Voxloud

Voxloud (formerly Voverc) is the Cloud business phone system that's up and running in less than 59 seconds. We provide landline and toll-free phone numbers with Web App for Mac, Windows, mobile apps for iOS and Android and our Voxloud's IP-Phones with HD audio and premium features. As the CEO, I touch every part of the business from an operational to a strategic level. Mostly involved in product development, marketing & sales, and every step of the talent management lifecycle. My Skills and Expertise are in Sales & Marketing in the B2B SaaS and SIP&Cloud fields.

Co-Founder & CEO

Voverc (exit)

Voverc (now Voxloud) is a Cloud business phone system that's up and running in less than 59 seconds. We provide landline and toll-free phone numbers with Web App for Mac, Windows, mobile app

Co-founder & CEO

Challenge Network

I worked as Trainer for the high professional education training course in "Web and Social Media Marketing" realized by Challenge Network. I shared my knowledge presenting lectures on the following themes: Landing Page Optimization, Blogging Strategy, Facebook Ads and Growth Hacking.

♦ Top score among trainers based on students daily ratings
♦ Managing classes of 30 people mixed age / mixed competence and background

Web and Social Media Marketing Trainer

Callisto Software

Managed all digital projects for advertising agency clients including web development, online advertising, social media strategy, and SEM (PPC and SEO). During this time I had the opportunity to collaborate with all agency partners and vendors including web developers, printers, and IT resources and also internal account management and creative services team members, ensuring on time, on budget, and top quality delivery of all digital advertising and online marketing projects.

♦ Managed more than 10 new web development projects and more than 15 ongoing client accounts.
♦ Industries served include: B2B/Technology, Food & Beverage, Hospitality, Energy, Healthcare, & Telecom.

Digital Project Manager

Lean Startup Machine

Mentor at Lean Startup Machine in Rome.
November 7-9 (http://l3an.com/1lTuUZ5)

Business Mentor

SaaS entrepreneur | Helping companies automate their sales with AI so they can grow and scale without extra costs | Built a 7-figure SaaS from scratch | CEO @Voxloud

Hello, I'm Leonardo Coppola,

As a SaaS entrepreneur (and CEO at Voxloud), I specialize in harnessing AI to help companies automate their sales processes, allowing them to scale and grow without incurring extra costs and saving on headcounts. 

My journey in entrepreneurship has led me to build a 7-figure SaaS business from the ground up.

With deep roots in the SaaS space, I specialize in turbocharging sales through AI automation that slashes costs and skyrockets conversions. 

To get in touch, follow or connect here on Linkedin and send me a DM after!

Leonardo Coppola

Ho notato che più un imprenditore ha successo, più è facile lavorarci insieme.

Quelli con microimprese o che hanno appena aperto sono spesso le persone più difficili con cui collaborare.

Si aspettano risultati immediati, ti parlano dall'alto in basso, e pensano di aver conquistato il mondo solo perché hanno aperto un'azienda.

Poi parlo con imprenditori che fatturano 10-20 milioni all'anno (persone che lo fanno da 5-10+ anni) e ognuno di loro ha fatto l'impossibile per collaborare in maniera produttiva.

Scherzano, ridono, trattano il team come esseri umani.

Alcuni mandano auguri di compleanno ai miei collaboratori.

Nessun problema è la fine del mondo.

Sanno che il gioco è solo problem solving costante e che c'è sempre una soluzione, se la mente del team è abbastanza aperta da trovarla.

È un vero indicatore di intelligenza emotiva.

Chi ha costruito davvero qualcosa capisce che essere stronzi non porta risultati migliori.

Significa solo far sì che le persone valide non vogliano più lavorare con te.

Disclaimer: Sia chiaro: questa è la mia esperienza diretta. Ci sono maleducati anche tra chi fattura 50 milioni, ma nella mia esperienza la percentuale è drasticamente più bassa.

Curioso di sapere la vostra esperienza.

CEO & Founder @Voxloud | I talk and write about how to grow sales (also with AI) without added costs | Scaling Voxloud profitably to $3 million in ARR

Cosa ho imparato in 10 anni con Voxloud.

Ho fondato Voxloud nel 2015.

Per i primi 2 anni nessuno ci ha notato.

Nel 2017 abbiamo mancato una exit clamorosa con un player americano e lì ho pensato che fosse finita.

La pandemia del 2020 ha stravolto tutto quello che avevamo costruito.

Solo nel 2023 abbiamo davvero capito cosa stavamo facendo.

Dopo 10 anni, l'unica lezione che conta è questa:

I risultati arrivano a chi resta in gioco abbastanza a lungo.

La differenza tra i neoimprenditori che ce la fanno e chi molla non è il talento o la strategia perfetta.

È sopportare l'incertezza più a lungo degli altri.

Quando inizi, non hai garanzie. 
Non sai se funzionerà. 
Non sai quando funzionerà.

L'unica cosa che puoi controllare è se domani ci sarai ancora.

Dopo 10 anni, Voxloud non esiste perché ho fatto tutto giusto (anzi, ti dirò che quasi ci impicchiamo più volte da soli).

Ma esiste perché io e il mio socio e la mia squadra non abbiamo mollato nei momenti in cui sembrava sbagliato continuare.

Se c'è una cosa che questi 10 anni mi hanno insegnato è questa:

Scegli qualcosa che ti importa davvero. 
Poi dagli tempo.
Non servono strategie geniali.

Serve restare quando gli altri se ne vanno.

I cavalli si vedono all'arrivo.

