How we present ourselves is everything. It reflects who you are, what you do and how you do it. It’s the introduction. The physical presentation, which begins with a simple handshake, is very telling. Handshakes require 2 parts of the body. Hands and eyes. Eye contact is a requirement to complete a good and well-presented handshake.
If you are doing a verbal (phone) presentation, you need to speak clearly, directly into the phone and if you have to be on a cell – make sure you are in a clean and quiet zone. It’s really irritating to be on the ‘presentee’ side and either strain to hear and/or deal with extraneous noise. It makes the presentation awful.
Maybe you have to send a resume, cover letter, or some visual content like a portfolio or web link in order to get some significant interest from the other side. If you do, make sure the presentation is perfect. It should align with your skills/talents and it should be easy to read, see, understand and most of all, it should be well presented.
Any flaws in the presentation will certainly kill any enthusiasm and it takes the enjoyment out of the process. Personally, I love looking at great work. Although I am not a big fan of cover letters, I still enjoy reading a good one. The resume also should be targeted and simple. If I am to invest my time – please make sure you use it wisely. How you use my time is also an important part of the presentation.
Make no mistake – you are marketing you. You are the brand and if the brand isn’t presented well, if the brand doesn’t tell a compelling story no one is going to buy into it.
Branding is story telling. Make sure your story is powerful and captivating. Why should I be interested in you? What’s the attraction? What impression are you going to leave?
If you present well, the perception is positive. That’s the goal. You want the presentation to leave a great and memorable impression because perception is based on the presentation.