One Shot at A First Impression

There is a saying that nothing in life is guaranteed, which is probably true, but that doesn’t make some things very likely. In our space, one such likelihood is your going to a conference at some point in time. If you work at a company with a marketing department, they will probably wish for fewer shows. And, while we love shows, that certainly doesn’t hold true for everyone. Every once in a while, you will go to one that more people like than not. We went to one just this week in New York City, a one day conference with no actual sessions, focused on the intersection between technology and finance. While it didn’t have any sessions, that didn’t mean it lacked speakers. Instead of panels, this show, like a handful of others, such as those put on by AlwaysOn and TechCrunch, had presenters but not just any presenters.

In the case of Finovate, the show we just attended, it featured 24 presenters, but rather than talking about a topic that they either know too little about (or too much about with the same end result – sharing nothing useful) and/or speaking for way too long, those presenting here had a mere seven minutes each. Not only did they have seven minutes, but each person had to use the same medium for presenting, a live demo of their product – no PowerPoints no pretty pictures outside of those that didn’t already exist. What came about was not just an overview of some really cool sites, e.g., BillShrink.com, Mint.com, QuickenOnline.com, CreditKarma.com, and FiLife.com, but another ancillary benefit – lessons for any giving a talk. Some of you reading might not be thinking about giving a talk, but you should be, because there is a very real chance that sometime in the future, instead of just attending, you will be speaking. And, even if it’s not at a conference, it will be in front of management or employees, venture capital, new recruits, etc. For when you do, here’s what we learned from listening to some of the best funded companies describing their business to a room full of more suits than a Men’s Warehouse:

• You Are Not Alone – Chances are you are not unique; additionally, chances are that your unique offer isn’t really unique either. If it is, it won’t be for long. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it will make it much better on stage once you know that uniqueness alone won’t cut it. The most dominant company today, Google, was yet another search engine coming to the scene after a countless number of engines had come before them. When talking about them, they didn’t say, “Look at us. We’re a search engine. How cool is that.” It’s the same as a company today saying, what makes you special and the answer being, “We’re a new social network.”
• Set the Stage – If you watched the debates on CNN, you would have seen the lines of uncommitted men and women voters of Ohio that represent their attitudes on the candidates. Had such lines existed during this conference, one of the best companies would have seen their lines flat-lining. Their product had nothing wrong with it, but they didn’t put the hook into the audience. Another company, a product from one of the more boring presenters had people on their seat, because instead of talking about the greatness of the product, they talked about what their product needed. So, when it was time to talk about the product, people were comforted to know that they were there to solve the problem.
• Know the Facts – Do 72% of people really sneeze more than two times and as a result need that special screen protector? It might sound nice on stage, but don’t think that people will buy whatever facts you say just because you are on stage. Even worse, you might end up making promises that you can’t keep. It doesn’t mean avoid giving facts. If anything, facts can make a huge impact in the story, and much like a resume, the more quantifiable the better. But, like a resume, don’t put unsupported facts.
• Know Your Points – You can be the smartest guy with the best product, but if you don’t have a point to the rambling, your audience will lose you and stop paying attention after the opening few sentences. This holds even more true if you are speaking without the luxury of a slide show or handouts. The guys at this show ,for instance, had to make their points using only what was available on their site. More than a few, even those with phenomenal products, blew it because they didn’t organize their points and determine how to best illustrate them. You might think it is hard to make a simple product more complex, but it’s a lot tougher to make a complex one easily digestible.
• Practice – Sometimes the simplest things are the easiest to forget, and believe it or not, practice is chief among them. Especially in the case of a seven minute presentation , you might think that you just need a few bullets, but often the shorter the routine the more rehearsed it needs to be. Jay Leno doesn’t just wing the opening monologues, and even those who train in improv. actually train. The best way to look natural is to know exactly what you want to cover. Only then can you go off script comfortably.
• Recap – By the time you have come to this point, you’ve already forgotten everything you’ve read up until here, but if I tell you that you need to remember that you are not as unique as you think, to tell verified facts, use emotion to grab attention, have your points in your mind in advance, and to practice, you will know what I’m talking about. If I included in that list to dress sharply, you would have thought that point sounded as though it didn’t belong. Tell people what you want them to know and then make sure you tell them again. And, perhaps even one more time.

• Don’t Beg – This show was interesting, because after the dozen company pitches, everyone adjourned to a modified expo hall where each presenter had a table top with which to meet attendees. Just like in dating, the confident ones didn’t say anything that lowered their status, e.g., “We hope to see you there.” Instead, they just said, “We will see you there,” or “We will be available if you need us.” Just as you begin strong, you need to end the same, and if you knew the points you wanted to make after grabbing their attention, practiced it so that it seemed unrehearsed, and summarized what you wanted to say, you can finish without hoping for a follow-up.