How Ronald Reagan Would Change Your Corporate Presentation

After reviewing hundreds of corporation presentations over the past five years, I can honestly say that they all are basically the same. You could almost take slides from one company’s presentation and insert them in another, and no one would even notice. They are all fact-based infomercials that approach customers with the same message—we’re the industry leader with a state-of-the-art solution that partners with our customers. The problem is all the competitors are making the exact same claims. As a result, nothing unique is communicated. Therefore, the real question to ask is, "How can you differentiate your sales presentation?"

The answer to this question may be found by studying "The Great Communicator," the late former President Ronald Reagan. In 2000, Ronald Reagan was ranked as the eighth-best president in U.S. history according to a survey of 78 historians. It's not surprising that he was ranked behind national heroes such as Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, the most surprising part of the survey is that he was ranked as the most underrated president of all time. What made this president so unique was his ability to communicate and persuade.

So, how would Reagan change your sales presentation?

1. Reagan would add a great "cowcatcher."
Most people associate the term "cowcatcher" with the metal grill on the front of a locomotive. However, "cowcatcher" has an entirely different meaning in the entertainment industry. It's a show's opening moments in which the performers try to grab your attention and cause you to stop and look.

Reagan, the Hollywood star, knew the importance of a cowcatcher. Before and during his presidency, he wrote more than 600 radio addresses by himself in his own handwriting. They were not the work of a team of speechwriters. Perhaps the most impressive part of every radio address was the opening cowcatcher, the first sentences of every program. Some examples:

"It has been said a baby-sitter is a teenager acting like a parent while the parent is out acting like a teenager."

"How much do you miss dinosaurs? Would your life be richer if those giant pre-historic flying lizards occasionally settled on your front lawn?"

"It sometimes seems that we can get more emotionally aroused over mistreatment of animals than we can if the victims are human."

The best corporate sales presentations start with a great cowcatcher. A great cowcatcher engages the mind, appeals to the imagination and helps the presenter gain credibility.

2. Reagan would use a captivating "hook."
Following the cowcatcher, you need a "hook." Now that the listeners' interest is piqued, you need to hook them on why they should use your product. Your best hook is to tell them stories. For example, lets take a look at how Reagan opened with a provocative cowcatcher and then hooked the audience with a story about baby seal hunts:

"It sometimes seems that we can get more emotionally aroused over mistreatment of animals than we can if the victims are human. A few weeks ago, a writer in the Los Angeles Times did an article on the 1978 Canadian baby seal hunt. One line in the article was very thought provoking: 'If seal pups were as ugly as lobsters, their harvest would go unnoticed.' Accompanying his article was a photo that proved his point. It was a snow white baby seal with its black nose and round eyes looking like something you’d put in the nursery for children to cuddle."

The sales presentation should include six to eight slides of how specific customers are using the products, the operational results that have been improved, and the financial impact on the bottom line. In addition, it should include a quote from a customer whose name and title the audience can identify with psychologically. For example, include a quote from your customer's CFO when presenting to a financial department. Finally, this section should have some eye-catching graphics that tie the whole story together and “hook” the prospect.

3. Reagan would incorporate mental imagery.
It's not enough to say that to stand out; you have to be different. Rather, you need a more sophisticated, indirect approach that differentiates your solution in the minds of customers. You can't tell customers you're unique, different, and one of a kind. You must demonstrate it to them, starting with the imagery of the corporate presentation. Reagan naturally employed mental imagery to psychologically engage his audience.

"It’s nightfall in a strange town a long way from home. I'm watching the lights come on from my hotel room window on the thirty-fifth floor. I'm afraid you are in for a little bit of philosophizing if you don’t mind. Some of these broadcasts have to be put together while I'm out on the road traveling what I call the mashed potato circuit. In a little while I’ll be speaking to a group of very nice people in a banquet hall.”

These two sentences from one of his radio addresses help create a personal receptive state where the audience is open to his thoughts. The words, "nightfall," "strange town," "long way from home," provide the mental imagery that enable the listeners to be quickly transported to Reagan’s place and mood (in an unfamiliar place a long way from home).

