You’re pulling together a presentation for a new small to mid-size business (SMB) prospect. You have checked it again and again to be sure your i’s are dotted and your t’s are crossed. Your high school English teacher would be so proud! But perfect grammar likely won’t be enough to convince a prospect that you are the right fit for their business’s needs.

SMB owners are looking for professional services providers who are experienced and conscientious, yes, but they also want someone who offers a presentation that is about them – their business! Their industry! They want someone who has insights about areas of opportunity within their industry that may benefit their company.

3 ways to upgrade your presentations

By upgrading your presentations to include this type of industry-specific information, you will demonstrate your knowledge and awareness of industry trends, challenges, and market conditions. And by adding this layer of value, you will inevitably get them into more engaging, advice-driven conversations that ultimately help you win more client relationships.

Here are the three types of useful information that you should include in all of your presentations to prospects.

Local economic data

The health of the local economy in an important consideration for business owners as they plan to expand, grow, and manage daily operations. Including information about the local economy encourages an insightful conversation about the health of the local market in which the prospect’s business is operating – which may drive their ultimate success. 

In your presentation, be sure to include data and graphs on topics like local industry growth, local job growth, home price changes, and housing permits to facilitate the conversation.

Trends and challenges common in the prospect’s industry

SMB owners eat and breathe their business; their entire world revolves around that company. Any information that pertains to their industry is of great interest to them. Be sure to include presentation slides with a snapshot and forecast of the SMB prospect’s industry. Incorporate a slide with data on the latest industry trends and risks. For example, if you’re presenting to a convenience store chain, you could include “Evolution in Food Service” – and have a discussion about how their business is managing these changes. 

Open-ended slide content like this will engage the SMB owner and invites him or her to further explore with you the topics that resonate most with their specific operations. 

Financial benchmarks 

All SMB owners are worried about the bottom line, and this means constantly thinking about their financials. If the presentation is for a prospect, speak to financial benchmarks within their industry as well as emphasize points from peer data. Discuss revenue and profit drivers, in addition to financial ratios within the industry as a whole. For existing clients, also add screenshots of how their specific financials compare to industry averages. 

A more tailored presentation

Remember, the goal of packaging this type of industry content into your SMB prospect presentations is to spark a conversation that uncovers new opportunities. But simultaneously, you show the prospect that you have a unique understanding of the inner-workings of their industry. You know their pain points. You have insights into areas of opportunity that they can leverage.

And with Vertical IQ, it is simple to access all of these economic and industry data points. Use the Local Economic Profiles to find information on your prospect’s geographic area. Visit the Industry Profile for the prospect’s industry and check out chapters like Industry Trends, How Firms Operate, Just the Numbers, Risks to Watch Out For, and the SalesKit. Simply copy and paste information and data from Vertical IQ that is pertinent to their unique industry.

It’s a fast way to ensure your presentation will resonate with your prospect, spurring a conversation that adds value and impresses them just as much as it would impress your high school English teacher!

>> Wow your prospects with presentations that incorporate customized economic and industry information. Visit Vertical IQ to get started now for free!