Road Shows are just sales calls in which your customers come to you.
With such an opportunity, it's best to get it right. You needn't sledgehammer your audiences into a coma with a plague of PowerPoint slides and there's no reason to display a thousand and one fussy charts and graphs, turning your entire tour into an explanation of wiggly lines.
With a smidgeon of thought, you can do better. Here's how:
Tip Number One: It's not about the facts. It's about the message
Most of the information that goes into road shows is of great interest to the speaker... and precious little to the audience. They don't always need every little dot and dash of data, and more often than not, they will be internally battling to work out what it all means.
What your audience craves - what they're there for - is the message. You are the translator, the interpreter, the thought-leadership in the room. Back your message up with a couple of poignant facts; by all means; but only by way of illustration. Then get to the point.
Tip Number Two: Use metaphors
On Top Gear, presenter Richard Hammond once described a Porsche's rear-mounted engine as being, "A bit like building a pyramid with the pointy bit at the bottom." Metaphors sum up complex ideas quickly. They're also a valuable persuasive tool.
Last year, I worked with the Chief Financial Officer of an investment firm, who was keen to ditch the PowerPoint in favour of a metaphor that would connect with his audiences. He wanted to capture the emotional uncertainty of the Recession, then provide hope and reassurance for the future. This is what he said:
"This time last year, you were lost in the forest and you were afraid, and you turned to me for guidance. What you didn't know was that I was equally scared. But that wasn't good enough. So we dug deep, and pulled on a hundred years of experience. We sought real answers. Our efforts prevailed and we found a glimmer of light in one direction. We led you that way. Today, I'm proud to stand before you and say that we are emerging from the forest, and the choice we made for you was the right one."
No graphs, no charts, neither dot nor dash. Just a message, lucidly summed up with a single metaphor. And it worked.
Tip Number Three: Use physical visuals
Can you represent your metaphor with something physical, something tangible, that you can place on the stage? Something that you can interact with? Physical props are much more effective than slides. Think about it: talking about how an organisation is losing resources is one thing. But holding up a bucket of water with a leak in the bottom is quite another.
Find a way to show what you mean, and your audiences will never forget you. Speaking about a domino effect? Topple dominos. Talking about luck? Spin a lottery wheel. Presenting on Pamela Anderson? Take actual balloons. You get the idea...
Tip Number Four: Slot in Q&A at the three-quarter mark
Don't end with Questions and Answers. If you do, you might face the awkward scenario of concluding on a defensive note, back-pedalling and having to justify yourself in the face of tough questions or an unanticipated attack. Instead, slot Q&A in at the three-quarter mark. Answer all the questions that you have time for, then wrap up the Q&A session. After that, do the conclusion that you want to do.
Tip Number Five: Leave them with clear instructions
What should you say in your conclusion? Quite simply, you need to tell them what to do. And be crystal clear; don't leave it up in the air. If the goal behind your road-show was to encourage existing clients to sign up for a new product, use the conclusion to be overt about it: "In a moment, I'd like you to stop by the table at the back and sign up. Then we will call you and organise a consultation."
Road shows are a great idea and an invaluable opportunity to speak intellectually, emotionally and with human connection, directly to your market. Put thought into how you go about your road show and the results will speak for themselves.
Happy touring!
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