Ho una cerchia ristretta di imprenditori, clienti ed amici che ogni tanto mi gira il link del nuovo competitor fresco di partita iva.

Mi raccontano di cosa offrono, ma soprattutto di come lo fanno.

E quando vedo il neo arrivato che fa mirabolanti promesse e offre il mondo a due lire, mi ricordo sempre della metafora ippica.

È un modo di dire che si riferisce all'idea che le vere qualità di una persona, di un progetto o di una carriera si dimostrano alla fine, non all'inizio. 

Soprattutto oggi che la nuova bolla dell'AI è partita e sono tutti esperti di AI pronti a venderti l'automazione definitiva per non lavorare mai più di 10 minuti al giorno...

Curiosità, apertura mentale, ma sempre attenzione alle credenziali.

Buona competizione a tutti!

Vedo post su "sistemi di vendita AI da $40K" e mi viene da ridere.

4 software diversi, N8n per farli parlare tra loro + Twilio, Supabase, Vapi, WhatsApp.

Tutti che si vantano di aver costruito "l'infrastruttura perfetta" dopo 125 giorni di test.

E io penso: "Bello. E quando Twilio cambia un'API? 
E quando n8n fa un aggiornamento che rompe un'integrazione? 
E quando devi scalare e ti servono altri flussi?"

Benvenuto nell'inferno della manutenzione.

Il problema non è se funziona oggi.

Il problema è: funzionerà ancora tra 3 mesi? 
E tra 6? 
E chi lo mantiene quando il tecnico che l'ha costruito se ne va?

In 10 anni di Voxloud ho visto centinaia di imprenditori bruciarsi con questi Frankenstein tecnologici.

Infrastrutture - non chiamiamoli nemmeno "sistemi" - dove non sai cosa compri realmente.

Molto spesso vendute da gente che ieri faceva solo agenzia marketing e oggi si reinventa incredibilmente come "AI specialist".

E che sulla carta fanno tutto, ma nella realtà:

- Richiedono uno sviluppatore dedicato solo alla manutenzione
- Si rompono quando meno te lo aspetti
- Costano una fortuna in troubleshooting
- Bloccano la crescita dell'azienda

La soluzione?

Non costruire architetture complesse quando puoi avere tutto in un unico software.

Voxloud fa esattamente quello che descrivono questi "sistemi da $40K" - pagando 10-20 volte di meno:

- Chiamate AI automatiche
- Qualificazione lead 24/7
- Integrazione WhatsApp nativa
- CRM unificato

Stessa potenza. Zero mal di testa. Un decimo del prezzo.

Perché dovresti pagare qualcuno per costruirti un sistema che tra 6 mesi dovrai ricostruire, quando puoi avere una piattaforma già pronta, testata su migliaia di clienti, e che si aggiorna da sola?

Gli imprenditori veri non hanno tempo per giocare a fare gli ingegneri software.

Hanno un'azienda da far crescere.

Ha senso che i vostri venditori abbiano un side hustle?

Cari colleghi imprenditori, ho questo quesito per voi.

Io dico di sì. Anzi, lo incoraggerei.

Tra l'altro, il nostro direttore commerciale ha un business di successo insieme alla sua compagna!

Preferirei che i miei venditori avessero un progetto parallelo piuttosto che passassero il tempo libero su TikTok o a giocare alla PlayStation.

Perché?

Perché imparerebbero cosa significa costruire e gestire un business. 

Gli insegnerebbe a essere intraprendenti, a trovare soluzioni, a sporcarsi le mani.

E tutto questo si trasferirebbe perfettamente nel loro lavoro principale.

Ovvio, se il side hustle cannibalizzasse il loro lavoro, sarebbe un problema. 

Ma se lo alimentasse e li facesse crescere come professionisti, sarebbe un vantaggio per tutti.

Pensateci: noi vendiamo software per le telecomunicazioni aziendali. 

Vorrei che i miei venditori fossero anche consulenti freelance o avessero una loro piccola attività. 

Così, quando parlano con imprenditori e professionisti, saprebbero esattamente cosa significa gestire chiamate, clienti ed emergenze.

Le conversazioni di vendita sarebbero completamente diverse.

Voi cosa ne pensate? 

I vostri venditori hanno uno side hustle? Li incoraggiate o li scoraggiate?

Sono quella tipologia di CEO, ossessionato più dalla delivery che dalla lead generation.

Chi come me?

A proposito, sto cercando un Project Manager perché ne abbiamo bisogno: troppe vendite e progetti insieme; stiamo quasi in emergenza.

Se conoscete qualcuno con esperienza nella gestione di progetti di agenzia, per favore mandatemi un messaggio privato.

Se assumo su vostro suggerimento, vi mando una bottiglia di vino per Natale!

"Leo, ma chi ti scrive i post?"

Nessuno. 

E questa è esattamente la risposta che nessuno vuole sentire.

Quel momento imbarazzante quando ti rendi conto che tutti cercano il trucco, la formula magica, il ghostwriter segreto. 

E tu stai semplicemente buttando giù pensieri alle 23:47 dopo una giornata faticosa.

Non scrivo per te. Scrivo per me.

Condividere mi aiuta a mettere ordine nel caos. 
Errori fatti. 
Decisioni sbagliate. 
Come ho provato a rimediare quando tutto stava andando a puttane. 

La vita imprenditoriale vera, quella che nessuno racconta nei post patinati con le foto in ufficio figo.

C'è una strategia dietro? Ni.

Pubblico quello che mi piace. 
Quello che avrei voluto leggere io 5 anni fa quando stavo per mollare tutto.

