Mar 14

sales presentations on iPads and tablets: The 3 advantages

iPads and tablets have advantages in sales presentations, but not always the ones we think. I am not talking about advantages for the customer when he or she is reading the presentation all alone on an iPad, that is another matter altogether – see these two articles is you are interested:

Here, what I’m talking about are the advantages of using an iPad or a tablet in a sales meeting.

Sales presentations on iPads and tablets: The 3 advantages

  1. iPADs and sales presentationsPresent on your feet: No keyboard means you can hold the device with one hand and activate the screen with the other.
  2. One-on-one presentations: An iPad or tablet is less intrusive, more natural and less artificial than a PC
  3. Quick start: Tablets start up almost instantaneously. This is particularly useful in an informal sales setting; you get into a discussion somewhere where it would be inappropriate to open a computer, but you want to use visual support. With a tablet, you are in business in 10 seconds.

You will note, however, that these three advantages evaporate

  • you are presenting  to customers seated around a table,
  • you are presenting  to multiple participants: you would have to project onto an LCD screen or a video-projector, and there is no advantage to using an iPad over a PC.

That’s it! No more, no less. There are stunning presentations for iPad – here’s one of my favorites:

[youtube_sc url= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkZtRzc9rFQ width=550 rel=0 fs=1]
but they reflect the talent of the speaker, not the technology. The same thing could be achieved on a PC.

The iPad is still a great device. I’m a big fan. But with just three, fairly small advantages and some serious disadvantages (click here to find out more), iPads and tablets are not going to have a huge impact in the world of sales presentations.

But perhaps you feel differently. What’s your experience using tablets in sales presentations? Update this article by posting a comment below.


voir cet article en français: http://presentations-de-vente.com/presentations-de-vente-sur-ipad-ou-tablettes-trois-avantages

jfmessier

PowerPoint and sales: How to get the best out of the new technologies and make your presentations great. My approach to great sales presentations is based on three-pronged experience:

- 30 years of experience in and passion for sales: 16 years of B2B, retail, and pharmaceutical laboratory sales, and 14 years of consulting at Mercuri International, where I have trained some 5,000 sales representatives, as well as over 500 sales management executives.

- My experience with new technologies: As New Technologies Director for Mercuri International, I now travel to some 25 countries to implement the best that technology has to offer in terms of sales development.

- The example of the world’s best communicators:
Thanks to all those whose publications and presentations inspire me a little more each day:
- Garr Reynolds: The master of modern communication, he has influenced me the most. An American living in Japan, he is an internationally-renowned communications expert and the creator of the most popular website on presentation design, presentationzen.com. He has also authored a book of the same name, as well as several other books.
- Steve Jobs: It’s not his engineering skills that make him so indispensable for Apple … it’s his extraordinary ability to sell its products. Steve Jobs is one of the most captivating salesmen in the world.
- Nancy Duarte heads Duarte Design, one of the largest design and woman owned firms in Silicon Valley. Her client list includes the largest Fortune-500 companies, such as Adobe, Cisco, Google and Hewlett-Packard.
- Carmine Gallo is a communications coach who is passionate about the techniques Steve Jobs uses to captivate his audience.
- Phil Waknell: Philippe Waknell is the founding co-director of Paris-based Ideas on Stage, one of France’s best presentation companies. His “Phil presents” blog is a marvel of inspiration, originality and simplicity.
- Guy Kawasaki is an American born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Ex-Apple, he was one of the first directors of marketing at Apple, where his mission was to create a community of passionate users and defenders of the Apple brand.
- Seth Godin was vice president of direct marketing at Yahoo. He has written twelve books that have been translated into over 30 languages. All were best sellers. American Way Magazine calls him “America’s Greatest Marketer”.
- Olivia Mitchell is a presentation trainer based in Wellington, New Zealand. Her blog “Speaking about presenting” is a rich resource.
- Hans Rosling, a professor of international health at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, is the Zen master of presenting statistics when it comes to making sense and telling a story.
- Doctor John Medina is a molecular biologist focused on the genes involved in brain development. He is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller Brain Rules, which decodes how the brain processes and assimilates information.
- John Sweller is an Australian psychologist known for formulating the theory of cognitive load. He has authored over 80 scientific publications, mainly on cognitive factors, with specific emphasis on the implications of working memory limitations.

1 comment

3 pings

  1. Hi Jean-François

    I agree upon the advantages of a sales presentation on a tablet, but I don’t agree they evaporate when you have a seated presentation. The iPad can be launched much faster compared to a pc, scrolling is easier, it’s still less intrusive and if needed you can connect your iPad to a beamer (not the iPad 1). An extra advantage is the impression your audience gets from you. People tend to think you’re more up-to-date and perception is everything.

    Kris Sierens
    BeforeTheHype SmartPresentations

  1. […] this article in english: http://newsalespresentation.com/sales-presentations-ipads-tablets-3-advantages Voir aussi: Présentation de vente sur iPad ou tablettes, les 7 inconvénients.Présentations de […]

  2. […] and tablets have three clear advantages in sales presentations (click here to find out what they […]

  3. […] JF MESSIER ← Sales presentations on iPads and PCs: Don’t send the written proposal in PDF sales presentations on iPads and tablets: The 3 advantages → […]

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