In short
A fragrance presentation should remind the client of the brief, show a small number of well-chosen directions in a controlled setting, explain each in the client's language, and end with a decision and next steps. It is a working meeting. You are helping someone make a choice, and you want feedback you can use. Do not treat it as a performance of your talent.
What you will learn
- Plan the order and setting of a presentation
- Link each sample to the brief in plain language
- Collect decisions and feedback you can act on
Before this lesson: Product Positioning
Prepare
- Choose two or three directions. Remove your weakest, even if you like how it was made.
- Know each one's numbers. Cost against target, restriction status, open issues. Be ready to answer without guessing.
- Prepare samples and strips. Code them neutrally. Age the samples equally, and dip strips ahead of time for the drydown. See making samples.
- Check the room. Ventilated, free of other scents. Ask attendees in advance to avoid strong fragrance that day, if that is practical.
- Bring references. Anything named in the brief.
A sequence
- The brief, in one minute. "You asked for … with these constraints."
- The plan. "Here are three directions. I'll show you the opening first, then a drydown I prepared this morning."
- Fresh strips, one at a time. Ask for a reaction before you speak.
- Short explanation. What it is trying to do, and how it relates to the brief.
- Drydown strips. Show how each one develops. Most buyers only see openings.
- Trade-offs. "This one is closer to your reference and over budget. This one is on budget, with less top."
- Your recommendation. They've hired your judgment, so give it, with a reason.
- Decisions and next steps. What's chosen, what changes, who's confirming and by when.
Let the client smell without commentary first. If you start by explaining, they will smell your explanation.
Language
Use the client's words, then add yours if you need to. Avoid long ingredient lists, since many people don't know what those materials smell like, and the list may disclose too much. Be careful with claims, as ever: "This stays close to the skin in our tests" is better than "It will last all day." Your earlier description work helps here.
Handling the difficult moments
| You hear | You could ask |
|---|---|
| "I don't like it." | "At which moment? What's the first thing that puts you off?" |
| "It's not premium." | "Which reference feels right to you? What does it have that this doesn't?" |
| "My partner hated it." | "Good to know. Is that person a part of the target? What did they say?" |
| "Can you add oud and make it cheaper?" | "Here's what that would do to cost, and two ways to get closer." |
| A question you can't answer | "I don't want to guess. I'll confirm it by Friday." |
Write it up at once
Send a short summary the same day: chosen direction, requested changes in their words, open questions, what you are doing next and the date. Ask them to correct anything wrong. This becomes the record for the next lesson's revisions.
Practical exercise: Run a mock presentation
- Prepare two versions of a fragrance, plus one reference, against a mock brief. You can use your earlier work.
- Write a one-page plan following the sequence, including cost and restriction notes.
- Ask someone to play the client, and ask them to be mildly difficult.
- Run it, on strips only, and don't explain until they've reacted.
- Send your written summary, and ask your "client" what they would have wanted differently.
You have done this well if the person could tell you what the next step is, your summary matches their memory, and you did not make any claim that you could not support.
Common mistakes
- Explaining before they smell. You will shape their reaction.
- Bringing everything. Selection is part of your job.
- Ending without a decision. A pleasant meeting that decides nothing has not helped.
Knowledge check
Written and reviewed by the RUŌOD Lab team. This is general education, not legal, regulatory, medical or safety advice. Example dilutions and exercises are for learning, are not validated products, and have not been safety-assessed. Completing a lesson confers no qualification. How we check these lessons.