Sales Presentations Training

George Bush…..a motivational speaker, really? Hey, I just report the facts. Well, according to the Los Angeles Times:

After nine months of being nearly invisible — a big outing has been to a Dallas hardware store for flashlights — George W. Bush debuted in his latest incarnation: motivational speaker.

Nearly 15,000 people heard the former president, known more for mangling the English language than for his eloquence, reminisce this week about his White House days. Bush, who is writing a book about the dozen toughest decisions he had to make, used much of his 28 minutes onstage to talk about lighter topics, such as picking out a rug design for the Oval Office that reflected his “optimism.” (Read on …)

I was recently working with Bo Donegan who is an expert in forensic accounting. More small business owners are using YouTube to get their message out-even accountants! As you can imagine, when Donegan first came to me for training and coaching; I wasn’t sure how to make forensic accounting very sexy!

I think Bo did a great job in giving a relaxed and informative presentation on accounting. I try to keep these presentations short and snappy and refuse to allow clients to use notes. As you can see in his Forensic Accounting video I interview him to drive the answers he wants to convey. His sincerity and knowledge comes through and hopefully will drive business to his company.

Let me know if you are using YouTube for your presentations and how its working out!

I saw a search recently for “top five presentation coaches in the US” and thought it might be fun and informative for readers of this blog to get some feedback!

So, let’s do this-in the comments section of this post why don’t you suggest who you believe to be the best presentation coaches in the United States. I would be very interested in the name but more importantly the why. For example, if you have had experience with a presentation coach and as a direct result of the coaching did you receive more engagements, were you able to raise your fees, or did you get that promotion at work?

Please share who you believe are the top five presentation coaches in the US! Don’t be afraid to share their website, the fee they charge and anything else that you think is helpful.

Let the games begin-who is the best presentation coach in the United states?

We all had a great time at the Presidential Gala for NSA Colorado. Gina Schreck turned over the reins to me, Steve Mertz, and I’m officially the President of the National Speakers Association Colorado Chapter! I’m looking forward to bringing the best programs into our chapter. I believe that our primary mission is to help professional speakers, trainers and consultants enhance their expertise by using the latest technology and increase their revenues!!

I have to brag about my friend Debbie Taylor. Debbie is the owner of Taylor Made Events and she was awarded the Scott Friedman award. This award is given to a very special member of NSA Colorado. It recognizes their behind the scenes effort and all those countless hours of volunteer service. I’m honored to know and count Debbie Taylor as a friend.

In addition to all her volunteer work Debbie runs a very successful professional speakers bureau here in Denver, Colorado. Debbie is a great person to know if you are a professional speaker and want a bureau to help you get hired to speak!! Debbie represents a wide selection of speakers from motivational humorists, adventure speakers, internet marketing speakers and many more. Congratulations Debbie!!

Our meetings start again in September and I’ll be posting the dates so you can plan accordingly if you would like to attend our monthly meetings. Talk soon!

Steve Mertz
President National Speakers Association-Colorado Chapter

Are you a Public speaker, trainer or consultant? Have you ever sat there waiting for your phone to ring-with a request for your brilliant keynote at full fee? Come hither to our June meeting here in Denver, Colorado. The focus of the meeting will be how to work with speakers bureaus and meeting planner! If you don’t know what a speakers bureau does or what a meeting planner is-you still need to be at the NSA Colorado meeting.

In addition we will have the pleasure of hearing Mark Sanborn our past chapter president as well as past National President of the National Speakers Association. Mark will share with us: The Encore Effect™

How to Give a Remarkable Presentation that Makes Clients Want More

This is a first, not just for NSA Colorado: Mark Sanborn will be sharing a sneak preview of his new book The Encore Effect: How To Give a Remarkable Performance in Anything You Do (copyright) that will be released by Random House in September of this year. Not only will you be the first to hear Mark speak on the new book, but he’ll apply it specifically to professional speaking. You’ll get strategies and tactics you can use to make clients want more of you and what you do.

