Sales Presentations Training

I’ve been working on a new public presentation and wanted to share some behind the scenes insights with those of you who may be preparing your own presentation. This presentation will be geared toward small business owners wishing to use blogging to increase their web presence and generate income from their blog.

Before the Presentation Preparation

I was able to gather four individuals who had an interest in the subject and use them for my test group. In preparation for my presentation I had notes on the key points that I wanted to convey. Initially, I had twenty key points that I wanted the group to take away and implement. My time expanded from one hour to two and a half hours. This was because of the questions and relaxed nature of this group. But in a control group like this-you have the luxury of bringing in a ton of key points. I will be using PowerPoint during this presentation but will add the slides after I have the main message constructed. Please note as we have discussed before-I did not start with my slides and work my presentation around the slides!

Real Time Analysis of the Presentation

For a first run the presentation went fairly well. I was interested in gaining the groups insights and paying particular attention to their ah ha moments as well as their “what are you talking about moments.” It was a very interactive session which helps my learning curve even more.

The beauty of having a very interactive session is gaining immediate feedback and noting what is and is not clicking with the group. Key to this learning curve is the fact that one of the group members recorded my presentation as well as taking copious notes. The recording is an essential tool of your preparation. It allows you to hear yourself under fire and see where the major disconnects appear in your presentation.

Feedback from the Presentation

At the conclusion of our session I asked the group to send me an email telling me in their own words what their main “keepers” were. In addition, I asked for the most beneficial points as well as what I should eliminate. In previous posts I have mentioned how critical it is for speakers to get evaluation forms from their audiences and this email feedback certainly filled that requirement. All of this information has greatly helped me and will help me craft the final presentation. As you can see there are a lot of tedious tasks that go into a successful public presentation but every presentation we do is a sales opportunity and we as well as the company we represent will be judged! I hope this will help you craft your fabulous presentation.

Steve Mertz

Crafting a Presentation 

Technorati Tags: Public Speaking, Presentations Training, PowerPoint, Speech Coaching

On Monday of this week I met up with a buddy of mine who is a financial advisor. He was giving me an overview of his business and what was working the best for his clients. We had a great conversation and his enthusiasm and passion were clearly present! The funny thing is this…I’ve seen him do a sales presentation in front of potential clients and he is entirely different. How about you? Potential clients today demand to see more of the real you. Share your successes and failures with them. By bringing in real situations and solutions that you have provided clients you are endearing yourself to the audience. The thing that struck me the most was the conversational manner of our talk. He was sharing facts with me but he was showing his vulnerability as well as his passion. He really is a great guy to have an informative conversation with-We all must bring this same conversational tone to our audiences!

One of my favorite financial speakers was Peter Lynch, the legendary manager of the Fidelity Magellan fund. Lynch could take a complex financial idea and convey it simply and eloquently to audiences. I remember Lynch explaining to an audience to “buy what you know.” The example he gave was if you are shopping at the Gap store and the store is packed with satisfied consumers-you may want to do some research and see if this is a stock to add to your portfolio. A simple but poignant example which allowed Lynch to be one of the most successful money managers of all times.

Let you audience see you in the same manner as they would observe you and I having a conversation. Who knows, your conversion rate may dramatically improve!

Steve Mertz

Be Conversational with Prospects! 

Technorati Tags: Sales Presentations Training, Public Speaking, Peter Lynch, Sales Training

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I recently had an investment advisor send me an email and ask: “If I tell them everything I know-what is their incentive to make an appointment?” A little background might be in order. This gentlemen gives one-hour presentations, loaded with PowerPoint slides, to retirees. His ultimate goal is to have them make an appointment so he can present the benefits of immediate annuities.

Everyone in the financial services industry has had this question run through their mind at one time or another…Haven’t you? Here are a couple of my observations:

1. You only have an hour, don’t overwhelm your audience with all those great facts.

2. Engage the audience and let them participate in the presentation-He was just getting up there and “telling them the facts.”

3. Be very candid about the pro and con of the products-Tell your audience who would be the ideal candidate and who would not.

4. Anchor your major points with compelling human interest stories that your audience will remember-not a slide showing what the Dow Jones Average has done since 1926.

5. Tape and or video your presentation-If you can’t stand to watch and hear yourself for an hour-Imagine how your poor audience feels!

6. If your product and your “pitch” is a “me too” then it becomes a beauty contest-and you had better be one good looking dude or you will starve!

Any more questions? Write them in the comments section or send them via email.

Steve Mertz
Happy Friday!
Technorati Tags:
Sales Presentations Training, Public Speaking, Coaching

The 192 edition of the Carnival of the Vanities is being hosted this week at Blog d’ Elisson. 

The Carnvial of the Vanities is the oldest Carnival in the blog world and features some of the best writers and ideas. This Carnival covers topics from Current Events to Business Advice-something for everyone!

I have an entry in this weeks Carnival called: Part 4 of 15: Biggest Mistakes Salespeople Make in Financial Presentations. This has been my most popular post ever and gives you a simple technique to enhance your public speaking skills as well as your sales presentation skills.

Enjoy this weeks Carnvial of The Vanities!

Steve Mertz
Carnival Participant

I received an interesting email this weekend. A start-up in Silicon Valley asked me to look at their company. They have limited funds and need some serious cash to take their product to the market. They also need a great sales presentation for potential investors. They asked me if I would help them for a reduced fee and take some stock in return for payment? 

Interesting…I haven’t been asked this before but I’m going to take a closer look at the company and their product. I have a soft spot in my heart for entrepreneurs-having gone through the process of designing, patenting and negotiating a sales agreement for my ergonomic crutch handle. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done! I also gave some very lame sales presentations!

Whadda think-Am I getting too soft

Steve Mertz
Sales Presentation Training for Founders Stock!