Professional Liability Insurance Group's online newsletter for September 2018
The PLIG Professional’s PULSE
Volume #25
How to Create a Business Presentation
If you’ve ever attended an industry conference or gathering of business owners, you’ve probably had to sit through at least one mind-numbingly boring presentation.You’ve also likely been wowed by a presentation before.When giving a presentation of your own, you obviously want it to fall into the latter category. But what separates a bad presentation from a good one? Elisabeth Osmeloski, vice president of Audience Development for SearchMarketingExpo.com and MarTechConf.com, oversees dozens of presentations every year, giving her unparalleled insight into what makes presentations sink or swim.“The perfect presentation,” she says,“has certain attributes and will be engaging, entertaining, memorable, inspiring, and actionable — all at once.” Follow these tips to make sure that your next presentation has all of these qualities and leaves your audience in awe. Understand Your Audience A great way to turn off a room is to assume they all care about you just because you’re the one on the stage.The goal is for your presentation to resonate with the audience and compel them to buy, which is hard to do if you don’t know the first thing about the crowd. Every event is different and so are the people who attend them.Try to glean as much information as you can about the folks you’ll be speaking to.Take your cure from the nature of the event. If you’re speaking to a group of lawyers, for example, tailor your message to be relevant to their profession. Start With a Story Narrative is one of the easiest ways to engage a crowd. More often than not, the goal of your presentation will be to sell something, but you won’t have much luck if you structure your talk to be an hour-long sales pitch. Instead, start by getting personal and sharing a compelling story with your audience.“Stories will make you more likable, trustworthy, and interesting,” says Leslie Belknap, marketing director at Ethos3. Building this rapport early will pay dividends as your presentation unfolds. If you can hook an audience in the first five minutes, you’ll have their attention for the remainder of your time onstage.You can even build references to your initial story into later parts of your talk or pepper in additional stories throughout. Don’t be afraid to sprinkle in a little inoffensive humor.A crowd that’s laughing is a crowd that’s listening. Use Visuals Talking for an hour straight without any aids is a herculean task unless you’re a preternaturally gifted orator. It’s also bound to alienate the visual learners in the audience.The more graphs, charts, animations, and pictures you can incorporate
into your presentation, the better.To be frank, there’s a good chance most audience members will forget the bulk of what you say within a day or two. Striking visuals, though, might stay with them a lot longer. There’s just one caveat to go along with this advice: Put time into your visuals. A janky PowerPoint presentation will lower your credibility.“If it looks stock, it probably is,” notes Ryan Mack, president of Carrot Creative.“Altering an existing template doesn’t take a tremendous amount of time. It also indicates that the presenter knows how to represent the idea and narrative visually.” Follow the 3-Point Theory In the desire to provide actionable takeaways during your talk, don’t give the audience too much to chew on.A good rule of thumb is that the average person can remember three key points, but no more.You should structure your presentation to emphasize your three most important points, touching on them multiple times and in myriad ways. To create these three concepts, ask yourself,“What are the three things I want the crowd to know by the time I’m finished?” It seems simple, but far too many presenters fail to do it.Too few takeaways, and you come off as airy and insubstantial; too many, and you risk overloading your guests with information. Sell Throughout, but Subtly Unless you encourage somebody to take action (i.e., buy what you’re selling), they have no reason to. However, don’t spend the bulk of your time onstage selling. Demonstrate the value of your product or service without beating people over the head with it.You’re not Ron Popeil, and a presentation isn’t an infomercial.You
-Shayne
have to present your sales proposition as a natural part of your talk rather than tacking it on at the end.
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A POWERFUL RECRUITMENT AND RETENTIONTOOL The Top 5 Employee Benefits
No. 2: Flexible Hours Our lives are busier than ever before, and
No. 4: Work-From-Home Options Technology has made it so that many employees don’t need to be in the office all the time. Because of this, many employees actively seek out jobs that provide flexible work options. Even offering one or two work-from-home days per week can be a huge draw for candidates. No. 5: Unlimited Vacation This policy might sound crazy on first read, but admired companies like Hubspot, Dropbox, and Netflix all offer unlimited vacation. Each company structures their policy a little differently, but they all stress the importance of work-life balance to support happy, productive, and fulfilled employees.
