. Understanding that a "no" today is not a "no" forever. Also, if someone knows how much a Lear Jet costs or what goes in a Mai Tai, please let us kno...

Matt describes what he sees as the three traits of clients who get the most out of the training. The traits are: 1. A history of serial problem solving, 2. A frustration coming from one of life's slaps in the face, and 3. The fear of god (an external force that makes them want to solve the problem that #2 brought to the forefront).  

Matt asks Alper for advice on how to handle a crisis of confidence his clients often face shortly after starting work.  

Alper goes into how AI is affecting his slide design work, and in particular how he reduces its impact. In short: Even if the AI image quality were perfect, which it's definitely not, the legal situation is too fluid, so go with your tried-and-true techniques: Make your own images, or use stock photography. Also, Matt crosses his fingers and hopes no one will call him out on a need to present data...

After resisting the temptation to talk AI, Matt and Alper finally break down and do it. Along the way they discuss the meaning of the phrase "con man" and the existential reasons for why they do what they do. The upshot of the discussion is that AI's source material is the sum total of the knowledge on the internet, and so most of us are therefore safe. However, if your main job is to produce cat...

Alper goes deeper into the specifics of a sales presentation slide deck, and in particular how you know it's time to upgrade your old deck, the importance of interactivity, and the importance of talking directly with your sales force while deciding how to layout the new deck. Also, what Will Smith has to do with good design.

Matt goes into a phrase he uses often with his clients, "stalk the board," and what he means by that, why to do it and how to do it, and what to expect and not expect. Don't worry, it doesn't involve hiding out in the bushes at midnight, getting arrested, or looking through binoculars.    

Alper mentions a sales presentation webinar he was leading recently, and in particular, suggestions he gave for building one's self-confidence in the delivery, and what are the right things to practice and what are the wrong things to practice. Also, what is an alternative to the all-too-common "about us" introduction.    

Matt goes into the major steps (and missteps) in his specialization journey, including what prompted him to start down that road in the first place.

Alper goes into rational and emotional resistance factors clients face, and that your slide deck can only carry part of the role in overcoming that resistance.

Alper asks Matt what he means by the phrase "The Four Things." If you want to "Pareto" your presentation or speech (do the 20% of the things that will get you 80% of the improvement), these are the four things to tackle first.

Matt and Alper interview Natalia Talkowska about the importance of putting some of your own story into your presentations, even if you feel a bit unsure about it, and how your audience needs that from you in order to connect with your message. Also, Natalia challenges Matt to draw a stick man on LinkedIn. 

Tom Tran makes another guest appearance on the podcast, this time to talk about internship presentations. What are they for, and what should be in there, and in particular, the importance of getting buy-in during the presentation development process.