Having written the content for your CPD make sure it is well presented and compelling.
In today’s environment, with increasing numbers of decision makers working from home, the technical seminar has become a key means to engage with specifiers. Many product manufacturers have been expanding their offering giving the specifier a lot of choice, so it is more important than ever to have a high quality offering. In this article Chris Ashworth of Competitive Advantage gives five tips to help make your CPD compelling.
Talk about what your audience want to know not what you want to sell.
So often CPDs are presented like a sales brochure, listing the various products a manufacturer has in their range. Far better to think about what your audience wants to know and then present solutions to problems. RIBA list the specification essentials, and this is a good check list, regardless of whether you are seeking RIBA accreditation. Start with the legislative requirements including fire safety, follow with sustainable credentials, then considerations for an inclusive environment. Having covered these broad issues you can introduce products and their applications.
Include plenty of interesting and memorable images.
Theory has it that audiences will recall 30% of what they see, so including good quality images is important. Furthermore, architects are visual people and want to see products in application. So they will appreciate good quality photographs. And as its best practice to reference any images there is an opportunity to name the project and the product illustrated – promoting your product without overtly selling.
Show examples of what can go wrong.
No specifier wants to be associated with a failure so this will be particularly pertinent. It provides an opportunity to explain why failures occur and also display some of your competitors’ products. But without naming them as this would not be professional behaviour.
Make it interactive.
An audience will remember 70% of what they do, and with the increased use of online presentations, where you often can’t see your audience, it’s important to involve them. Think about how you can achieve this. It might be as simple as taking a poll of people’s experiences, including a simple quiz and of course having the facility for a Q&A session.
Have a range of supporting material available.
Your audience will have different levels of knowledge, so have supporting information for those who lack practical experience as well as technical papers for those who want higher levels of detail. This can include your product brochures, YouTube videos and authoritative technical papers – reinforcing perceptions of your company as an industry leader. And if it is a face-to-face presentation do not miss the opportunity to pass around samples of your products.
In today’s visual world, people have high expectations of presentations and it is no longer acceptable to present an uninspiring technical seminar. Make your presentation entertain and memorable and it will generate referrals and encourage specification of your products.
Further Information
Chris Ashworth is founder of Competitive Advantage Consultancy which specialises in helping building product manufacturers to be more effective at getting their products selected. Services include bespoke market research, learning and development programmes, a range of sales and marketing tools and consultancy to help implement change.
Competitive Advantage work with clients to help them develop effective CPD programmes. Sign up to the Competitive Advantage newsletter for an overview of construction market activity as well as construction sales and marketing advice.
