“Speaking is selling”
It’s an ugly phrase, that. I feel its ugliness.
Speaking is pure – a mixture of art and science.
Selling – urgh – ugly – involves low-down, dirty manipulation, something that forces its recipients and audiences to put up barriers against trust and hope and good taste – at best a game with winners and losers.
!!!!
Well, I have to say that’s a common feeling.
We start out with a fabulous idea. It makes us feel good and full of light. It’s going to change the world.
It might be an idea that will make people feel better, live better, or make the world a better place.
It might even be a product or program that will also make an income for us doing what makes us feel good and full of light instead of dull and bored and chained to a desk.
And then we discover that people do not necessarily come running to be part of that beautiful idea.
It’s going to involve persuasion and marketing … and … selling – and that doesn’t necessarily mean selling, as in asking for money for a product.
It can just mean selling the vision, the idea so that people change their minds, think differently, act differently – persuasion – just another form of that ugly manipulation, really.
What if …
What if …
we could shine that light out into the minds of the audience?
What if …
What if …
we could shine that light as an inspiration, a source of hope, an answer?
What if …
What if …
it illuminated a vision those audience members already had – buried beneath a deep, heavy layer of doubt and self-distrust and painful sense of failure?
Not so ugly?
Not so shameful?
Not so manipulative?
“Speaking is inspiring”!
At one time or another, your boss has probably said to you, “Don’t get caught sitting down on this one.” The problem is, many sales presentations are made while you’re doing exactly that – sitting down.
It’s more difficult to be impressive and in control when making a seated presentation than when standing, say Judy Stein and Marya Holcombe, principals of Strategic Communications, Inc., a consulting firm in New Haven, Conn. They believe sales people who don’t adjust their delivery style inadvertently put themselves in the hot seat.
Fortunately, the problem is easily remedied with a few simple modifications. Here’s what Stein and Holcombe suggest: => http://bit.ly/wY36qK
Speak to Win: How to Present with Power in Any Situation
Brian Tracy
EAN:978-0814401576
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Amacom
Published in: United States
Published: January 2008
There’s nothing worse than sitting in the audience while an inept speaker stumbles through an ill-conceived business presentation– unless, of course, you’re the one floundering in the spotlight. In 101 Ways to Captivate a Business Audience, Sue Gaulke, founder of the Speaker’s Training Camp, strips the mysteries from the process by showing how to prepare and present an effective address that will successfully involve your audience and deliver your message.
So what do you think is the biggest mistake in sales presentations?
* Selling features instead of benefits?
* Talking too much and not listening?
* Not knowing the product?
In a recent presentation, Ron Karr, of Karr Associates, Inc. and author of Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way,asked the audience, “What are you selling?” People responded by calling out their products and services. Ron went on to say that one of the biggest mistakes in sales is selling the “how” instead of the “what.”
“You’re selling outcomes!,” declared Ron. He challenged the audience to get clear about the outcomes their audience or clients receive from them. The outcome he presents to his audience is to “sell more in less time.” He went on to explain, “Most poeple spend 70% of their time talking about what they do when they should be spending 60% of their time in first impressions and qualifying.
As with all presentations, it first begins with mindset. How do you think of yourself in relation to your audience? Are you an expert? A peer? A trusted advisor? Ron recommended that people begin to position themselves as a resource. Selling is self-focused but a resource is customer-focused. Too often, sales professionals forget this valuable concept. People don’t buy unless they have a need or desire. Your job is to develop trust and solve their problems.
