How to Make a Sales Presentation to Stockholders

Once a quarter (or more often), corporations must give account of the sales figures. The corporation must show that they have met shareholders' goals for the company. Customers, salespeople, managers and executive management will also want to know what the company's profits look like and how their investment dollars are being put to use.

As the presenter, you must take into account the characteristics of your audience. "Individual personality or cultural background may lead someone to prefer a particular kind of structure. You'll be more effective if you use the structure and organization your audience prefers." Locker & Kienzler (2008). One method of presentation is by using charts with graphics, measuring goals against actual numbers and what the percentages attained are.

You must develop your speech and presentation to identify with the audience and show them how the company benefits them. "Identify the feelings, fears, and needs that may motivate your audience. Identify the objective features of your product of policy that could meet the needs you've identified. Show how the audience can meet their needs with the features of the policy or product." Locker & Kienzler (2008).

Obviously, the stockholders want to know that the company is returning a profit on their investment dollars. This is also important to executive management, sales personnel, and managers. Any customers present would want to know that the company is providing excellent service. Stakeholders will want to know that the company has sufficiently planned and has sufficient capital to handle any unexpected expenses incurred. You must tailor your speech, visual presentation, and slideshow or graphics to present this information in a meaningful manner to all members of the audience.

You must also take into consideration the diversity of your audience. "Demographic characteristics are measurable features that can be counted objectively: age, sex, race, religion, education level, income, and so on." Locker & Kienzler (2008). Obviously a group of shareholders, employees, sales staff, managers, and customers will have varying degrees of education, income, religion, race, sex, and age.

Each group perceives the message somewhat differently. Take care not to make your message too technical that the younger and less experienced members of the audience might not understand all the "industry jargon." It is also important not to sound too simplistic and not to offend the intelligence of the many professional members of the audience with years of experience in the business, many of which have master's degrees in finance and other areas. One way to accomplish this is to explain any terms used that might not be easily understood by some members of the audience.

An effective message is one that is understood and well received by every member of the audience. These are points I must consider: "1) How will the audience initially react to the message? 2) How much information does the audience need? 3) What obstacles must you overcome? 4) What positive aspects can you emphasize? 5) What are the audience's expectations about the appropriate language, organization, and form of messages?" Locker & Kenzler (2008).

How the audience will initially react to your message depends upon whether the company has made a profit or suffered a loss in the sales expectations for the quarter. If there is bad news, try not to hide it. Be straightforward and explain the circumstances involved. Show steps that are being taken to improve sales numbers, such as identifying new prospects as customers and expanding the lines of products offered. If you offset the bad news in a positive manner, you leave the audience with a sense of hope and direction for the future of the company.

The information that the audience needs are the actual goals, sales figures, finances received, and expenditures. All of this information is necessary to give a full picture of the company's financial status. The stakeholders, customers, managers and all employees present will also be interested to know how the company compares with other competitors in the industry. You must show that your organization is a leader in the industry and stakeholders and customers alike can trust doing business with you.

The obstacles that must be overcome are showing the company is not taking a "down turn." Stakeholders want to know you are maintaining financial stability and continue to be a profitable company in the industry. Show that the company is taking the necessary steps to stay on the competitive edge of the industry and your staff is being well-trained, with dollars spent on education and seminars to improve employee knowledge and productivity. How do you do this? You do this by caring for customer needs and showing excellent customer service. Stressing these positive points and asking for any feedback or questions from the audience will leave them with a sense of "goodwill" towards the company and the expectation for a profitable future.

Sources:

Locker, K. O., & Kienzler, D. S. (2008). Business and administrative communication (8th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.