Il mio CMO continua a dirmi che dovrei fare di più. Più canali. Più consistenza. Più strategia. 

E ha ragione. 

Ma io gestisco un'azienda, non sono un influencer.

L'AI mi aiuta a rendere tutto più veloce perché il tempo è tiranno quando hai 50 persone che dipendono dalle tue decisioni.

A volte manca la CTA. A volte gli hook fanno schifo. A volte pubblico e me ne dimentico per tre giorni.

Ma indovina?

Mi sto divertendo.

Ci sto guadagnando? 
Ci sono vari modi per misurarlo e sono soddisfatto (e non sempre è economico il ritorno).

Perché qua nessuno è un fenomeno. 

I CEO a cui aspiro davvero li conto sulle dita di una mano. 

Quello che mi sta più sul cazzo? 
I commenti incazzati. Il 99% delle volte non hanno proprio capito il post. 

Rispondono basandosi sul loro percepito distorto. Vomitano rabbia.

Non so gestirli. E sinceramente, non mi interessa imparare.

Le critiche costruttive? Quelle le amo. Mi fanno crescere. 

Se stai cercando la strategia perfetta per LinkedIn, sei nel posto sbagliato.

Se invece vuoi capire come un CEO gestisce un'azienda vera mentre prova a condividere quello che impara, benvenuto.

Il contenuto perfetto non esiste. Esiste quello vero.

E quello vero è sempre un casino.

P.S. Se anche tu scrivi quando ne hai voglia, senza strategia, solo per mettere ordine nei pensieri, probabilmente siamo già amici e non lo sappiamo ancora.

"Leo, ma in questi anni hai mai investito in qualcos'altro?"

Sì. E ho anche perso soldi.

Non molti. Ma abbastanza da capire una cosa.

I migliori rischi che puoi prenderti sono quelli dove:

- Il peggio che può succedere non ti distrugge
- Il meglio che può succedere ti cambia la vita

A 24 anni ho rischiato 2 anni della mia vita su Voxloud.

Worst case: perdevo 2 anni e i guadagni che avrei fatto in consulenza.

Con una laurea in economia, quello era il percorso ovvio.

Best case: costruivo un asset che genera rendimenti per anni.
Non sto parlando solo di soldi.

Sto parlando di costruire qualcosa che vale indipendentemente dal tuo tempo.

In consulenza, smetti di lavorare = smetti di guadagnare.
Con un'azienda che funziona, hai costruito un asset.

Quello che nessuno ti dice quando hai 24 anni:

- 2 anni sembrano tanto. Ma sono gestibili.
- Puoi recuperare. Puoi ricominciare.

L'opportunità di costruire qualcosa che ti cambia la traiettoria?

Quella non si ripresenta così spesso.

Eppure vedo continuamente:

Gente che evita questi rischi per paura di "perdere tempo".
Mentre investe decenni in carriere lineari con zero upside.

Il problema non è quanto rischi.
È il rapporto tra cosa perdi e cosa guadagni.

Quindi cerca opportunità dove:

- Il peggio che può succedere non ti distrugge
- Il meglio che può succedere ti cambia la vita

Chiedere un appuntamento a qualcuno.
Investire soldi che puoi permetterti di perdere in un business con alto potenziale.

Se sopravvivi al fallimento ma il successo ti stravolge, quello è l'investimento giusto da fare.

Qualche giorno fa ho fatto una bella chiacchierata con Cristian Fontanelli

Abbiamo parlato di come costruire un'azienda da 3 milioni di euro senza un ufficio. Con tutto il team in remoto.

E di come molte aziende mentono sui propri valori.

"Scrivono "customer obsessed" sul sito web.
Poi mandano i clienti a f*anc*l@...

Li scrivono questi valori per sembrare credibili agli investitori…
Ma nessuno in azienda li vive davvero.

❌ La cultura non è un manifesto da attaccare sul muro.

Se hai piacere, trovi il link all'intervista integrale qui -> https://lnkd.in/d98NN-vT

2 settimane per lanciare una nuova offerta commerciale. È troppo veloce?

La scorsa settimana abbiamo lanciato una nuova offerta di prezzo per Voxloud.

Dal brief alla pubblicazione: 14 giorni.

Il mio CTO quasi si è strozzato con il caffè. "Non abbiamo analizzato tutti gli scenari. E se..." 

E se cosa? 
Se aspettiamo altri 3 mesi a raccogliere dati che comunque saranno incompleti?

Nel frattempo i nostri competitor si muovono, il mercato cambia, e noi stiamo lì a fare i PowerPoint.

Ecco il punto:

La maggior parte degli imprenditori pensa che servano informazioni complete per prendere una decisione.

Sbagliato.

Ti servono informazioni sufficienti per muoverti avanti. 
E spesso sono molte meno di quelle che pensi.

Perché? 
Perché il mercato non ti aspetta.

I tuoi potenziali clienti che oggi ti stanno cercando domani staranno parlando con un tuo concorrente.

Quella finestra di opportunità che vedi ora, tra un mese sarà già chiusa.

La mia regola (rubata a Jeff Bezos):

Distinguo tra decisioni a "porta unica" (one-way door) e a "porta girevole" (two-way door).

Bezos ha costruito Amazon su questo framework e funziona anche per chi non fattura miliardi.

Le porte uniche sono quelle irreversibili:
- Vendere l'azienda
- Licenziare un direttore commerciale 
- Chiudere una sede

Quelle meritano analisi approfondite. Non puoi tornare indietro facilmente.

