12:50pm
Back in Saint Paul
When it was all over, I shook the A/V guy’s hand.
“Thanks for coming today,” I said.
“Your microphone?”
I unclipped my mic and placed it in his waiting hand.
“Oh. Of course.”
Last week, I stood on stage in front of perhaps 40 marketers at B2B Forum in Boston, sharing my ideas on building relationships with email marketing.
(It’s the same talk, with some improvements, I offered here just a few weeks ago.)
The presentation went well, I think.
(I just reviewed the recording—yes, it went well.)
There were a few laughs. Questions at the end. And yes, a few people did chat with me afterward—more than just the A/V guy.
But what are some takeaways I can share today?
First, watch your step!
I slipped on the stairs on my way up to the stage. Just about smashed my face on the floor.
(I think it was an inside joke with God, because just moments before I had confirmed with Him that I have nothing to worry about. Whatever happens, He’s got my back. I hadn’t thought to confirm if He’s got my front, too!)
Second, it helps to be prepared. Of course. I had practiced this talk more than a dozen times, so when it came to the session, I was prepared.
I knew what I wanted to say. And I think I said it?
Honestly, it went super fast and I kind of don’t remember it.
But I also found myself reading from the slides. Not ideal—but they were mostly a jumping off point for what I wanted to say. So not too bad.
Ah, the slides!
I had created the presentation in Google Slides, but the A/V team asked for the presentation as a PowerPoint file.
And when I got on stage… the formatting was wrong on a number of slides. Words were cut off, bullets weren’t aligned like I planned. Seriously, who uses Microsoft Office these days? I don’t have a solution for messed-up formatting, short of buying Office.
There were a few audience questions at the end, including one that was a bit more difficult to answer:
“You say to write about things that are interesting, and then tie that back to your offer. But how are we supposed to do that? We have 250 people working for us.”
My answer was, “pick one person, or a handful of people, to be that face and voice. Or interview the CEO for an hour and pull things from that conversation to write about. And memories are short—no one is going to remember if an email says something that the CEO doesn’t completely agree with.”
I don’t know if he liked my response or not.
He didn’t argue… but when I’m not wearing my eye glasses (which is always) I have a hard time seeing anything clearly that’s further than 15 feet away.
So maybe he smiled, or maybe he scowled. No idea.
But one thing I wish I had done before the presentation was record myself with video… and then watch that video, without sound, to review and improve my body language.
Was I stiff on stage? Did I pace? Did I use my hands enough? I don’t really know!
What I do know is that there were multiple sessions at B2B Forum about B2B businesses needing to market with more humanity.
And my presentation was, unintentionally, an extension of that important idea.
I also brought in B2C concepts that aren’t widely found in B2B marketing. Like storytelling. Skipping the stupid header image that immediately gives away your sales intention. Writing with simple language. Dual-path readership for the skimmers out there. And more.
I might re-record this presentation for you, if you’re interested (because the private one I offered a few weeks ago was good… but now it’s better). Write me back if that’s something you’d like.
But for now, if you want a front row seat to my recording from B2B Forum… and 58 other sessions covering behavioral science, copywriting, social media ads and more… you can buy access to all of them for a whole lot less cash than the live conference itself. Visit this site here:
https://www.marketingprofs.com/events/mpb2b24-ondemand/home/sa
Have a blessed weekend,
Jeffrey