Often, one of the biggest challenges to giving a sales presentation is getting a sales presentation. In other words, sometimes the presentation itself is the easy part; it's getting the time in front of the client that's tough. Persuading a client to give up a precious half-hour or more of his time to sit through a sales presentation isn't going to get any easier - but what if the client had an unexpected 10 minutes of time open up? And what if you were ready and waiting to deliver your key message right at that moment?

That's the idea behind Interactive Video Technologies, or IVT Studio, a do-it-yourself video Webcasting application that enables users to create, distribute, and archive professional video podcasts and Webcasts from their desktop with one-click publishing. With a Web camera, IVT Studio, and your PowerPoint slides, you can create a short, hard-hitting presentation, email the link to your prospect, and the prospect can view the Webcast when he has a few minutes of downtime.

IVT Studio presentations are searchable and non-linear, which means viewers can jump around to the parts that interest them most. "Sections" are defined by your PowerPoint slides and listed in a menu on the screen. Viewers can either watch the presentation in its entirety or click on the section/slide they want to see and hear. Presenters can also add a Q&A where they ask questions of the prospect, and the prospect clicks on the answers, which then go back to the rep so he can better target his pitch to the prospect's specific needs.

"This opens up lots of opportunities to get in front of customers," says IVT CEO Greg Pulier. "You want to get in front of them in person to talk about how your solution works well for them, but you can't always get those meetings." So rather than asking for a half-hour, in-person presentation, try asking for five to 10 minutes of their time whenever it might arise. Or the next time someone asks you to "send some information" rather than sending a brochure, email a link to your presentation. By getting your face in front of the client with a compelling message, you'll cut through all those other faceless brochures he's received.

Incidentally, that five-to-10 minute window is no casual figure. In the two months since its release, Pulier says several "best practices" have emerged for using IVT Studio. The two most applicable to sales people are: keep it short (the 5-10 minute presentation seems to be the sweet spot, says Pulier) and focus in on one purpose. Don't try to cover three or four big things - keep it to one message with a few points that support that message.

To try IVT Studio, visit www.ivtstudio.com where you can download a free version of the program, which includes 10 minutes of Webcasting and 60 minutes of viewing per month. For more than that, pricing starts at $20 per month. IVT Studio runs on Microsoft Windows 2000/XP. A standard computer microphone is required for audio and a USB Webcam is required to include video in Webcasts. Slides may be copied in from existing PowerPoint presentations and screen capture capabilities are included with the application.