“Apple Computer, now celebrating 30 years of innovation, has revolutionized the way we use computers and listen to music. Now its charismatic co-founder, Steve Jobs, has transformed the corporate pitch. Anyone who has watched a Jobs keynote will tell you he is one of the most extraordinary speakers in Corporate America. Jobs learned a long time ago that a leader must be a company evangelist and brand spokesperson.,” Carmine Gallo writes for BusinessWeek. “As a communications coach and former business journalist, I have spent plenty of time with Apple executives and have watched my share of Jobs’ presentations. He is magnificent. But whether you are pitching a hot gizmo, such as the iPod, or a hot sub sandwich, a story is a story and your goal is to win customers.”
Jobs’ five keys to a dazzling presentation:
• Sell the Benefit
• Practice, Practice, and Practice Some More
• Keep It Visual
• Exude Passion, Energy, and Enthusiasm
• “And One More Thing…”
“Steve Jobs does not sell bits of metal; he sells an experience… Jobs takes nothing for granted during product launches. He reviews and rehearses his material… there are very few bullet points in a Jobs presentation. Each slide is highly visual… He approaches each presentation as an event, a production with a strong opening, product demonstrations in the middle, a strong conclusion, and an encore,” Gallo writes.
More in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Judge Bork” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Note: The “RDF” in the headline stands for “Reality Distortion Field” for which Jobs is famous or infamous, depending on your point of view. The term was coined by Bud Tribble at Apple Computer in 1981 to describe company co-founder Steve Jobs’ charisma and its effects on the developers working on the Mac. RDF is the idea that Steve Jobs is able to convince people to believe almost anything with a skillful mix of charisma, slight exaggeration, focusing on cool product benefits to the user, and clever marketing.
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What Steve Jobs can do can’t be learned. The guy is a genius.
heads up: I’m going to post something asinine in 5…4…3…2…
Note: It helps to have a huge IQ. Do not attempt if you are stupid.
Rasterbator – When you have a small IQ and you attempt to pitch a product you get the other Steve…. Steve Ballmer.
you guys are pathetic
Just because you have never seen someone present well does not mean that othes don’t exist. Jobs is great but there are better, it just that none of the better ones are in the computer field.
Nice one, dogfriend! I can’t get that video image if his out of my mind. All that dancing and shouting on stage, and then the long pause while he comes down from a near heart attack.
“• Exude Passion, Energy, and Enthusiasm”
This one can be dangerous if not handled by a professional. Ballmer exudes passion, energy, and enthusiasm, but it’s about as far from a Jobsnote as it could be.
Useless. If you don’t have something worthwhile and viable to pitch then you’ll be pitching cow patties.
No, I don’t think you need to be a genius.. Even Michelangelo said that anybody could do what he did if they worked at it as hard as he did…
As to whether SJ is a genius, I have no idea but I guess figuratively he has to be to have done what he’s done. And, don’t you remember his presentation when he spoke about something a bit technical, then stopped and said he didn’t have any idea about how it worked, but said ‘it just works’?