A discussion about sales, sales tips and advice, and about those who land the deal

What eager sales rep - not to mention his or her customer - doesn't get all tingly at the thought of a PowerPoint sales presentation?

Anyone?

Well now, this apparent staple of the sales and marketing world has been recognized as vital to higher education.  The University of Chicago business school is requiring a four slide PowerPoint presentation as a part of their application process for students who want to be a part of their program.

My opinion: It's stupid.

Mainly because the PowerPoint slides can apparently be about anything.  Poetry, family pictures...whatever.  You're telling me that four PowerPoint slides can make or break your entry into a prestigious business school?  Yikes!

Of course, this is their way of making students "prove" they know how to use PowerPoint to...well, make their point.  But in doing so, are they trying to assert that a well-done PowerPoint presentation will translate into a successful business career?  Most of the worst PowerPoint presentations I've been subjected to have come from some of the highest ranking people in an organization (of course, they had their secretaries write them up in most cases...) so you can't tell me that business success is going to be measured by PowerPoint prowess, because most of the nation's sales managers and CEO's would be relegated to the mailroom for the presentations that they put together.

Seth Godin seems to indicate that this is a good thing, and that it might lead to creativity and better produced slides.  But that kind of goes against what The Great One advises PowerPoint to be used for, which is a tool for backing-up complex verbal presentations with simple pictures or short phrases that make the point of the speaker. 

I agree with him!  Thus, I'm not sure how what the University of Chicago is going to do will help foster more creative approaches to PowerPoint.  In fact, I fear that it will help cement the current proliferation of mediocre presentations that young minds will view as being "professional" and "business-like".