Ditch those Static Slides, It's Time to Switch to an Interactive Presentation
Are you still a fan of PowerPoint? Static slides might have worked before, but today’s audiences want (and deserve) better. In fact, studies show that most people tune out of static presentations after ten minutes. If you’re having trouble keeping your audience engaged, consider using an interactive presentation to get your point across.
What is an Interactive Sales Presentation?
Typical old-school presentations involve using a slideshow that moves in a linear direction. Once a presenter clicks on the next slide, going back to previous slides usually requires a literal rewind. In addition, interactivity remains limited, with users having to leave the presentation altogether if they want to click on a link or media file.
In contrast, interactive presentations aren’t limited by linear slideshows. Your meetings rarely proceed in a linear direction, so why should your presentation? Instead, interactive presentations take their cue from how your meeting flows.
For example, imagine you’re pitching to a client who seems really interested in your work and asks for more details during your presentation. Wouldn’t it be great if you could provide these details by just clicking on a hotspot or hyperlink? Interactive sales technology gives presenters the freedom to do just that. Depending on their audience’s engagement level, presenters can move freely throughout their presentations to give their clients the information they deserve.
The Benefits of Using an Interactive Presentation
Aside from being able to add more information on demand, interactive presentations can liven up meetings by offering more perks than static slideshows alone can provide. Specifically, they provide the following benefits:
Boost Buyers’ Engagement
An engaged client is an interested client. Unfortunately, using static slides won’t sustain your clients’ interest levels. Slide after slide of listed features, boring paragraphs and stock images will soon have them looking at their watches, anticipating the end of your presentation.
Interactive content that features integrated and clickable audio, image and video can help liven up your presentations. When highlighting a product, adding these features to your interactive presentation is a great way to emphasize your selling points. In addition, showcasing your products in high-definition video or 360-degree views is something your clients will appreciate. Compared to a slideshow that features a bulleted list of product features, guess which presentation will best capture your audience’s interest?
Engagement Leads to Better Discussions
A lack of audience questions or reactions often produces mixed feelings in a presenter. Does a lack of response mean they understood the presentation? Or, does it mean they’re not interested enough to prolong the session by asking questions? If you want to solve this dilemma, make sure to engage your audience. Using videos, gifs and other forms of multimedia often produce a much more animated response than static lines of text.
The visual and aural elements of a great interactive video can help convey cues that resonate with viewers. The choice of colors, design and even the actor’s voice and appearance can all create a positive effect on audiences. Once they respond positively to your message, they are much more likely to engage in discussions and ask questions.
You Promote Sales Enablement
Sales enablement tools are one way an organization can support its sales department and help them close more deals. Interactive presentations are a sales enablement tool that can help sales teams gain more client engagement.
Turning your sales presentations into thorough sources of information is a great way to help clients complete their purchase journey. You can spare buyers the time it takes to research your company by providing an interactive presentation that answers common customer questions. Apart from enhancing audience interest, adding interactive media can help validate your information and make you more trustworthy.
As they research their potential purchases, modern buyers often try to validate all product claims. They look at product reviews, attend demonstrations and even sign up for free trials or demos. This way, they can get firsthand information on how a product performs and check if it fits with the manufacturer’s claims. When designed correctly, an interactive presentation can serve as a product demonstration or guide for clients.
Provides a Customer-Centric Approach
You can turn an interactive presentation into customized materials for specific clients. By itself, interactivity gives sales representatives the ability to highlight specific features that resonate with certain clients. Providing highly-engaging videos and images can spur the interest of clients who require that level of detail.
The best interactive presentation software comes with analytics features that allow it to track which parts of the presentation resonate with viewers. Ultimately, your sales team can use this data to generate insights that point them in the right direction. While it can identify the most captivating parts of your presentation, it can also point out which sections need more work. Using analytics is a great way to learn more about what your customers want and need. Once they know this information, your sales team can refine their presentations to provide the right solutions for your customers.
Ditch Your Old Sales Presentation Format—Talk to Ingage
If your sales team still uses old-school static slideshows, it might be time to consider an upgrade. Equipping your team with interactive presentation software gives them a stronger means to conquer the digital sales front. Your sales team needs the right tools to create stories that keep clients engaged and enhance the buyer experience. Investing in high-quality interactive hardware with cloud-based presentation software can help them do just that.
Giving your clients the information they need before they even ask can help them through the buyer’s journey. Combined with this information, using interactive presentation software can help differentiate your brand and establish even stronger client relationships.
Are you interested in learning how Ingage can help you develop interactive presentations that speak to your audience? Let’s set up a chat so we can learn more about your specific needs. Afterwards, we’ll be happy to arrange a free demonstration so you can see our interactive software in action.