When you run a consultancy, you need the ability to market yourself effectively. Often, before you secure long-lasting contracts and partnerships, you'll be pitching yourself to other professionals through job ads and in-person meetings. Whether you're connecting with someone in a boardroom or online, you need to be able to quickly, clearly, and effectively state your value proposition.
Presenters know that the first few minutes of any engagement, keynote, or sales presentation are crucial. You need to display proficiency, maintain relevance, and answer any query with aplomb. However, not all consultants are natural presenters. If you're struggling with presentation design or you're not sure how to convey your brand identity, here are some tips to give you an edge.
Keep things simple.
If you're using a PowerPoint template or turning to a graphic design expert, it's easy to let your ideas flood the creative process. For many presentations, it isn't easy to edit. While you could think back to the classic Chanel quote about removing one accessory before leaving the house, you'll likely end up having to remove whole chunks. Clean layouts, smart font choices, and crisp design skills are paramount for any template. You don't have to be a wizard with Photoshop or Excel to develop a presentation that sings. You can do a great job by simply telling a compelling narrative. In fact, some of the best design presentations rely on a compelling narrative alone.
Of course, telling such a narrative will depend on your presentation skills to a degree. However, when you keep your visual communication simple and easy to digest, it's that much easier to craft a final product that speaks to potential clients. If you're struggling with good presentation design, always remember that simplicity is the key to success.
Refine your messaging.
Brands sometimes try to say too much with too little time. After all, a PowerPoint slide only has a limited amount of space. If you're looking at a combination of employer bids, you need a PowerPoint presentation to convey your messaging in as little time as possible. Your PowerPoint should never stray from your brand story and should also show the areas in which you excel. If you overcomplicate your messaging, you'll likely overcomplicate your PowerPoint design. If your PowerPoint design is unclear, you're likely to lose out on bids.
Hire a professional design service.
Whether you need web design, PowerPoint design, or InDesign expertise, it might be best to reach a professional. There are plenty of agencies and independent jobseekers who are adept at presentation design. If you're looking for a PowerPoint presentation designer, it's often best to use some carefully selected search terms. After all, you want a product that you can easily add to your deck. It also needs to be a format that's easily manipulated or altered since you're looking for a template. Each presentation slide, font choice, and illustrator design component needs to convey your message clearly and effectively.
For the best presentation design experience, it's a good idea to find an agency that works well with deadlines, offers a slide, deck, or web design revision, and has familiarity with other tools outside of PowerPoint. This may include Adobe (News - Alert) InDesign (or other products in the Adobe Suite), Prezi, or popular web design tools. With the right presentation design assistant on your side, you're more likely to excel the next time you're looking to push a consultancy bid.
Developing a strong consultancy template requires more than just PowerPoint presentation design knowledge. You need to have a clear understanding of your own value proposition and convey it to potential clients. With the right tools in your kit, it's that much easier to develop a template that can benefit you for years to come.