Le porte girevoli invece sono reversibili:
- Assumere un nuovo venditore
- Lanciare un test di prodotto/servizio
- Testare un nuovo prezzo

Puoi sempre ripassare dalla porta se serve.

Il problema? La maggior parte degli imprenditori (e soprattutto i loro team) tratta le porte girevoli come se fossero porte uniche.

Passano settimane ad analizzare scelte che potrebbero essere corrette in 48 ore.

E così uccidono lo slancio. Regalano opportunità ai competitor più veloci.

Quello che faccio io:

Prendo una decisione definendo le kpi di successo prima.

Decisione 1: Facciamo questo.
Decisione 2: Se non produce X entro n. giorni/settimane/mesi, facciamo quest'altro.

Esempio concreto del nostro nuovo pricing:

"Lanciamo l'offerta a una lista ristretta di nuovi lead. Se entro 60 giorni non otteniamo almeno un tasso di conversione più alto e/o un arpu medio più alto, torniamo al pricing standard"

Non sto sperando che funzioni. Sto pianificando entrambi gli scenari.

In sintesi, ecco il processo decisionale:

1. La decisione è reversibile? (La maggior parte lo è)
2. Se sì, decido e attuo velocemente
3. Fisso metriche di successo chiare e una timeline
4. Mi muovo veloce, misuro i risultati, aggiusto il tiro

Risultato di questi 14 giorni?

Abbiamo già raccolto più dati reali sul mercato di quanti ne avremmo ottenuto con 3 mesi di analisi teoriche.

È quasi sempre più veloce decidere immediatamente e poi correggere la rotta, piuttosto che aspettare informazioni perfette che non arriveranno mai.

La velocità delle tue decisioni è la velocità del tuo business.

Ho passato la mattinata a gestire le lamentele di un cliente.

Poi ho deciso di "licenziarlo".

10 anni fa?

Non mi sarei mai sognato di farlo (per necessità, non per volontà).

Fare impresa è stressante, faticoso e ti costa la salute mentale, ma quando raggiungi quel livello in cui puoi permetterti di scegliere con chi lavorare, percepisci la qualità più importante: la libertà di lavorare con chi vuoi.

p.s. non mi capita spesso di dover rinunciare ad un cliente, ma se mi chiedono di fare cose non conformi alla legge, preferisco di gran lunga lasciare soldi sul piatto.

Niente post di buone feste ahimè.

Ormai sono più di 5 anni che offriamo assistenza tecnica e supporto durante le festività natalizie.

Mai chiusi per ferie.
Mai chiusi fino al 6 gennaio.
Mai col cartellino “siamo chiusi” scritto col pennarello.

Se hai un business che offre servizi alle aziende, non puoi chiudere.

Ci sono casi in cui sì, puoi e, anzi, devi chiudere. 

Ma se sei nel Saas B2B non te lo puoi permettere, neanche se vendi esclusivamente in Italia (cosa che spesso sento)

Che ne pensate dei business che vanno in vacanza?

La vendita aggressiva è il modo più rapido per uccidere la fiducia.

La fiducia chiude le vendite. 
La pressione le ammazza.

I clienti odiano la pressione e scappano quando li spingi.

Le mie migliori trattative? Quando ero pronto a lasciare il tavolo di negoziazione.

Tutti ripetono a pappagallo che bisogna creare un senso di urgenza per poter chiudere più vendite.

È vero, ma solo in parte, senza però mai creare urgenza artificiosa.

Soprattutto quando vendi qualcosa di nuovo sul mercato, come l'applicazione dell'AI nei processi aziendali per esempio.

Ecco perché chi vende prodotti con pagamenti ricorrenti (Saas, per esempio) mantiene un rapporto di fiducia col cliente più alto rispetto a chi vende soluzioni con pagamento una tantum (e poi chi si è visto, si è visto).

C'è tanta promessa là fuori ma poca sostanza. 

I clienti non odiano comprare.

Odiano sentirsi sotto pressione mentre lo fanno.

Helping technical experts & product specialists improve their win rate on pitches. 829 clients helped to-date with training that had an immediate, positive impact on their results. Will you be next?

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If you're looking to elevate your sales game, to not just participate in the market but dominate it, let's connect. Together, we'll unlock the full potential of your sales pitches, ensuring you lead the pack.

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Mary Beth Hazeldine

Templates won't save your presentations.

I know. I sell templates.

But here's the truth:

A template gives you structure. It doesn't teach you why that structure works.

- It doesn't show you how to adapt when your CEO throws a curveball. 
- It doesn't help you read the room and pivot mid-slide. 
- It doesn't build the muscle memory that makes you confident under pressure.

Templates are training wheels. At some point, you need to learn to ride the bike.

After 24 years in financial services at JPMorgan, PwC, RBS, and Commerzbank—plus 15 years teaching presentation skills—I've seen the difference:

→ Template users plateau → Trained presenters compound

That's why I built my course: AI-Enhanced Presentation Mastery.

It's not about downloading files. It's about developing skills—with Copilot as your co-pilot.

When you bring coaching and training together with templates, you create the space to actually excel.

Link in comments 👇

I help executives present with confidence | 10,000+ trained | Ex-JPMorgan, PwC, RBS, Commerzbank

6 hours → 90 minutes.

Same deck. Same quality. Completely different approach to AI.

Six months ago, I spent 6 hours on a pitch deck for a biotech client. Professional slides. Solid data. They lost the funding round.

Last month, similar client, similar deck. I used my AI presentation workflow. 90 minutes. They raised £4.2 million.

The difference wasn't the AI. It was HOW I used it.

