Appearances count

Appearances count and don’t large companies know it.  Just look at how much time they invest in the company image and brands.  What can the SME do in this area? 

One of the key advantages of a SME over large companies is the personal touch.  If you are in daily contact with your customers/clients then how you come across is very important; it’s not just being good at the technical stuff.  A big factor in this is your body language.  Check out these slides for some quick tips.  It’s a case of small things, but they all add up.

If you are pitching then take a look at this and get some tips from Apple’s Steve Jobs. It goes to show that there is some great free advice on the internet.

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Comments

[simonr - Curved Vision Presentations]

There's some good stuff kicking around, you're right, and I'd like to think that I was contributing to it with the presentation skills blog (www.curved-vision.co.uk/presentation-skills-blog)!

Not many people can aspire to the Jobs level of presenting - for me it's about helping startsups and SMEs make presentations which are "good enough" - that's what it's all about really. They don't have to be perfect pitches or whatever, just good enough so that the presentation doesn't hide the quality of the content (assuming you've got good content, that is! :) ). Once people realise that, it helps take away a lot of their presentation nerves.

.... and that's half the battle.

[Philip Woodgate]

Hi Simon

Personally I'ld recommend everyone to do a course on presentations especially if you can see yourself on video. The techniques you learn are a benefit in all face to face meetings. I had the habit of rocking and moving my arms too much - I just never realised. Those irratating habits were easily fixed once I became aware of them.