The most powerful employee recruitment and retention tools a business has are the pay and the benefits package it offers.While a killer company culture and creative amenities look great in a magazine spread, they aren’t enough to convince top talent that their future lies with your business. The right benefits package, though, could persuade a prospective employee to choose a position at your company over another that offers a similar salary.According to a study conducted by Harvard Business Review, these five benefits are considerably more desirable than others. No. 1: Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance As the cost of health care has skyrocketed in recent decades, so too has the demand for employers to provide comprehensive coverage. Unsurprisingly, it’s the most expensive benefit to provide.Weighing how much coverage your company is willing to offer may be a delicate balancing act, but the rewards can completely change your business for the better. Companies like Patagonia, with its best-in-class maternity policy, retain employees at a significantly higher rate than average.
scheduling conflicts crop up all the time. Employees don’t like having to decide between working and attending their child’s soccer games. Offering some flexibility in terms of when somebody can work, therefore, is extremely desirable. No. 3: More Vacation Time In the European Union, companies are required to offer at least 20 days of paid vacation to employees. In the U.S., that number falls to a whopping 0. In fact, 1 in 4 American employees doesn’t get paid time off at all.The more you offer, the more appealing you’ll be.
If you’ve found yourself wondering why you can’t attract the candidates you want, take a look at your benefits policy.When you can’t compete on that front, you’ll find it mighty difficult to get and keep the best people.
What Some of Our Clients Are Saying
I have known Shayne for almost a decade. He and his staff are an absolute pleasure.They completely have your best interests as their goal. Extremely friendly, very professional, and always fighting for you. -C.C. Shayne and his staff are always there for me when I need the most updated information regarding my policies! -Dariel
Always helpful, easy to reach, questions answered professionally and in a timely manner. -Linda C.
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We provide informative articles and topics that focus on information for businesses of all types. Recent blog posts to check out: • Online Reviews Can Help You, But Beware How You Handle Negative Reviews • Simple Ways To Avoid Lawsuits When Firing Employees • 6 Things You Must Do To Future-Proof Your Business Today! www.ProtectUsBetter.com/blog
Done Is Better Than Perfect
One Simple Concept Can Change Your Business Forever
The Devil Is in the Details When you obsess over a given task, it’s usually not something foundational to the success of the project. It’s more likely that you spend your time in the weeds of what is relevant to the consumer. Shades of blue in an email or trying to find the just right type of lightbulb for your office isn’t going to drastically alter the course of your business. Spending a disproportionate amount of time on menial tasks that do not move your company forward is counterproductive. Pull theTrigger There comes a point in every project where you’ve reached the threshold of quality work.The measure of a great leader is knowing when this moment has arrived and marking the task as done. Every minute spent beyond this moment is time not spent on other important responsibilities — and that’s money down the drain. ROI on Perfection To see if your business needs a boost in productivity, try running an analysis on where the time in a specific project goes.You’ll find that the more time you spend chasing perfection, the less profitable that project is. Done is better than perfect because it’s efficient and cost-effective, but most importantly, because it’s done.
In the modern realm of business, you’ll find attention to detail and high standards are required for businesses to be successful.With multiple markets oversaturated with similar products, marketing, and services, the quest for quality has turned into a necessity for survival. But somewhere along the line, the focus put on providing superior amenities becomes more of a hindrance than an assurance.The pursuit of perfection in daily tasks creates a paralyzing effect on productivity. The concept of “done is better than perfect” has rapidly circulated in business over the last couple years. Current times require on- demand delivery of knowledge; paralysis by analysis can make a company less relevant if they can’t keep up.This fixation on the minutiae of a task not only hinders customer engagement, but it also has a negative effect on a business’s bottom line. Isn’t Perfect Always Better? Detractors of the “done is better than perfect” mantra suggest that going the extra mile makes all the difference in a client-based relationship. And they’re right, but their interpretation of this philosophy is wrong.“Done is better than perfect” is not about churning out mediocre work. It’s about not wasting money.