Mark will share six components of any encore performance and what it takes to go beyond excellent to become distinctive. The components are familiar and easy to remember; the magic is in the way they are combined and applied to achieve remarkable results.

You’ll also get insights into how Mark creates new material for his book and speeches. And you’ll learn why you need to aim higher than “the next level” and how to go for 2LUL two levels up.

We will also have the pleasure of being entertained by Tim and Kris O’Shea. The O’Sheas are known for their business humor and corporate comedy. They are a great act and not to be missed!

We will have two panels to inform you about how best to work with meeting planners and speakers bureaus. Our first panel will feature Laura Stack as emcee. Laura is a past President of our chapter and known around the world as The Productivity Pro. Our first panel will cover:Understanding the Customer from the Meeting Professional’s Perspective featuring:

This panel of meeting planners will consist of:

1. Evan Goulding – Executive Director of Special District Association of Colorado
   Tim Litherland – Director of Sports and Group Sales /Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau
   Gary Schirmacher, CMP – Senior Vice President of the Western Region /Experient

Meeting planners should be some of your favorite people as a public speaker. They hire public speakers and arrange all the details of a meeting. Your goal should be to endear yourself to meeting planners and make them look like a hero for hiring you!

Our second panel emcee will be Mark Sanborn. Our second panel will cover: Understanding Speakers Bureaus:

This panel will consist of speakers bureaus and the members are:

• Maureen Brooks – Brooks International Speakers Bureau
  Tim Mathy – Speak Inc
  Debbie Taylor – Taylor Made Events and Speakers

Speakers bureaus can be a professional speakers best ally. They really do call you when they have a speaking or training engagement for you-and they take care of all of the details! Learn how working with speakers bureaus is a two way street built on trust and integrity. One more thing-You must have the “goods”, a bureau is not a place for you to hone your speaking skills.

This will be the last meeting of the year for NSA Colorado until we start up again in September. Come learn with us and register today for this fabulous meeting.

PS Our current President Gina Schreck was just awarded the designation of Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). This is a highly coveted designation and well deserved for my friend Gina! Please make a point to congratulate her. Yours truly, Steve Mertz, will have the honor of being the President for NSA Colorado next year. Please join us for this great June meeting.

Humorous openings are appreciated by audiences and a great way to create immediate rapport. A humorous opening is even better when the audience least expects it-for example, all of you who deliver technical presentations. Just because you have specific, technical information you don’t get a pass on not boring your audience to death You know who you are!

For example, I recently was delivering a presentation on search engine optimization (SEO) for websites and blogs. This can be a technical presentation but it doesn’t have to bore the bejesus out of the audience. When I started my presentation I mentioned the President of the Association, who was sitting in the front row

I went on to say how “Pat” shared with me that she had a side business and had made an additional $75,000 dollars last year-every time a cell phone went off in one of her presentations, she confiscated the phone and sold it on eBay!

While this is not any earth shattering humor-the audience loved it because they did not expect it from me and I could tell they were at ease with me. More importantly, the President of the association was flattered that I made a point to remember her name and include her in the presentation. I have mentioned before the magic of drawing your audience into your presentation and always introduce yourself to the front row before you start your presentation!

For those of you who give more technical presentations please consider developing a humor file. If you use humor in your presentations your audiences will love you and I guarantee that your humorous presentation will be more memorable and repeatable-these are very good things if you wish to continue to be hired!! Humor just doesn’t happen and you may find the need to hire a coach to inject some humor in your presentations-this is a good investment! My speaker buddy, Steve Rizzo, spends the first several minutes with nothing but humor before he goes forward with his presentation. He has found that once an audience embraces you and your humor they are much more receptive to your presentation.

So, for all you CEO’s and Propeller Heads who are boring your audiences to death…stop it! Use humor in your presentations and we will laugh and learn with you!

