Here is a deeper explanation of the power of ‘ALTITUDE‘ on a visit/presentation:
- Always go (back) up. Nick Fellers has a really great way to use ‘altitude’/level on the presentation. When training or coaching, Nick makes this very clear: When in doubt… when challenged… when questioned… ALWAYS GO BACK UP TO 30,000’! (The Vision, The Message, The Purpose.)
- Get ‘buy-in’ at the highest level. As you make the Case for Support, the prospect/ potential investor needs to understand and acknowledge their acceptance of the ‘blue’ VISION and ‘red’ PRIORITIES. Sometimes this is “You had me at hello.” (Renee to Tom Cruise) Other times, it may take the entire first visit to get them to understand and agree that this is an important CAUSE and CASE. Regardless, it doesn’t make any sense to talk about PRIORITIES or the PLAN or ‘HOW THEY CAN HELP’ if they don’t ‘get it’ at the highest level!
- Dissent on Descent. To put this another way, there should be no ‘dissent’ on the descent!
Think of this as kind of the opposite of getting the ‘bends’. If a diver ascends too quickly, they get a case of the ‘bends’. It’s painful and many times life-threatening.
During a presentation, the prospect can get the ‘reverse-bends’ if you descend too rapidly. “Hello. Thanks for seeing me. Here’s our campaign. Can you give $100,000?” - ‘Permission to Proceed’. We have actually incorporated this specific terminology into the presentation. (It’s the words used to complete a ‘transfer’ on a high ropes challenge course!) “It seems like you’re fully engaged with both our Mission and our Message. Would it be okay (permission to proceed) to go deeper and talk about our Strategic Priorities and our Plan to make all this happen???”
- Altitude is not always top-down or hierarchical. You can ‘enter’ at any level. You can focus on any level. You can travel up and down… and even side to side, especially when you’re using an Engagement Tool.