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Marketing Horror Stories Every marketing professional wants their campaign to be memorable.They want who received the letters. A Lesson in What Not to Do
even in the ‘90s, most vacuums were still cheaper than plane tickets, and Hoover lost 50 million pounds in what remains the biggest promotional
consumers to take notice — or take the bait — and make their company a big profit. But sometimes, things don’t go exactly as planned.The campaigns below certainly won the attention of consumers, but in each case, what started out as a marketing dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Fiat’s Direct Mail Disaster In 1992, women across Spain received anonymous letters inviting them to go on a “little adventure.” The letters stated,“We met again on the street yesterday, and I noticed how you glanced interestedly in my direction.” Fearing a stalker, many women locked themselves in their homes. A few days later, another letter arrived, revealing the identity of the “secret admirer” as the new Fiat Cinquecento.Yes, the creepy letters were part of a marketing campaign by the Italian car company. Fiat apologized and ended the campaign after criticism from consumer protection groups, Social Minister Cristina Alberdi, and the 50,000 women
KFC and Hoover Can’t Do Math A shocking number of companies hold giveaway promotions without calculating exactly how much they will cost. Here are a few examples. • Back when “Oprah” was the biggest show on television, KFC ran an ad offering a free two- piece chicken meal with two sides and a biscuit for anyone who went to their website and downloaded a coupon. Over 10.5 million coupons were downloaded, and KFC had to give away $42 million in free food. • In the 1990s, Hoover Company in the United Kingdom offered two round-trip plane tickets with the purchase of a vacuum. Unfortunately,
disaster ever.
Cartoon Network Causes a Bomb Scare Guerilla marketing can create valuable word of mouth — think about the success of the movie “IT” last year.The marketing for the film included simple red balloons tied to storm drains. But Cartoon Network didn’t have quite the same luck in 2007 when they tried to promote their show “AquaTeen Hunger Force.”When the network put electronic devices featuring a character from the show all over Boston, city residents thought the strange contraptions looked like bombs and called the police.This triggered a terrorist scare that ultimately cost the general manager of Cartoon Network his job.
‘The Art of Learning’ A Child Prodigy Rethinks Success
This is a book about a journey. It chronicles a life of international chess tournaments, high- stakes martial arts competitions, a boy who found too much success, and the man who had to relearn everything because of it.Yes,“The Art of Learning” reads like a gripping, emotional
for Bobby Fischer,” chronicling his young son’s journey into the world of chess.This then inspired the movie of the same name. Now, one does not normally think of child prodigies as being great sources of insight into finding success. By definition, prodigies are exceptional
and hard work, we will be brittle in the face of adversity.”Waitzkin was very gifted at chess, and he didn’t have to push himself early on, but by the time he did find challenging opponents, he found loss and adaptation impossible to handle. It wasn’t until he stepped out of the rigid grids of chess and into the flowing movements of tai chi that Waitzkin was able to formulate a guide to success. Appropriately subtitled “An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance,”Waitzkin’s story of grappling with childhood stardom and climbing the brackets of the tai chi chuan circuit is full of wisdom applicable to anyone looking to achieve mastery in their field.With compelling personal anecdotes and a unique perspective on what success really looks like,“The Art of Learning” is a fresh, vibrant addition to the personal development genre.
memoir, but make no mistake — JoshWaitzkin’s work doubles as an effective guide for business
— exceptions who operate on a different playing field than most. But Waitzkin firmly positions his journey through the chess world as the antithesis of what he calls “the art of learning.” As the author states,“The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability as opposed to resilience
owners striving to attain perfection in their fields.
