THE FIVE DEADLY SINS OF PRESENTING

For an industry that’s all about selling things, we spend no time teaching creative people how to sell advertising. So we shouldn’t be surprised when work dies due to self-inflicted wounds. Here’s a list of the five most common mistakes I’ve seen creatives make when presenting. Hell, I’ve made most of them myself.

BLURTING
Blurting is when you leap into presenting an idea with absolutely no preamble whatsoever. You so badly want to sell your work that you leave out the reasons for why it's worth buying. Advertising should be fifty percent sold before you ever show it.

AD WHISPERING
You can’t sell advertising if your audience can’t hear you. Or if you’re looking at your shoes or have your back to the client when reading a script off a screen. Stage presence counts. And the best actors win.

WANDERLUST
The more a creative presentation wanders into unnecessary, irrelevant banter, the faster a client will start sending emails under the table. Be organized, stay focused. Or kiss the work good bye.

TELEPATHY
Telepathy is when a presentation leaves out crucial information. Clients aren’t mind readers. If they have to ask a bunch of questions just to get the idea, it makes them wonder if consumers won’t get it either. Good luck recovering from that.

IMPALEMENT
Falling on your sword might make you a temporary hero inside the creative department but the work usually isn’t the only thing that ends up dying. Smart presenters live to fight another day.