You don’t have to be a cook to know that you can’t put ten pounds of stuffing into a five bound bird. Yet, metaphorically, presenters do that when they talk fast in an enthusiastic effort to get everything into a listener’s mind as quickly as possible. The mind can only take in and process so …
I have been cleaning out my files in preparation for a move of offices and came across newsletters that I wrote ten, fifteen years ago. It is amazing how even with the technical changes in our lives in this time period, how some things never change. For example… From Winter: 2000 “So, What’s Your Story?” Too …
If it is true that attention spans are short and time is at a premium in face-to-face meetings, that rings doubly true when you present on the phone. On the phone, with a “no” or “not interested” just a hang-up click away, every word you say counts, particularly in your opening remarks. Hopefully, you do …
Agendas in presentations are usually seen as afterthoughts, useful low-level roadmaps, or necessary evils. Big mistake! An Agenda skillfully used can make or break a presentation. How much thought do you give to this part of your presentations? An Agenda strategy takes into consideration… Timing Content Agreement and Feedback Timing is Everything If you have an agenda, …
On the “people-are-more-interested-in-their-kids-than-in-yours” theory, meaning that listeners do not want to hear everything you know about your offer, but only what is relevant to them, here is a quick method for figuring out what will have the greatest impact on them in your presentation. Create 5 Written Lists 1. What are all your firms assets? 2. What are all the …
How frustrating is it when prospects drag out the sales process? You think you have done a good job presenting your value and then they want more information. So, being the responsive professional you are, you bring them the requested information. Then, they want additional information or they say someone else has to review the …
I received a call recently that went like this: Sales Manager: My team needs sales training. Can you help? Me: What’s wrong? SM: Their conversion rates are too low. They need training. Me: Where do you feel they are falling down? SM: They are not closing as well as they should be. They need to be better at closing. I …
When asked what Carol needed to help increase sales of corporate sponsorships for her company’s conferences, her manager said, “Confidence.” He attributed her disappointing results to poor sales skills and would I help her get up that learning curve as quickly as possible? One meeting with Carol and I realized that a lack of sales …
Some four letter words offend. Some four letter words are vulgar. And some, like “like” are deadly communication killers. If you have ever listened to anyone (and I am sure you have) whose every other word seems to be “like,” (or, “okay, right, you know, basically, or um”), then you know what I mean. These …
Facebook believed that sharing information freely was a beneficial thing for society and they successfully built their platform now used by some 2 billion users worldwide who bought into that idea. Recently, however, an unintended consequence of that business model has been the widespread use of Facebook by bad players who are exploiting that platform …
We go to the doctor for annual health check-ups, so, why not take a few minutes for an annual presentation check-up as well? It is reassuring to hear the doctor confirm that we are okay in most areas, but it is also really important to learn where we may be at risk for future problems. The …