Creating an engaging, persuasive presentation is an art in itself, but effectively closing the presentation with an attractive offer is a crucial skill that takes just a little practice and a genuine desire to provide value. Your goal as a presenter is to provide value, create a lasting impression, and compel your audience to want more from you. This blog post will guide you on how to confidently and smoothly conclude your presentation with a high-impact offer, whether it’s to buy a book, enroll in an online course, or attend a live retreat.
First, let's look at what a "high-impact" offer means. A "high-impact" offer is a proposition that delivers substantial value, and as a result, significantly influences your decision-making process. It's not merely about the product or service being offered; it's about the tangible and intangible benefits that come along with it, and how it can transform or greatly enhance your current state or situation.
Here are some features that often characterize high-impact offers:
1. High Perceived Value: It is perceived as being of high value, often because it fulfills an important need or solves a pressing problem they have.
2. Transformational: High-impact offers often provide transformational benefits, such as significant learning opportunities, professional growth, or lifestyle improvements.
3. Unique or Exclusive: High-impact offers often stand out from other, similar offerings due to their unique features or exclusive benefits.
4. Relevance: The offer is highly relevant to your interests, goals, or current situation.
5. Immediate Benefit: The offer provides immediate or near-immediate benefits, making it highly attractive to the recipient.
For instance, in the context of a presentation, a high-impact offer could be an exclusive invitation to a limited-seat workshop on a highly sought-after topic, a special bundle of your best-selling books, or a discounted enrollment to a popular online course that directly addresses the audience's main pain points or aspirations. These offers have the potential to greatly enhance your knowledge, skills, or resources, making them high-impact.
Next, we'll look at 5 steps to naturally and confidently introduce your offer and call to action at the end of your talk.
Step 1: Build the Know-Like-Trust Factor
Start by building the foundation of any successful transaction: trust. Delivering your presentation with transparency, authenticity, and sincerity lays the groundwork for the 'know-like-trust' factor.
The Know Factor:
Start your presentation by telling your story. Let your audience know who you are, what you do, and why you do it. Your background, experiences, and credentials can help establish credibility and build a connection with your audience. Just by spending time with your audience will allow them to get to know you and sharing your story and background helps them to relate to you.
The Like Factor:
Engage with your audience. Use humor and/or share personal anecdotes where appropriate. Share stories that your audience can relate to that shows empathy, understanding, and respect for their viewpoints. The more relatable and likable you are, the more receptive your audience will be.
The Trust Factor:
Build trust by letting your audience know what they will gain from your talk and then over deliver. Display credibility throughout your presentation by providing quotes and research that help to support your claims. This will instill trust and, in the end, will make your offer more appealing.
Step 2: Provide Real Value
Your presentation should provide real value. Equip your audience with useful information, tools, tips, or insights they can apply immediately. The more tangible value your audience derives from your talk, the more inclined they'll be to want more from you and consider your offer.
Step 3: Create a Desire for More
While you should aim to provide as much value as possible during your presentation, you also want to create a sense of anticipation for what’s next. Introduce concepts or ideas that provide immediate value and that you will delve deeper into in your book, course, or retreat. This strategy creates a desire for more information, knowledge, and insights, prompting your audience to consider your offer.
Step 4: Introduce Your Offer
Once you've established trust, provided value, and whetted your audience's appetite for more, it’s time to introduce your offer. Transitioning from your main presentation to introducing your offer needs to be smooth and well-crafted. It's important that it doesn't feel abrupt or out of place, as this can disrupt the flow of your presentation and potentially lose your audience's interest. But when you have provided valuable content that can be used immediately, your transition can feel like a natural next step in your talk. Here are examples of how to make that smooth transition:
For a book offer:
"Throughout this presentation, we've touched on numerous aspects of [topic]. I've given you a taste of the vast knowledge there is to explore. In my book, '[Book Title]', I delve into these topics in much greater detail, offering more comprehensive strategies and insights. If you found today's discussion insightful, this book can serve as your personal guide to mastering [topic]. To make it easier for all of you, I've placed a link to my website in the presentation description, where you can purchase the book directly. Also, for attending this presentation, I've arranged a 20% discount for the next 48 hours, so don't miss out on this opportunity!"
For an online course offer:
"We've covered a lot today, and I'm sure many of you might be wondering how you can put these ideas into action. To help you with that, I've developed an online course, '[Course Title]', which expands on these concepts and provides step-by-step tutorials. It's designed to help you apply these principles effectively in your daily life. You can find all the details about the course and the enrollment process on my website. I've included the link in the presentation description. And since you've shown your dedication by being a part of this talk, I'm offering an exclusive 10% discount for the first 50 enrollments!"
For a live retreat offer:
"I've shared some tools and strategies today that you can use immediately, but real change often requires deep immersion, reflection, and focused attention. That's why I host a [duration] retreat called '[Retreat Name]', where we spend dedicated time diving deeper into these concepts. This retreat is a transformative experience where you get to learn, apply, and master these strategies in a serene and supportive environment. If you're interested in taking this journey with me, you can sign up for the retreat on my website. The link is provided in the presentation description. But hurry up, spots are limited, and they fill up quickly!"
Customize these examples for your own offer and call to action.
By delivering a value-packed talk, the segue to your offer will feel like a natural extension of your presentation, while maintaining your audience's interest and engagement. Crucially, the offer's value should echo the themes discussed in your presentation, solidifying its relevance to the audience. If the schedule allows, a question and answer session about your offer could be a helpful transition tool, enriching your audience's understanding and interest.
Step 5: Call to Action Tips
Providing clear steps for what actions to take to purchase your book or enroll in your program is one of the most important steps in your offer. Here are a few tips:
Scarcity and Urgency:
Scarcity and urgency create the FOMO (fear of missing out). FOMO is a proven sales tactic and can include making your offer available for a limited time with either a special discount or bonuses or limiting the number of enrollments to a few spots for your retreat. The fear of missing out can motivate people to act quickly.
Call to Action:
Be clear about what you want your audience to do next. Whether it's visiting a website, sending an email, or filling out a form, carefully and clearly guide your audience through the process. Keep it simple and make it easy to make the purchase or enroll.
Recap the Value:
Before ending your presentation, summarize the value you've provided and the benefits they can gain from taking up your offer. You can use what you said before when you introduced the offer, just tweaking it a bit.
Your goal isn't merely to sell a book, a course, or a retreat. Your goal is to create a positive, memorable, and valuable experience for your audience whether they purchase from you or not. When they trust you, find value in your content, and crave more knowledge or insights, they are far more likely to take up your offer (if not then, perhaps later). In the end, a successful offer is one that benefits both the presenter and the audience equally.
If you find that the first time you provide an offer to be a little nerve wracking, be sure to use my “Overcome Your Fear” formula, a free training that I offer. It can help you feel confident and assured (rather than feeling like your selling).
The art of closing a presentation with an attractive offer is a skill that combines authenticity, value delivery, and strategic positioning. But remember, every audience is unique, and the effectiveness of your approach can vary. Therefore, it's essential to experiment, refine, and tailor your strategies based on your audience's needs and responses. Keep in mind, that you're not selling, you're telling.
Now, I'd love to hear from you. Have you used any of these strategies in your presentations? Maybe you have your own tried-and-tested methods that work wonders? Please share your experiences, insights, and questions in the comments below. Your input will not only help me provide more relevant content in the future, but also foster a community where we can all learn from each other.
If you've found this post valuable, feel free to share it with others who might benefit from it. Remember, learning is a journey that becomes more enriching when we embark on it together. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!