Whether you’re selling a product, or giving a status update, good presenters live by WIIFM-What’s in it for me? They know that the audience cares only about one thing-their own self interests. In other words, it’s all about outcomes.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Diane DiResta is a speaking strategist and president of DiResta Communications, Inc., a New York City consultancy serving business leaders who want to communicate with greater impact – whether face-to-face, in front of a crowd or from an electronic platform. DiResta is the author of Knockout Presentations: How to Deliver Your Message with Power, Punch, and Pizzazz, an Amazon.com category best-seller and widely-used text in college business communication courses. Blog: businesspresentations.blogspot.com
For a free newsletter and audio course visit http://www.diresta.com
I’m in the market for a new car. I want a small SUV in the Honda CR-V / Toyota RAV-4 class. I’ll use this car primarily for commuting and weekend errand running. Since I don’t see gas prices declining, I want a four cylinder with good gas mileage. Because I drive a car until it has 100,000 miles on it, I want it fully loaded with nearly every option available. I want something with cargo capacity so I’m looking at the small SUVs.
Yesterday I test drove an SUV in that class made by one of the smaller automakers. I walked in and said I wanted to look at their SUV. The salesman, about my own age (mid-okay-late 50s) was experienced.
Where He Failed
His first question: Do you know anything about the (Brand) experience? When I replied,”No,” he opened the hood and proceeded to discuss all the features and benefits of owning that vehicle and how it differs from the competition.
As I mentioned, this gentleman is an experienced salesman with years of experience. Yet, he made no attempt to identify my needs or why I was interested in that car.
Instead, he focused on the product, not my needs.
Read more … => http://bit.ly/e2snMD
Public speaking is one of the best ways to generate leads and referrals, especially in today’s market. Why? Because you need to be visible to sell. A few years ago, I did very little marketing and still got amazing results. But that’s not how it is now. Today you need to be seen and you need to be speaking in public.
When you’re up close and personal, people get to know you through your words, body language and vocal variety, and they know whether or not they want to work with you. This is why public speaking works better than any other marketing strategy out there.
How exactly do you get those leads when you speak?
Your Elevator Speech
You need to have a great elevator speech so that people not only know what you do in 10 seconds or less, but they want to know more. This is how to get great leads.
I’ve received lots and lots of leads at networking events. People ask me what I do, I share it with them and BOOM, they’re a lead. If someone gives you their business card, that’s a lead. Make sure you follow up with them within 24 hours.
And don’t try to sell them standing up! The minute you start to get into it, someone will interrupt-because you’re at a networking event. You’ll never have that opportunity for closure, and you may not get their card. So don’t even go there. The only time you can sell standing up is when you are a platform speaker in front of a group.
If someone asks “how much do you charge?” or “how do you work?” say “I’d really love to sit down with you and share that one-on-one without all these distractions. May I have your business card? I’ll call you tomorrow and we can set a date.”
Don’t just show up and “throw up” all over people. Take your time, get that lead and follow up the next day. So, one way to get leads is networking. And not just networking, but having that polished elevator speech that attracts people to you; the one that says, “here’s the benefit of what it is that I do.”
Your Magnetic Self-introduction
In 25 seconds or less, your self-introduction needs to be so benefit-driven and so magnetic that people will want more. They will seek you out to give you their business card. I’ve made thousands of dollars on my elevator speech and my self-introduction because they are benefit driven, clear and concise, and people get it.
The secret to persuasion it to find out what people want and give it to them! It sounds simple, but believe me, most people don’t do it. Something happens when we get in front of someone who shows interest in our product or service. We turn into selling and sliming the person. They just want to walk away and not even give you a card. So instead, be interested, not interesting. Be interested in them, and not interesting yourself.
A little trick that I teach all my clients is when someone gives me a card and I see it as a hot lead, I fold the corner of the card. I’ve trained my staff to know that that means a serious follow up and phone call within 24 hours. Always follow up, even if you don’t feel like it!
And don’t change your core message! People change their message like they’re changing their underwear! Your core message is the reason you are in business and the thing that you do for people, whether it’s saving their lives or saving their businesses. Never change it! People have to hear it 7 to 9 times before they actually get it. Don’t sabotage yourself by changing it.
This whole speaking thing won’t work if you keep changing your core message, if it’s not benefit driven, or if you’re not clear and concise.