Most people prompt Copilot like this:
"Create a presentation about Q3 results"

Then spend 2 hours fixing generic slides that sound like every other AI deck.

That's not a workflow. That's hoping AI will think for you.

Here's what actually works:

1. AVP Framework (5 mins) — Define Action, Value, Proof BEFORE opening PowerPoint
2. 132 Rule (2 mins) — 1 message, 3 arguments, 2 evidence types each
3. S.E.E. Formula (20 mins) — Statement, Evidence, Emotion for each slide
4. AI Execution (43 mins) — Let Copilot handle the grunt work

Strategic thinking = you.
Execution = AI.

That's the split that saves 4+ hours per presentation.

I wrote the complete workflow with exact prompts you can steal.

Link in comments 👇

I watched a private equity associate waste his entire Sunday rebuilding a pitch deck.

The deal? £85 million acquisition. The deadline? Monday 8am partner review.

He had Copilot. He had all the data. He had 36 hours.

He still ended up at 2am manually fixing fonts, chasing rogue bullet points, and copy-pasting the same disclaimer onto 47 slides.

I know this pain intimately. 24 years in financial servies — JPMorgan, PwC, RBS, Commerzbank — I've been that person staring at a screen at midnight wondering why the technology that was supposed to save me time is somehow making everything worse.

Here's what nobody tells you about Microsoft Copilot for PowerPoint:

It's not broken. You're just prompting it like it's a search engine.

"Make this slide better" → rubbish output
"Fix the formatting" → chaos

But when you understand how AI actually thinks?

Same tool. 75% time savings. Decks that don't need 45 minutes of brand cleanup.

I've spent 8 months testing every Copilot update on real client work — investment banking pitches, M&A books, board presentations with those terrifying compliance requirements.

The November 2025 update finally fixed the brand consistency nightmare. I tested it on a corporate banking deck with notoriously strict guidelines. Before: 42 minutes of cleanup. After: 8 minutes.

I've documented everything — the prompts that actually work, the workflows, the mistakes that waste your time — in a tutorial I keep updated monthly.

If you're in financial services and Copilot isn't saving you hours yet, this will change that.

Link in comments 👇

Curious — what's your biggest Copilot frustration right now? Mine was the fonts. Always the fonts.

#MicrosoftCopilot #PowerPoint #FinancialServices #InvestmentBanking #Productivity

Executive Presentation Coach | PowerPoint Copilot Expert | 24 yrs JPMorgan, PwC, RBS, Commerzbank | Presentations that get results

Your slide has 3 seconds.

That's how long an executive spends deciding whether to keep reading or check their email.

Most slides fail this test instantly.

Here's the 60-second check I run before every executive presentation:

1. Can I explain this slide in ONE sentence? If not, split it or simplify it.

2. Is the "so what" obvious? Your audience should never wonder why they're seeing this.

3. Would my CEO understand this without me talking? Slides get forwarded. They need to stand alone.

4. Is there ONE clear takeaway? Multiple messages = no message.

5. Does the title tell the story? Not "Q3 Results" but "Q3 Revenue Up 12% Despite Market Headwinds"

6. Have I removed everything non-essential? Every element should earn its place.

After 24 years at JPMorgan, PwC, RBS, and Commerzbank, I've watched executives tune out of thousands of presentations.

The ones that got results? Passed all 6 questions.

Print this checklist. Use it before every presentation. It takes 60 seconds and catches 90% of problems.

Full breakdown + examples in comments 👇

3 books that transformed how I present.

Not presentation books. Not "public speaking" guides.

These shaped how I think about influence, structure, and connecting with an audience.

𝟭. "𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸" by Chip & Dan Heath

This book taught me why some ideas survive and others die.

The answer: Simple. Unexpected. Concrete. Credible. Emotional. Stories.

Every presentation I build now passes the "sticky" test. If I can't explain the core message in one sentence, I'm not ready to present.

𝟮. "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝘆𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲" by Barbara Minto

This is the book McKinsey consultants learn from.

The key insight: Start with the answer. Group supporting ideas. Lead with what matters.

Most presenters build to a conclusion. Minto taught me to lead with it. Executives don't want a journey — they want the destination first.

𝟯. "𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲" by Robert Cialdini

This changed how I think about persuasion.

Reciprocity. Commitment. Social proof. Authority. Liking. Scarcity.

Every decision-maker is influenced by these principles — whether they know it or not. Understanding them made me a better presenter and a better reader of rooms.

—

Here's what connects all three:

Great presenting isn't about slides or delivery tricks.

It's about understanding how humans process information, make decisions, and take action.

The frameworks in these books work whether you're presenting to a board, pitching investors, or convincing your team.

AI can help you build slides faster.
But it can't replace understanding *why* certain messages land.

That's the human work.

♻️ Share if someone on your team needs a weekend reading list.

---

💬 What book changed how you communicate? Drop it below. I'm always looking for recommendations.

I watched a £2M deal die last month.

Not because of the product. 
Not because of the price. 
Because of a 15-slide AI-generated deck.

The founder had used Copilot to create "the perfect pitch."

It was comprehensive. Professional. Beautifully formatted.

And utterly forgettable.

The PE firm's feedback: "We couldn't figure out what you actually wanted us to do."

Here's what AI gets wrong about presentations:

𝟭. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 ≠ 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 AI includes everything. Great presentations focus ruthlessly on 2-3 messages.

𝟮. 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 A CFO wants ROI. A CTO wants integration. AI gives everyone the same generic deck.

𝟯. "𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹" ≠ "𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗱𝗲" Polished slides create false confidence. You trust the tool instead of testing the thinking.