The second sentence is an "operator" on the first sentence. It further defines where he is physically and forces the listeners to adjust their viewpoint to the 35th floor of a hotel room. Both of these sentences are "verifiable statements." Most everyone has experienced being a long way from home and feeling homesick. Most everyone has been in a high-rise building. As listeners receive information, they check with their past experiences to verify the statement's accuracy. Assuming the listeners have been homesick before, this statement is agreed to and considered truthful. The honesty of the statement is also passed on to the presenter. These types of verifiable statements enable the presenter to quickly gain credibility and rapport.

The creators of almost all of the hundreds of presentations I have reviewed over the past couple of years come not from sales but from marketing departments. Unfortunately, these people usually have had little interaction with customers and no direct sales experience. They assume that customers think like they do and that the selection process is completely unbiased. Therefore, their presentation is a point-by-point list of reasons why a customer should select their product. As a result, the corporate sales presentation provides little mental imagery. The presentations are slide after slide of boring bullet points of information, with very few graphics to break up the monotony. This is the true definition of “death by PowerPoint.”

4. Reagan would employ "softeners."
Preapologizing is one technique for developing a receptive state with an audience. This is one form of a "softener." A softener eases listeners into the next thought or can be used to set expectations. Usually, Reagan's radio addresses discussed the economy or issues of foreign and domestic interest. When Reagan said, "I'm afraid you are in for a little bit of philosophizing if you don't mind," he is signaling that the intent of this week's message is different. He's adjusting the listeners' frame of mind from being issue based to being more reflective and introspective. Basically, he's telling them to relax a little.

He's on the road, about to give a speech on what he calls "the mashed potato circuit." How do you interpret that statement? Speaking to a group of people in the heartland of America is quite different from speaking to people from the East or West Coast. What would you have inferred if he had called it the "steak and wine circuit"? Perhaps that he considers these dinner speeches less than important and feels he should be performing his "real" job of leading the land. There's an underlying meaning that he is trying to communicate. However, the interpretation of the statement is dependent upon each listener's viewpoint, and there is no right or wrong answer. Regardless of the answer, listeners empathize with the position he is in.

Too many sales presentations are built upon black or white, all-or-nothing statements. These statements force the customer to either completely accept or reject the premise or argument being made. In reality, customers reject far more statements than they accept and this lessens rapport. Therefore, the best sales presentations incorporate softeners to lessen the likelihood of rejection. For example, instead of listing "We provide the most state-of-the-art technology" on a bullet point, you should use "Our technology offers these advantages."

5. Reagan would be sure to include some humor.
When people laugh, at some level they agree with you. Humor helps relieve the stress that is inherent to all sales calls. Like a seasoned salesperson, Reagan had a knack for making pithy comebacks that rendered his opponents' political body blows ineffective, thus allowing him to escape his position on the ropes. In the 1984 presidential debate, age figured to be a big issue since challenger Walter Mondale was 17 years younger than Reagan. To counteract potential criticism that the oldest man to ever serve as president was too old for the job, Reagan said, “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.”

Every salesperson should follow Reagan's lead and use humor during the corporate sales presentation. It shows you don't take yourself too seriously. If you tell jokes, the punch line should always be self-deprecating and at your expense. Remember, everyone is somewhat nervous during a sales call and humor lightens the mood and helps everyone relax.

Like every salesman, President Reagan had a product to sell. As a politician, his product was not only his policies but, equally important: himself. While each of his radio addresses had a political purpose, he also wanted to deliver a very powerful message that was camouflaged beneath the content of his story. Similar to the typical sales presentation, he wanted to use this special moment to motivate his customer to buy.

Click here to learn more about Ronald Reagan’s communication skills.

Comments

[elmo033057]

Ronald Reagan was the greatest president in my lifetime. I loved him because he had guts and class. Every was a natural and a wonderful man. He had leadership that had to be respected.

Incredible Blog!!! Keep it up!!!

[Jeff]

Fantastic post. Gotta love Reagan.... www.readtheanswer.com/index.php?RTA=web2

[Will Fultz]

Regardless of what your politics are, you had to like the style of the "gipper". Old "Ronaldus Magnus" simply could not be beaten by his oppenents at the ballot box or anywhere else for that matter. It is really amazing that more of corporate America just hasn't gotten ahold of his wonderful way of selling.

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