Your Signature Talk
Use your signature talk to get more business cards and referrals!
The Raffle: At the close of your talk, invite people to participate in a raffle. Give something away. If you have a product or book, give that away because it will give you an opportunity to talk about it. If not, a $25 gift card works just as well. The key is to get 100% participation. So a $5 card might not do it. Give something of value, describe it, and talk about the value. Then collect their business cards. Pick a card and give your prize away.
I still use this strategy today-and I’ve built my database in less than 7 years to over 8,000 people! These are people who have either seen me speak or heard me through a tele-class and stayed on my list because they’re interested in public speaking.
I have someone who just joined my Protégé program, and she said that she’s been following me for 6 years! So you just never know when people will be ready to engage in your service.
The only way that building your database works is if you take those cards and enter them into a database that you can send emails from. Don’t let them sit on your desk. Think of those cards as money! It’s money to you and to the people you can help.
Those are what I consider warm leads. So how do you get HOT leads from speaking?
No Q&A: To get hot leads, instead of doing a Q&A, I invite people who have questions to come talk to me at the end of my talk. Only the ones who are REALLY interested are going to come up to me afterwards. Again, I don’t sell standing up-because now I’m not on the stage, right? I get their business card and make an appointment to talk to them later. That is how to turn the warm leads into hot leads. Invite them to come talk to you after your talk.
If you’re not going to follow up, then collecting business cards and giving away those gifts will not create leads for you. So you MUST follow up! And it doesn’t necessarily mean follow up with an email. The more personable it is, the better.
After my talk, I send out an email to everyone who was there and just say something like, “it was really nice meeting you at such-and-such event. I hope that you get out there and start speaking. If there’s anything I can do to support you, let me know.”
The ones who give me hot leads, get a personal note. They still get the email, but they’ll get a handwritten note, and I will call them within 24 hours.
The One-on-One Strategy:
Whenever I go to a networking event, it’s not about me getting clients; it’s about me interviewing people to be my clients. It’s as if you’re interviewing them to see if they have potential, or if they’re a fit for your product or to be on your team or whatever it might be.
Ask appropriate questions instead of selling. “When it comes to your health, what do you like most about it?” Or “what’s the biggest challenge?” “When it comes to your finances, what’s the biggest challenge that you have? What’s the thing you like about it?” Start by asking questions and have a conversation.
Because you’re already acting interested, it’s very easy for you to ask them if they know of anyone who would be interested in XYZ. Again, it comes down to the benefit of what it is that you do. If you’re selling beauty it could be, “Out of all the people you know between the ages of 30 and 60, who is really interested and finicky about their skin?” Be very concise about what that benefit is and ask them for a referral.
The Referral Form Strategy:
When you’re trying to get referrals from the stage, it’s slightly different. The verbal script is similar but you want to make sure you have forms to hand out. For instance, I used to do this at my Persuasive Speaking Mastery seminar and got so many referrals that I could not follow up on all of them.
What I’m about to share with you is a license to print money. Here’s how it works:
You have a form-you call it a referral form. The referral form has about 5 or 6 lines at the very top part of the form for Jane Doe who is giving the referral. There needs to be a space for the date, phone number, email address, and of course, the name of the person doing the referrals. Underneath are 5 to 6 boxes that each have lines for name, email, phone number and a little comment box for a note about who this referral is.
From the stage (this goes into your close) you say something like, “My business, like your business, thrives on referrals from others. What I’d like to do now is to invite you to refer some of your best clients and customers. The one who comes up with the most referrals will get this prize” (and then you give them a prize). If you only have 30 minutes to speak, you cannot do more than one close, so I’m not suggesting that you do a raffle and this. When you have 45 minutes to an hour you can do this strategy.