The fix isn't avoiding AI.

It's using frameworks FIRST:

→ AVP (Action-Value-Proof) before prompting 
→ 132 Rule: 1 message, 3 points, 2 min per section 
→ S.E.E. Formula for memorable proof

AI is an execution tool, not a thinking tool.

The people pulling ahead use both.

P.S. I wrote the complete breakdown: why AI presentations fail and the 4-step fix.

Free checklist included.

Link in comments 👇

♻️ Repost if someone in your network relies too heavily on AI for important presentations.

A director at a FTSE 250 company blocked his entire Saturday for a board presentation.

12 slides. 8 hours planned.

By 3pm, he was 6 hours in and only on slide 9.

The formatting kept breaking. The charts looked amateur. His wife wasn't happy.

Two weeks later, he built a similar deck in 41 minutes.

Same quality. Same professionalism. Different approach.

The difference wasn't a magic tool. It was learning to use AI properly.

Most executives treat Copilot like a fancy autocomplete:
→ "Create a presentation about Q4"
→ Get generic slides
→ Spend 3 hours fixing them manually

That's backwards.

The executives saving 70%+ of their time do three things differently:

1. They brief AI like a junior analyst (context, audience, constraints)
2. They know what AI should handle vs. what humans do best
3. They iterate WITH AI, not after AI

One prompt. Refine. Another prompt. Refine. Done.

The 6-hour deck becomes a 45-minute deck.

Not because AI is magic.

Because you learned how to use it.

I've trained 200+ executives on this approach. The pattern is always the same: they're working too hard because no one taught them the right method.

What's your current process for building presentations? Still doing it the old way, or have you cracked the AI code?

Budget season is here. And most requests will get the same response:

"Great idea. Let's revisit next quarter."

I watched a marketing director lose a £400K request this way. Her slides were thorough. Every chart was perfect. Two weeks of prep.

The CFO said it was "interesting." Meeting over. No decision.

Three months later, same request, same CFO.

She got £500K. More than she asked for.

The difference wasn't better data. It was a completely different structure:

Old approach (22 slides):
→ Background
→ Market research
→ Vendor comparison
→ Implementation plan
→ Finally... the ask

New approach (6 slides):
→ The Ask (yes, first)
→ The Problem (cost of inaction)
→ The Solution
→ The ROI (with assumptions shown)
→ The Timeline
→ The Risk Mitigation

CFOs don't reject good ideas. They reject presentations that don't speak their language.

Their language is ROI. Their question is "why this instead of everything else competing for budget?"

If you can't answer that on slide 1, you've already lost.

The £500K request? Her first slide said:

"Requesting £400K. Expected return: £1.2M in 12 months. 3x ROI. Decision needed by January 15."

32 words. The CFO knew exactly what was at stake before she even started presenting.

What's your budget request process look like?

Most executive presentations fail in the first 5 slides.

Not because the content is wrong.

Because they're built backwards.

After 24 years at JPMorgan, PwC, RBS, and Commerzbank, I've reviewed thousands of board decks and investor pitches.

The difference between funded and forgotten?

Usually comes down to structure, not substance.

Here are the 3 mistakes that kill executive presentations:

1.  Burying the lead - If your recommendation is on slide 15, you've already lost. Executives check out by slide 5.

2.  Label titles instead of message titles -  "Q3 Financial Results" tells me nothing. "Q3 Revenue Up 12% Despite Market Headwinds" tells me everything.

3.  Missing the decision - Every slide should answer: what do you need from me?

I've just published a complete guide covering:
→ The 10 executive presentation types you'll use throughout your career
→ Exact structures for each (QBR, budget request, board meeting, strategic recommendation)
→ A 60-second slide check used by investment bankers
→ AI prompts that turn 2-hour presentations into 30-minute tasks

Link in comments 👇

The worst way to end a presentation?

"So... any questions?"

I've watched executives nail 45 minutes of content, then throw it all away with those three words.

Here's what happens:

→ You hand control to the room
→ You signal you're done (not confident)
→ The audience checks out before anyone raises a hand

After coaching 1000+ executive presentations , I've noticed the best closers do something different.

They use what I call "The Silence Close."

It works like this:

Make your ask. Then stop talking.

"I'm recommending we proceed with Vendor A. The cost is £340,000, and I need your approval today."

[Silence]

No qualifiers. No "if that makes sense." No backpedaling.

Just silence.

What happens next?

The other person HAS to respond. They can't let your words hang there.

If they object → you've surfaced the real issue
If they agree → you've closed
If they ask a question → you know what's blocking them

Most presenters panic in the silence and start undermining themselves: "Of course, we could look at other options..."

You just killed your own recommendation.

The silence close takes nerve. But it's a skill, not a personality trait.

It's one of 7 closing techniques I teach in my AI-Enhanced Presentation Mastery course starting January.

Early bird (£249) closes Dec 31st.

Link in comments 👇

—

♻️ Repost if your presentations deserve a stronger ending

An £84 million deal.

Lost.

Not because of the financials. Not because of the strategy.

Because the banking team spent 18 hours rebuilding their pitch deck instead of rehearsing their delivery.

The competing bank closed the deal with a tighter deck, stronger delivery, and half the preparation time.

I watched this happen at a major UK clearing bank. And it changed how I think about presentation workflows in investment banking.

Here's what most PowerPoint Copilot guides get wrong:

They tell bankers to "create engaging presentations with compelling visuals."

That advice will get you fired in investment banking.