If you are a professional speaker, trainer or consultant mark your calendars for Friday, May 9, 2008. The National Speakers Association Colorado Chapter is honored to host an all day conference on “the secret handshake” for speaking internationally!

My friend, Scott Friedman, CSP will host this fabulous day. Scott is the past President of The National Speakers Association as well as the two time past President of National Speakers Association/Colorado Chapter. He is the author of two books and co-author of four others. Scott’s latest book, Punchlines, Pitfalls and Powerful Programs – Ten Surefire Ways of Adding Humor to Your Presentations, is the perfect resource for those looking to connect with their audience…. whoever that may be. Scott outlines effective methods for engaging and educating an audience through humor and story telling.

Here is an overview of this must attend meeting. We will offer a Bonus Session from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. The additional cost for members is $20. Affiliates $55 and Non-Members $60. We are expecting a huge turnout including guests from other National Speakers Association chapters including: Los Angeles, California, Dallas, Texas, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Las Vegas, Nevada, Utah and San Francisco, California-so register early!

The session will start promptly at 9:30 with our host Scott Friedman. Our first speaker will be Frank Furness, CSP from 9:35 – 10:30. His topic will be Creating and Selling Products in a Global Marketplace. Frank shares his money making model that includes developing products and selling others products using simple strategies & software and no geeky knowledge. Discover how his 52 websites create an online and BOR income. Discover how Frank uses article and video Frank Furness, CSP– Creating and Selling marketing for market research and to promote his products and secures international speaking assignments in 48 countries. Understand his simple strategies that gets thousands of people subscribing on autopilot to his Ezines. Frank approaches this from a sales rather than a technical angle so keeps it simple and fun. Frank is the past President of the Professional Speakers Association of Europe and spends seventy percent of his time speaking internationally, working in forty eight countries from Russia to Dubai, Hong Kong to South Africa. He is a regular speaker at Entrepreneurs University and his clients include the British Olympic Team, The Professional Cricketers Association, Sporting Champions and Sport England. Frank’s book ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ is an International best seller.

Frank’s articles are published in numerous newspapers and magazines and he has been a columnist for Financial Times and Institute of Directors publications.
10:30- 10:40 Networking Break
10:45 – 11: 30 Terry Brock, CSP His topic: The New Digital Rules for Working around the Globe. Discover how you can have an international experience speaking, writing, coaching and having WAY more fun than the law allows! This session with NSA’s technology guru, Terry Brock, will show you specific technologies you can use as well as how to get business! As our world gets more global, you need to know how to make it work for you and your lifestyle—however you choose to craft it. Discover how to have a “Whoo Hoo!” experience in many countries—and avoid being arrested!

11:15 – 11:30 Networking Break

11:30 – 12:10 George Walther, CPAE, CSP His topic: Life is Far too Short…What are We Waiting For? What adventures are YOU putting off and saving up for? You’ll be re-thinking your timetable after hearing George’s engaging tales that are all true, though you’ll hardly believe them. Whether it’s heading off on an international adventure trip, or completely re-vamping your professional speaking topics, this presentation will arouse your least conventional approach to aligning your passions and your actions. George Walther, CSP, CPAE is the “Traveling Twain of the 21st Century.” He’s just visited his 99th country and has spoken in all of them…though only occasionally as a paid speaker. Acclaimed for three decades as a business authority with books and training programs published around the world, he’s now transitioning to embrace his greater passion: global adventure travel. His professional expertise has always been in the communication realm with books such as Phone Power, Power Talking, and various sales and service titles. He’s now combining his solid business credentials with his adventuring heritage (he’s a direct descendant of famous cannibals – really) to present a life-changing message with “Life Is Far Too Short; What Are We Waiting For?”

12:10 Jana Stanfield, CSP Special Musical Ending Who is Jana Stanfield? You’ve heard her music on 20/20, Entertainment Tonight, Oprah, the movie 8 Seconds, and radio stations nationwide. Her compositions are sung by RebaMcEntire, Andy Williams and others, and Jana has shared stages with fellow performers ranging from Kenny Loggins to The Dixie Chicks.

