Happy New Year! I apologize for the lack of posting-it has been hectic around here. I’m going to share with you a lot of great questions that have been coming in and Google searches that you have used to find this site. In the upcoming weeks we will get all your Sales Presentations questions answered. (Read on …)
Know Your Audience is always a critical factor in the success of your presentation. Thomas P. Mullen and Mala Narain of the Park Li Group strategy consulting group, stress you need to know how they listen!
People have distinctly different way of dealing with presentations about strategy, David Wagner writes in Sloan Management Review.
“Each audience member will emphasize one of four primary focuses-data, structure, vision and the human element-and the
effective speakers are those who integrate all four aspects into their presentations.”
Listeners who are primarily data driven will be evaluating your presentation to see if “it is grounded in the appropriate facts and figures.” My translation: Engineer types, CFO’s!
Audience members who look first for structure want to see how all the different aspects of your talk fit together. My translation: College Professors
“Where are all these strategy discussions going to lead us,” is what the people who are listening for vision want to know. My translation: CEO’s, Consultants
And, finally people who focus on human dimension want to know where they-and everyone else-fit in. My translation: You and I!
“The key to success is to always assume all four types of listeners are present in every audience. Identify your default mode and leverage those skills as much as you can, but address the needs of the other types of listeners as well.”
While this information is not new it certainaly is valuable and gives us a timely reminder when giving presentations. It also gives credence to the fact that speaking off the cuff-puts you at a distinct disadvantage with audiences. Lastly, let’s not forget to chart out our use of humor in our presentations!
Steve Mertz
Know Your Audience
Technorati Tags: Sloan Management Review, Presentations, Humor, Career Training
Someone wrote me an email and asked why we chose to give away an Apple video iPod as a gift. There actually is a good reason-one that I took from baseball! Several teams are now downloading a pitchers best performance or a hitters great game and having the players review them on their iPod’s. I think this is a great idea and one that we want to encourage presenters to use.
We believe in reinforcing what is working well in your sales presentations and being able to see and hear your best performances is a great way to ensure continued success-wouldn’t you agree? Consider this: Alex Rodriguez is the third baseman for the New York Yankees. Last year he was voted the most valuable player in baseball. This year he is struggling and for the last week or so is going 2 for 20 with 14 strikeouts! He is in a major slump and is really beating himself up mentally. What is his solution for trying to break out of this slump? He watched one of his worst performance for hours. In this game he struck out 4 times and committed an error! I would offer this up as proof that when you want to take your presentation skills to the next level watch your best performance, not one that you will mentally beat yourself up.
Steve Mertz
Reinforce Your Great Public Presentations!
Technorati Tags: Sales Presentations Training, Public Speaking, Apple iPod, New york Yankees, Alex Rodriguez
On Wednesday of this week the University of Colorado Medical school got a $6 million dollar gift from the Gates Family Fund. It was a huge media event and quite a coup for the medical school. I saw a clip on the evening news of the chairman of the department of neurology explaining how this gift would catapult CU to be a force in stem cell research. There was just one problem…He had his back to the audience and to the cameras.
He was reading a PowerPoint slide that looked to be about 12 point type and the slide was loaded with information! Let’s consider a few points about his public presentation.
1. Never turn your back to the audience
2. Do not read slides to your audience-they will start reading ahead of you and besides that I’m pretty damn sure that the audience there was very capable of reading all by themselves.
3. Let’s just assume for the moment that the average age of the audience was 50-distinguished physicians, administrators and some other potential large donors. Take 50 and divide it by two and his PowerPoint type should be 25 point!! Make
it easy for all those distinguished folks to read your slides that hopefully are enhancing and clarifying your presentation.
Last point, at this media event Dr. David Norris was no longer the chairman of the department of neurology-he was the chief evangelist and fund raiser for the University of Colorado Medical school. I saw him acknowledge and graciously thank the Gates family but I did not hear him lay down a challenge for other “Daddy and Mommy War bucks” to meet or beat the gift. What a great opportunity to issue a call to action!
Steve Mertz
Call to Action Friday!
Technorati Tags: Public Speaking, PowerPoint, Presentation Tips, Executive Speech Coaching
When an audience of one or one thousand listens to your story they must
find it interesting, connect to it emotionally, and learn a lesson from
it. Your story must make an obvious point in your speech or
conversation.
Here is the sure fire formula that all good stories follow:
– Situation - what was their situation before your product or service?
– Solution - what solution did you offer?
– Success - how did they live happily ever after?
This same structure is great for sales presentations.
Where did I find these pearls of wisdom you may ask? I got them in Patricia Fripp’s newsletter today. Fripp is one of my favorites in the presentations training arena. You can read the rest of her tips by visiting here to sign up.
Steve Mertz
A Great Read
Technorati Tags: Presentations, Sales Training, Public Speaking, Patricia Fripp
I recently had an opportunity to view 8 presentations given to Venture Capitalists. These were all small businesses seeking capital for expansion. Here are some observations of mistakes that my readers of the blog would never do:
1. In one ten minute presentation there were over 25 PowerPoint slides-not one of the slides enhanced the presentation.
2. Presenters were reading the slides to the committee.
3. The type on the slides was to small for anyone to read-had their been information that would have enhanced the presentation.
4. Presenters turning their back to the audience and going to the screen to point out information on a slide-Never turn your back to the audience and spend $2 for a pointer!
5. Presenters “waffling” on their opening-they wasted the first two minutes getting to the point.
6. Not clearly presenting the problem and the solution.
7. Not clearly defining the “exit strategy” for potential investors.
8. Not clearly identifying the use of the money they hoped to raise.
9. No humor and no audience interaction-You can do both of these very effectively, even in a ten minute presentation.
Based on what I saw last week in Denver, there are not enough readers of the Sales Presentation Training blog. Make the world a better place and forward this blog address to someone in your organization or association. Otherwise, you may be in the audience one day when they commit these fatal 9 sins of Sales Presentations 
Steve Mertz
My Readers Would Never Commit These Sins!
The Carnival of Capitalists is being hosted this week at The Integrative Stream. by William Crawford.
The Carnival of Capitalists covers many topics of business and you will find great articles that may help you in your business endeavors. I’m pleased to be included in this weeks Carnival with two entries: This Personal Finance Tip Saved Me $29,871.63 and Sales Presentation Tip-Don’t Waffle.
I hope you enjoy this weeks Carnival of Capitalists and find some great tips!
Steve Mertz
Colorado Sales Presentation Training
I read this book about Barbara Corcoran several years ago, before she changed the book title to be a little flashier! Barbara started a real estate company in New York with $1,000 dollars she borrowed from her boyfriend. Around 2003 she sold her company for a boat load of money-I really enjoyed her book and learning about her tenacity. But there is only one thing that really sticks out in my mind-the time she met Donald Trump. She went to his office to meet him and hopefully generate a big deal. According to her, when Trump shook her hand, it was like a dead fish! From that point forward she did not trust him. Before you take your team to a sales presentation practice shaking hands-seriously! It is one of the first impressions that “the committee” will remember and be sure to look them dead in the eye when you are shaking their hand. Men expect a decent handshake from other men. Firm, but not too firm and don’t pump my arm off! Women get cut a little more slack in this area but a woman with a great handshake is an awesome differentiator so do practice. I know it’s a small, picky item but in this day of intense competition at sales presentations-it could be the difference.
PS While I’m on the subject of first impressions-make absolutely, positively sure that your fingernails are spotless and well groomed. The same goes for your shoes. Have a great sales presentation!