Banking presentations aren't about engagement. They're about precision, defensibility, and regulatory compliance.

Using the wrong shade of blue at my old bank could delay board approval for weeks. A junior banker nearly tanked a £120M acquisition because Copilot rounded a debt-to-equity ratio to 3.2 when the actual figure was 3.247.

Generic AI prompts don't understand:

→ 47-page brand guidelines that treat PMS 280 vs PMS 281 as a compliance violation
→ Financial figures that need auditable precision, not approximate charts
→ Regulatory language that can't be "simplified" without legal consequences
→ Credit committees who expect information in a specific sequence

I spent 24 years in corporate banking at JPMorgan Chase, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank.

Now I help banking teams save 60-70% on pitch deck creation while maintaining the precision deals require.

I've put everything into a complete playbook: tested prompts, brand compliance workflows, Excel integration techniques, and real case studies from live deals.

If you're creating 2-5 pitch decks weekly and want those hours back for actual deal work, this is for you.

Link in the first comment.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 £𝟒𝟕,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬

A COO sat across from me, furious.

"We spent £47,000 on Copilot licenses. Adoption after 6 months? 11%."

Her CFO wanted to cancel everything.

I asked one question: "Did you calculate ROI before or after rollout?"

Silence.

Here's what I've learned from 23 Copilot implementations:

The companies that fail never measured.

The companies that succeed document everything.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐎𝐈 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:
→ Investment bank M&A team: 6,760% ROI
→ Biotech exec team: 6,150% ROI
→ Management consultancy: 5,852% ROI

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚 𝐂𝐅𝐎𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞:
(Hours Saved × Hourly Rate × Annual Decks × Team Size) - License Cost = Net Value

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟒 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞:
1️⃣ No baseline measurement (78% of companies)
2️⃣ Generic training instead of industry-specific prompts
3️⃣ Expecting magic instead of building systems
4️⃣ No accountability for tracking results

That same COO?

Her team now has 89% adoption.

First-year savings exceeded £340,000.

The CFO became Copilot's biggest champion.

The difference wasn't the tool.

It was a 30-minute ROI calculation.

Bottom line: The question isn't "Is Copilot worth £360/person?"
It's "Can you afford NOT to know?"

P.S. I've written the complete guide to calculating and proving your Copilot PowerPoint ROI—including the exact CFO presentation template that's worked 17 times.

Link in comments 👇

♻️ Repost if this could help someone justify their tech investment.
💡 Follow Mary Beth Hazeldine for AI presentation insights that actually work.

PowerPoint Copilot is the most overhyped tool in Microsoft 365.

It's also massively underutilised.

Here's the thing: I've tested Copilot on 100+ real client presentations. Not demos with perfect data. Board decks. Investor pitches. QBRs with messy content and 48-hour deadlines.

Most people try it once, get generic garbage, and quit.

That's because they're using it wrong.

What Copilot actually does brilliantly: 
→ Turns a 30-page Word doc into a presentation draft in 60 seconds 
→ Organises your chaotic bullet points into logical slides 
→ Polishes wordy text faster than any human editor 
→ Generates speaker notes you'd actually use

What it does terribly: 
→ Creating presentations from nothing (you get corporate nonsense) 
→ Design and visual layout (mediocre at best) 
→ Data visualisation choices (default everything) 
→ Industry-specific content without guidance

The problem isn't the tool. It's expecting magic from vague prompts.

"Create a presentation about Q3 results" gives you trash.

"Create a 5-slide presentation for our CMO about Q3 marketing results. She needs to decide whether to increase Q4 budget. Include: headline results, channel performance, ROI analysis, recommendation. Tone: confident, data-driven, concise."  That gives you something usable.

The secret? Copilot is an accelerator, not a strategist.

You bring the thinking. It brings the speed.

Full breakdown (what works, what doesn't, and the exact prompts I use with banking and biotech clients)... link in the comments.

I just tested Agent Mode in PowerPoint Copilot.
Here's what it can (and can't) do for your presentations:

What Agent Mode does well:
→ Builds entire decks from a single prompt → Applies consistent formatting across all slides → Iterates on feedback without losing context → Handles multi-step instructions in one go
I gave it: "Create a 6-slide budget presentation requesting £400K for marketing automation. Include ROI projections and risk mitigation."
90 seconds later: A structured deck with an executive summary, investment table, timeline, and risk slide.
Two months ago, that same task would have taken 3-4 separate prompts and manual cleanup.

What Agent Mode still can't do:
✗ Know your audience's politics ✗ Anticipate the questions your CFO will ask ✗ Read the room when you're presenting ✗ Build the trust that gets proposals approved
The slides were solid. But they were still generic solid.
They didn't know that our CFO hates pie charts. Or that the VP of Sales will challenge any number over £200K. Or that the last automation project failed and everyone's still burned.

The real insight:
Agent Mode doesn't change what wins presentations.
It just handles the mechanical work faster — which means the human work matters more than ever.
The executives getting ahead aren't the ones with the best AI prompts.
They're the ones using AI to save 5 hours on slides... and investing that time in preparation, stakeholder relationships, and presence.

What's been your experience with Agent Mode so far?
Genuine question — I'm curious whether others are seeing the same pattern.

P.S. I'm teaching a course in January on combining AI efficiency with human persuasion. If that sounds useful, link in comments.

PowerPoint Copilot Agent Mode - What it can do (build decks, apply formatting, iterate, handle multi-step instructions) vs what it can't do (know audience politics, anticipate CFO questions, read the room, build trust)

For my first 5 years in banking, I dreaded every presentation.