Keynote Concerts, Inc. is the name of Jana’s speaking business. For the past 15 years, Jana has made her living as a Keynote speaker at conferences and corporate events. Jana’s Music is known as “The Queen of Heavy Mental,” Jana describes her music as “psychotherapy you can dance to.” With soaring vocals, acoustic arrangements, and meaningful lyrics, Jana Stanfield says that her goal is to use her music to give people a “faith-lift.” Her fans say the music is the ideal alternative to Prozac… all the mood elevation with none of the water retention.

12:20 Lunch Break – not included in cost of program

NSA Colorado Afternoon Meeting

1:00 pm Registration and Networking
2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Opening (10 minutes) Jana Stanfield, CSP

2:15 – 3:15 W. Mitchell, CPS, CSP, CPAE His Topic: Its Not What Happens, it’s What you Do About It. Challenge. We all face challenges of varying degrees every day, whether it’s professional or personal, large or small, immediate or over time. And change — some invited, some unasked for– is our biggest challenge. The title of W Mitchell’s latest book is also his philosophy on life — “It’s not what happens to you…it’s what you do about it.” This expert on taking responsibility for change shows his audiences not only how to gain perspective, but how to cope, and even better, to prosper with personal and professional change. W Mitchell knows about challenge, change and courage — all first hand. He speaks to you about the battles and the victories of life. From co-founding a metal casting company that put thousands to work, from his election as mayor and congressional nominee, from a fiery motorcycle accident that left him burned over 65% of his body, and from the airplane crash that took away his ability to walk, Mitchell now soars above the rest with grace, good humor and gumption.

Mitchell speaks with passion about the human spirit. He focuses on the positives of change–taking responsibility–and the proven result…himself. “Before I was paralyzed there were 10,000 things I could do; now there are 9,000. I can either dwell on the 1,000 I’ve lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left.”

Listen to this powerful story. Across the globe, from the Indian Ocean to Indiana, from Presidents to Parliaments and from non-profits to multinational giants, audiences herald his thought-provoking words about perseverance and becoming more than just a survivor. He delivers from the heart, with warmth, wit and wisdom. You’ll hear an unforgettable speaker with an invaluable message

3:30 – 4:30 Pros Panel 1: Going Global
Frank Furness, CSP – Building Alliances all over the World
Terry Brock, CSP – Technology made Simple for the Globetrotter
George Walther, CSP, CPAE – Power Talking Globally
Ruby Newell-Legner, CSP – Philosophy-Learn b4uGo
Scott Friedman, CSP
Jana Stanfield, CSP
Micky Fisher
Doug Stevenson
Dave Avrin
4:30 – 4:45 pm Networking Break

4:45 – 5:45 pm pm Meet the Pros Round Table Discussions

5:45 Jan Stanfield

Make it a point to join us for this fabulous day. Whether you want to learn how to speak internationally or just learn from some of the finest minds in the speaking industry-you will not be disappointed! Complete registration information and pricing can be found at NSA/Colorado. See you soon.

Steve Mertz

Calling all professional speakers, trainers and consultants in Colorado and Wyoming. National Speakers Association-Colorado Chapter is having our monthly meeting April 12th, 2008 from 8:30 am -12:30- p.m.

As the incoming President of our Colorado Chapter I want to extend a personal invitation to all of (Read on …)

My friend Barbara Brannen is a professional motivational speaker and colleague here in Denver, Colorado. Barbara worked in the corporate world for over 30 years as a human resources executive. Today, Barbara speaks on increasing performance in organizations using the power of 5 seconds of fun! Barbara’s talk focuses on people and the bottom line-humor (Read on …)

I saw a rerun of the movie Hitch the other night and couldn’t help but laugh at the similarities between the movie and the Presentations Training we do with clients. You remember Will Smith, the dashing, articulate and persuasive character? The one who could take a very hopeless Albert Breneman (Read on …)