Remember, any time you ask people to stop and do something else (whether it’s one person on the phone or many in an audience), it disconnects them from you. And when you haven’t even built rapport yet, it’s a total disconnect. So always try to avoid creating any kind of disconnect from your audience. The only reason we can disconnect for this strategy is because it’s only once and it’s for a greater good.
Now, before you hand out the form, take a minute to educate them on what a good referral looks like. People don’t know. For example I would say, “A good referral for me is someone who wants to get out there and start speaking about their business or someone who wants to become a powerful public speaker and grow their business doing it.”
This strategy is really powerful because you’re going to get the person who’s in the room, plus 5 or 6 of their best friends or best customers. With smart phones and Blackberries, most people carry their clients’ information with them. Every time I do this strategy I get so many leads that I can’t follow up on them all.
Again, if you know you’re going to use this strategy in your talk, it takes extra time. The business card strategy will take maybe 5 minutes. This takes longer because they’re digging into their phones and they’re writing names, so you need to allow for that in your talk. Having an hour to talk is best when you use this strategy.
Follow Up!
Make sure that the next day you allow at least half the day to follow up on the leads and referrals, or at least have someone in place who will follow up on them for you. The later it gets, the colder those leads get.
When you follow up, you will want to use the person’s name who gave their information to you. You can say, “Hi Greg, this is Arvee and my friend Jane Doe gave me your name.” And then you can say, “You know Jane right? Yeah, she’s really great! Well, she thought so much of you that she referred you to me.” And now you can start a conversation.
Keep Calling!
Don’t call once. This is a hot lead! Keep calling until you get a response. Most people give up too quickly. But these people are interested; they took the time to walk up to you after your talk and give you a business card. Life just gets in the way sometimes. Business gets in the way. They could be out of town or out of the country. You don’t know, so don’t give up! Most people give up after 2 or 3 calls. It’s usually the 7th one that will finally go through, and your future client will appreciate that you cared enough to not give up on them.
Be Friendly, Be Brief
Now, when you leave that message, make it a friendly message. Never say, “Hi, I’m calling to follow up…” That has sales written all over it. I like to say, “I’m calling to reconnect, we met the other day, you expressed an interest…”
If you do leave a voicemail, don’t leave a big long discussion about why you’re calling. Just say who you are, where you met, and that you’re just looking to reconnect with them. Something short and sweet.
Speak Your Way to Wealth
If you have not taken the time to put together your killer elevator speech, magnetic self-introduction, or signature talk, then 2011 is your year. It is time! Every day you wait, costs you money. It costs you in people coming to you; it costs you in people that you can help or businesses that you can help.
So look at it this way-it is time for you to invest. You’re worth it. Invest in yourself and find a coach. I’m here and I have the formulas to do that. Through my programs and CDs, I can help you create that self-introduction and that killer elevator speech-ones that get you business.
And that is how you can generate unlimited leads and get referrals every time you speak.
………………………………………………………………
Arvee Robinson is a Persuasive Speaking Coach, Master Speaker Trainer, International Speaker, and Author. She teaches business owners, service professionals, and entrepreneurs how to use public speaking as a marketing strategy so they can attract more clients, generate unlimited leads and grow their businesses, effortlessly. She teaches a proven system for delivering persuasive presentations, and easy to use formulas for creating a killer elevator pitch and a magnetic self-introduction. Arvee has helped hundreds of individuals to win clients and close more sales every time they speak. She offers private coaching, workshops, and weekly teleclasses. Her programs make people money for the rest of their lives. For more information, visit http://www.instantprospeaker.com.
Volumes have been written about the skills needed for successful sales presentations. Advice abounds about how to present benefits, not features; how to conduct product demos; how to use influencing techniques; how to establish rapport; how to close; and more.
Top sales performers embrace not only these sales skills but, most importantly, this fundamental of effective presenting: focus on the audience. They are clear that a sales presentation should be a dialogue between salesperson and audience. Most sales presentations typically involve small enough numbers of people to facilitate this.
more => http://bit.ly/g8lwH7
So what do you think is the biggest mistake in sales presentations?
