Making Presentation Development More Effective: Branding your Presentation

Most A/E/C firms have spent incredible amounts of time and money on branded marketing materials – logos, PPT templates, imagery, proposal designs, etc.  Much like our branded marketing collateral material, a presentation brand reflects the unique character of your organization and your specific approach to particular types of projects.  By developing and using a presentation brand, your organization can create more memorable presentations that reflect your unique culture.

 

A presentation brand makes your team memorable and sets an expectation in the minds of selectors and potential selectors.  One firm with which I regularly work (and win!) has created a knowledge-based brand for their presentations.  At Communication Resources Northwest, we affectionately call them “presentation nerds” and it’s something that works for them more often than not.  Clients routinely say that their interviews are more knowledge rich and research based than any of their competition.  These same clients also report their perception that this firm works harder than any of their competitors. 

This firm’s presentation brand is “hard working and knowledgeable” and they’ve developed and implemented presentation design processes to keep that brand strong.  And, when they are consistent with their brand, they win more often than not.

Getting started with the presentation branding process isn’t that hard. I recommend firm leadership get together (including the Marketing Director!) in a dedicated session to answer two key questions:  How do we want our presentations to be perceived?  And, What would we have to do in every interview to achieve that perception?  For example, if one perception on your list is to be perceived as more creative than your competition, you may want to think about creative approaches to interviews beyond standard PowerPoint slides.  Is your team willing to have fun in the interview, stepping “outside the box” to do something innovative and unusual?  If a desired perception is to come across as polished and professional, your firm is going to have to select (or train) professionals with excellent presentation skills and clearly communicated self-confidence.

One of the most important things I learned in a training program years ago is that communication – in any form – is intentional.  We make decisions about how we want to be perceived and the messages we want to get across.  By establishing and reinforcing a presentation brand, firms become more prepared and intentional about every interview.  While it won’t win all the time – you have to select potential clients who want your brand – you’ll find your process gets easier, decisions get clearer, and you will see an increase in your hit rate.