JoshWaitzkin’s name will be familiar to longtime chess fans and movie buffs alike. As a child prodigy,Waitzkin won his first national chess title at age 9, which quickly made him an international sensation. His father, FredWaitzkin, wrote the renowned book “Searching
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How it works All you have to do is tell a friend, colleague, or any professional you know about us and make sure they tell us you sent them — that’s it! Remember, protecting professionals is our specialty! You can refer any commercial business of any size, big or small, such as an accounting or law firm, a physician’s practice or health care facility, an architecture or engineering firm, or even your local restaurant or dry cleaner. What you win 1. For each referral, we will automatically send you a $10Wawa gift card! 2. Each referral automatically enters you into the quarterly drawing for a $50Visa gift card! 3. Each referral also enters you into the annual drawing for your choice of an iPad Mini or an Amazon Kindle Fire HD. 4. For each referral we receive, we will also donate $20 to a charity * of your choosing. *Charity must be a registered 501(c)(3) Remember, without your referrals and much-appreciated testimonials, we would not be where we are today.Your words encourage us to do our best and help other professionals decide to do business with us.You can call 856-692-7702, fax 856-691-0059, or email your referrals and kind words to info@ProtectUsBetter.com. And, as always, we want to say “Thank you!” for the professional relationships we have with each of you!
• •
You don’t have to be a client to receive your freeWawa gift card.
There is absolutely no limit to how many times you can enter.
• Our contest is not in direct relation to any insurance sales.You’ll be rewarded simply for the lead. • You do not have to be present at the drawings to win. • Your referrals do not have to become our client for you to claim your prize. • We are not responsible if the law says you can’t win due to age or any other restriction.
The PLIG P u z z l e Challenge
Guess the next two pairs of letters given below? SO, ND, JF, MA, ??,?? BRAIN TEASER
At the Professional Liability Insurance Group, we know just how bright and intelligent our newsletter readers are, which is why we are happy to challenge you with this puzzle! All you have to do is answer the puzzle challenge correctly and send your answer to us. Email your answer to info@ProtectUsBetter.com, fax it to 856-691-0059, or call 856-692-7702 to read off your answers.The winner will be selected from a random drawing of all correct responses submitted prior to printing our next newsletter and will win a $20Wawa gift card! Good luck!
LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE & ANSWER: Q:What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, yet never in a thousand years? A:The letter m CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Scott Busch for getting the last puzzle and winning a $20Wawa gift card!
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Business Presentation Tips The Most Sought-After Employee Benefits Hear From Our Clients Check Out New Content on Our Blog! Why Done Is Better Than Perfect WouldYou Survive These Marketing Nightmares? Discover ‘The Art of Learning’ Referral Contest The PLIG Puzzle Challenge The Benefits of Live Chat Customer Support
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LIVE CHAT SUPPORT Wow Customers and Staff Members Alike
Businesses today have all sorts of ways to provide customer service and support.While the tried-and-true methods, like in-person and over-the-phone support, aren’t going the way of the dodo anytime soon, they’ve been joined by a variety of newer methods. From email and social media support to artificial intelligence (AI) services, companies have many options at their disposal and can decide which methods work best for their customers. As new channels have emerged, one in particular has become incredibly popular and garnered high scores from customers: live chat. Live chat support works just like Slack or Google Hangouts, which you probably already use in some capacity. However, instead of being used for internal communication between employees, live chat support agents respond to the needs of customers. Live chat offers benefits to both customers and businesses, making it an appealing option for companies of all sizes and industries. From a customer’s perspective, the most obvious benefit of live chat is that you get all the personal service of human interaction without having to leave your home or sit on hold on the phone. Live chat response times are also consistently faster than other methods of communication. A study from Superoffice.com found that live chat requests typically received a response within two minutes, a much shorter time than the average 10 hours required for requests over social media and 17 hours for emails.With data like that,
it’s not hard to see why live chat ranked first for customer satisfaction in a survey from Econsultancy. Businesses also find live chat support advantageous because, on the phone, a support staff
member can only deal with one customer at a time. In a chat, a representative can handle multiple claims at once. Employees also find that live chatting forces customers to tone down their anger and clearly articulate their issue, increasing the chances that a problem will be resolved.The conversational nature of live chat produces better results and keeps the process moving. If a customer needs to take a few minutes to find a serial number over the phone, that’s money being wasted. But when the same thing happens over chat, your employee can continue working on other requests in the meantime. There are countless live chat software options for you to choose from, like LiveHelpNow, LiveChat, and Beacon.You’ll want to do your research before committing to a particular provider, but if you don’t already offer live chat support to your customers, it’s time to start thinking about it.
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