* Selling features instead of benefits?
* Talking too much and not listening?
* Not knowing the product?
In a recent presentation, Ron Karr, of Karr Associates, Inc. and author of Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way,asked the audience, “What are you selling?” People responded by calling out their products and services. Ron went on to say that one of the biggest mistakes in sales is selling the “how” instead of the “what.”
“You’re selling outcomes!,” declared Ron. … read more =>
Kelly Decker writes on the Decker blog …
Are you cursed by knowledge ?
It’s a tough question.
Mostly because you probably don’t even know you’re cursed. Psychologists and behavioral economists who study this phenomenon find the more of an expert you become in your field, the more likely you are to be cursed by your own knowledge. That is, you don’t know what it’s like NOT to know what you know. This has HUGE implications in our communications. We end up communicating to clients, internal team members, and even our kids in a language they can’t comprehend and then wonder why our product doesn’t sell, that project doesn’t move forward and why our kids just won’t patiently wait when we ask them to. According to Chip and Dan Heath, The Curse of Knowledge is the villain to all things sticky – including your messages.
Tamer Osman, CEO of RGlobe was a participant in our August Decker Made to Stick Messaging program. He noted that throughout his career it has been challenging to create messages that resonate and have a lasting impression on customers. “I’ve struggled with pinpointing the best approach to delivering complex messages to any type of audience in the most simple, yet effective way.”
Read more => http://bit.ly/dNmaH1
It was downright devious, definitely bordered on preposterous, and decidedly over the top. Maybe even a little cheesy. Yet the audience gobbled it up.
The speaker gave a brilliant performance. He courted his audience’s emotions. He pushed and pulled on their hot buttons. He pandered to the whimsical fancies of the crowd.
Effective?
Yes… if you’re looking for a temporary high.
Valuable?
No, not at all. I remembered what he did-but I didn’t get anything meaningful from his talk. In short, it seemed like he was just blowing motivational smoke down into our collective consciousness.
With his deep, thundering preacher’s voice he rhythmically concluded his speech in a poetic cadence. Then he ripped open the front of his shirt ala Hulk Hogan. The buttons danced all over the stage injecting spontaneous combustion to his ending.
And the crowd roared with abundant enthusiasm…
They chanted. They cheered. They fed off his energy. They wanted more. They rose off their seats applauding His Highness.
I discreetly shook my head in disbelief…
He gave the crowd a buzz and milked it for what its worth. He sold them their fix by shooting them in the arm with a rush of “feel good” adrenaline. I thought the days of rah-rah hype ended in the 80’s. Guess not.
You see, His Highness didn’t engage his audience at all. He pumped them up with motivational “feel good” bullet points. This type of oratory works well if you balance it with substance and meaning. Otherwise people will lose that good feeling somewhere between the time they drive off the parking lot and the time they swing open their front door.
So what’s the secret to engaging your audience at a world-class level?
1) Start with a story. But not just any story. A personal story. One that puts you right dab in the middle of it. Preferably, one that no one else in the world can tell but you. And by all means, let us know who you really are.
2) Expose the conflict. Is there a problem that needs resolving? Is there an archenemy? Can you quote facts and figures? Who are the victims if nothing is done?
3) Identify the solution. Is it a product? Maybe a program. Perhaps it’s an organization. What makes this solution unique? How does this stand out from other solutions?
4) Name the beneficiaries. Who benefits from this solution? Are they your clients? Maybe they’re your donors. Do they live overseas? And how are they benefiting?
5) Give your reason. Now answer the why question. What do you get for doing this? What caused you to get involved? Why should prospects join, buy or promote what you offer?
I know you’re smart enough to not follow in His Highness’ footsteps. You have an authentic, passionate message you want to present at a world-class level. And you realize giving genuine value through a personal story will touch, engage and affect an audience much more and much longer than chants and cheers alone.