Not board meetings — I was too junior for those.

It was the everyday moments:
→ Credit committee presentations
→ Client meetings
→ Speaking up in internal meetings

My heart would race. My voice would shake. I'd avoid contributing even when I had something valuable to say.

Then I took Winning Presentations' training course called "Pitching to Win."

It gave me something I'd never had: a template. A structure. A framework I could follow every single time.

That changed everything.

I went on to present confidently and hold senior positions for another 19 years at JPMorgan, PwC, RBS, and Commerzbank.

After leaving banking, I not only joined Winning Presentations, but I also became a certified clinical hypnotherapist. I've now treated hundreds of people with anxiety disorders — and I finally understood the science behind why that training worked.

It wasn't just the template.

It was that the template gave my nervous system something predictable. Something I could control. And that's what calms the fight-or-flight response.

35 years later, I've combined both:
→ The practical frameworks that build confidence
→ The psychology that makes techniques stick

Today I published the complete guide: 15 psychology-backed techniques for confident presenting.

Not motivational fluff. Practical methods from someone who's been there.

Link in comments 👇

The biggest mistake I see in board presentations:

Burying the ask on slide 15.

After 24 years in banking and 15 years with Winning Presentations, I've watched executives with brilliant ideas fail because they built suspense like a Netflix drama.

Boards don't want suspense. They want answers.

Here's what I learned sitting in boardrooms where £50 million decisions were made:

Board members are scanning for 3 things:
→ What do you want?
→ What will it cost?
→ What's the return?

If they can't find these in 10 seconds, you've already lost them.

The fix is counterintuitive:

Put your recommendation on slide 1. Not your agenda. Not your introduction. Not "context setting."

Your ask.

Everything after that is supporting evidence.

I once saw a proposal get deferred twice. Same content. Same board.

The third time? The presenter moved the ask to slide 1.

Approved unanimously.

The content didn't change. The structure did.

---

What's the most frustrating presentation feedback you've ever received?

I'll share my worst one in the comments 👇

The presentation that almost ended my banking career:

I was 26. First time presenting to the Executive Committee.

45 slides. Three weeks of prep. Every number memorised.

Seven minutes in, the Global Head of Operations held up his hand:

"What's the ask?"

My ask was on slide 38.

I froze. Fumbled forward. Lost the room completely.

The meeting ended with "send us a one-pager" — which in banking means no.

That moment taught me something I carried for 24 years:

Executives don't want information. They want decisions.

They don't want your journey. They want your conclusion.

They don't want 45 slides. They want to know what you need from them — in the first 2 minutes.

The best presenters I worked with at JPMorgan, PwC, RBS, and Commerzbank all did the same thing:

→ Led with the recommendation
→ Spent more time before the meeting than during it
→ Prepared for the conversation, not the presentation

Your slides are a prop. They're not the show.

The show is what happens in the room.

What's the worst presentation lesson you learned the hard way?

---

📋 I put together a free checklist of what to do before every executive presentation — the prep I wish I'd had at 26.

Link in comments.

"Fake it till you make it."

I hate this advice.

Not because it's unhelpful — because it's harmful.

Here's what happens when you fake confidence:

→ Your body knows you're lying
→ The audience senses something is "off"
→ You reinforce the belief that real-you isn't enough
→ Anxiety increases over time, not decreases

I know because I tried it for years.

As a clinical hypnotherapist, I've treated hundreds of anxiety clients who did the same thing. They faked confidence for so long that the mask became heavier than the fear.

Here's what actually builds presentation confidence:

Not acting confident.
Not positive affirmations.
Not visualising success.

Structure.

When you have a framework you can rely on, your nervous system calms down.

Anxiety thrives on uncertainty.
Structure eliminates uncertainty.

That's the science.

I've identified 5 pillars that build real confidence:

1. Structural certainty (know your flow)
2. Preparation rituals (consistent routines)
3. Recovery protocols (pre-planned phrases)
4. Competence evidence (build proof for your brain)
5. Physiological control (manage your nervous system)

None of these require you to "be" confident.

They require you to DO specific things.

The feeling follows the action — not the other way around.

Full breakdown in comments 👇

I've watched 500+ executive presentations.

90% make the same opening mistake.

They walk up and say:

"Good morning, my name is Sarah and today I'm going to talk about our Q3 results..."

And just like that — before a single piece of content is delivered — the room is gone.

Phones come out.
Eyes glaze over.
The CFO starts checking emails.

Here's what's actually happening:

Your audience isn't neutral. They're not thinking "I can't wait to hear this."

They're thinking: "Is this worth my time?"

And they decide in 10 seconds. Not 10 minutes. Ten seconds.

The presenters who get promoted, close deals, and get budgets approved?

They never open this way.

Instead, they use one of these:

→ A surprising statistic that challenges assumptions
→ A bold statement that demands attention
→ A story that creates emotional connection
→ A question that forces engagement

Example that works:

"75% of presentations fail to get action. But the executives who master their opening are 3x more likely to get yes. Today I'll show you exactly how they do it."

Example that fails:

"Thanks for having me. I'll try to be quick because I know you're busy."

(You just told them your content isn't worth their time.)

The first 30 seconds determine everything.

Nail them, and the room leans in.
Waste them, and you're fighting uphill for 20 minutes.

—

I've put together 50 opening lines you can steal for your next presentation.

From TED stages to boardrooms — examples for every situation.

Drop "OPEN" in the comments or DM me and I'll send you the link.

♻️ Repost if this helped someone you know

#presentations #publicspeaking #executivepresence #leadership #communication

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