Case Studies

Stage 3 Case Studies
Coaching for presentations and speeches

Winning Endorsement for a Major Project

Situation: A small group of brilliant engineers had a great idea they wanted their employer, a Fortune 50 manufacturer, to sponsor. Yet they needed to make their case to a business audience who didn't understand engineering — and they were struggling with what to do and say. The funding for their project was in jeopardy if they couldn't convince company executives to support their vision. They came to Vander Zanden, Inc.

Solution: After hearing their description of their idea and gaining a better sense of the individuals they'd be presenting to, we agreed that we could help them communicate in a more compelling way. Working closely with the group, we deconstructed their story and reconstructed their slides and added new words that would address critical business issues. We gave them language to talk about the project's benefits in ways that dovetailed with the motivations of the business decision-makers. We worked with the group as they practiced their presentation — playing the role of the audience, asking hard questions and offering feedback and suggestions. Armed with their new story and skills, the team made the presentation and successfully earned the continuing budget to work on their project.

Building Team Selling Skills Quickly

Situation: Business was down and the principals of a large creative firm needed to spend more time selling and less time managing clients. They had a young group of new account executives that they wanted to train quickly to take over account management responsibilities.

Solution: We recommended a 2-day crash course in Enlightened Client Management. Five participants came together for an intensive seminar that taught them how persuasion and client management works — from 90-second voice mails to 90-minute presentations of creative work — through the multiple stages and phases of managing large account. Each participant shared their greatest strengths, weaknesses, fears and concerns-and we individually and collectively addressed these issues. At the end of the two days, armed with new ways to address their greatest challenges, the participants felt far more confident in their ability to handle the new role and were eager for the challenge.

Articulating Your Brand

Situation: Six managers from six different global offices of a professional firm were charged with launching a major sales effort. But they hadn't shared enough time together to be speaking the same core messages or to express a collective wisdom. Furthermore, their presentation skills were not evenly matched. They needed to come together enough to sound like the same firm — giving similar presentations and representing the firm "brand" in a strong and consistent, memorable manner, no matter where in the world they were.

Solution: We recommended a two-day intensive seminar, with prep work in advance. We had each of the managers collect coworker feedback on their capabilities so we could quickly address each individual's strengths and areas for development at the seminar. We also asked them to bring their typical sales presentation in outline form, and a few of their favorite slides. Meanwhile, Vander Zanden Inc. called half a dozen prospects that had heard their sales presentations to find out how well the firm sells its expertise.

In the seminar itself, we began creating a master sales presentation that each manager would tailor for his or her prospect group. We agreed on a master slide presentation as well, although our greater work focused on what to capture in an evolving slide library. Each manager presented a sample sales pitch several times so they could each get immediate coaching on how to optimize presentation strengths and shore up delivery style when their performance was less than memorable or effective. We also developed a buddy system for them to take this first step back to their offices, put into practice everything they'd learned, take copious notes on how well it worked, and return in three months for round two.

It's too early to track a large jump in sales, but the confidence of the group is vastly improved, and they tell us their communication is consistent, clear and concise now, leaving plenty of space in their prospect encounters for good conversation and learning more about one another.

Enlivening Sales Presentations

• Overcoming a Toxic Temper

Situation: The marketing director of a large architecture firm was getting complaints that the firm's project managers were bogging down new business presentations. In contrast to the often animated and passionate architects, the project managers fell flat. Either their silence and awkwardness drained energy from the room or their dive into detail put everyone to sleep. As a result the company's hit rate was slipping.

Solution: Clearly the project managers needed help with communication and presentation training. We began by designing a three-part curriculum (one day per month for each part) for the firm's top PMs, who would then model the appropriate behavior to others in the firm (a train-the-trainer approach, to conserve resources). After talking to the PMs, it became apparent that the source of their anxiety and awkwardness was that they didn't know what to say or how to succinctly describe their complex roles. Furthermore, most of them were not comfortable or confident in a presentation setting, since it was something they did infrequently. After interviewing the group about their strengths and skills, we created talking points that captured the essence of their work in compelling language. We also taught them how to present their capabilities and answer questions in a more direct and effective way, using proofs and concrete examples. Although the training is not yet completed, the firm is so pleased with the process they are considering implementing it in each of their 8 offices nationwide.