Sales Presentations Training

Do you have a critical public sales presentation coming soon? Will you be doing a presentation to your peers in the very near future? If you have ever wanted to pick up the phone and get immediate help from experts…Help is now a phone call away.

Beginning next week we will begin offering a monthly subscription service for $97 a month. This includes an initial coaching session with follow up email coaching and a monthly group sales call. This service would be a tune up in between face to face coaching sessions or for those that have an established presentation and want to work on specific issues. These might include the opening or closing of your presentation, presentation structure and incorporating memorable stories in your sales presentations.

There will be discounts for subscribing for a full year and about that free Apple Video iPod-For the first 100 subscribers you will be qualified for the drawing. We will draw one name and that person will get the iPod! We will have further details later in the week as well as a secure site for credit card registration.

We decided to implement this service in addition to our in person coaching sessions we offer because many of you have indicated a desire for a tune up now and then.

Steve Mertz
Phone Coaching Coming Soon!

Thanks for stopping bye today. Would someone be so kind as to share where you are hearing or reading about my blog? Thanks, Steve

I need someone who has experience with Blogger to do some work for me. Things like adding Feedburner, subscribe by email and maybe some formatting. If you are interested shoot me an email at smertz@msn.com to discuss $$ you can make! I will also be looking at migrating to Wordpress at some point. Thanks, Steve 

Technorati Tags: Blogging, Feedburner, Sales Presentations Training

When I give tips about sales presentation training I am usually referencing my experiences in the United States. I live here in Denver, Colorado and like most Americans, I’m guilty of not fully acknowledging the global community. This morning I looked at where some of my guests were coming from: Italy, United Kingdom, Germany and Taiwan to name a few. Thank you to all of my international audience. If I make a blunder would you please feel free to comment and set me straight!

When I go to an organization I kind of stick out because of my crutches but at least I don’t have them painted neon green with purple racing stripes! As you and your company goes abroad for sales presentations it might be useful to accustom yourself with international etiquette and accepted business attire. For example, Joe Sharkey writes a column for the New York Times called “On The Road.” He mentioned in his article this morning of the time he showed up at a business conference in Tokyo, in July, wearing tan suit. According to him, he may as well have been wearing sandals, white socks and a T-shirt with a beer company’s logo! That’s not a pretty picture is it-and certainly not a way to kick off a major sales presentation. Our friends in Tokyo wear dark suits in business settings and it is our obligation to know this before we head out.

Sharkey recommends a book called “Global Business Etiquette: A Guide to International Communication and Customs” by MaLillian Chaney and Jeanette Martin. I’ve not read the book but you may want to peruse it before you and your team head out for your next international sales presentation-Good luck and welcome to all my international guests!
Steve Mertz
International Sales Presentation Training!

I am starting to add some sales presentation training resources to the site. One that I wanted to feature today is Presentation Zen. This blog is written by Garr Reynolds, the former Manager of Worlwide User Group Relations at Apple Computer-whew! That is a mouthful. Garr has traveled and presented extensively across the world and is very generous in sharing information about what works well in sales presentations. Have you ever been to a presentation and an audience member asks a question and the speaker replies: “I cover that in Chapter 7 of my book.?” Garr is not that way! He has presentation tips and great insights. If you think there are other sites or authors that should be included in the resource section please let me know. You can drop me an email at smertz@msn.com. Have a fabulous week end!
Image courtesy of State of Colorado. 

Tags: Sales Presentation Training, Sales Presentations, Sales Resources, Garr Reynolds . 

Any great sales presentation is built around BLT. Does your audience Believe you? Do they Like you? Do they Trust you? Assuming you have a fabulous product or service, if you don’t please don’t hire me-I’m not a miracle worker! Seriously, we start with a great product or service and have about an hour to convince a committee that we are the one. Let’s say there are two or three other companies that will also be presenting-what will be our little edge? Let’s start with- does your audience believe you. Certainly, because you made the final cut, there is a good starting point. Now let’s build on that. It starts with your body language-throw your shoulders back and make eye contact. No need to get in a staring match but have you ever had someone speaking to you while they were looking over or past you? It’s very hard for someone to believe you. Don’t make wild, unsubstantiated claims. Give examples of what others have experienced from your efforts. Acknowledge your competitors but eliminate them by giving a plethora of benefits that your company can offer. Force yourself to write out a features and benefit statement beforehand and be sure that you emphasize your benefits. This goes a long way in establishing your believability. Next, do they Like you? I don’t know about you but I like a person a lot better when they use my name and have done some research on me and my company. Don’t sound like a recording but be sure that you know their pain and address it. An excellent way to find the pain is to interview key figures before the presentation. Talk to others who may know their pain-you know who to contact because you have built an extensive network, haven’t you? Don’t be afraid to tell about pertinent mistakes you have made in the past and how you corrected them-it makes you human and it makes others like the fact that you have overcome adversity. Use self effacing humor when appropriate. If you have any doubts, don’t use the humor! Finally, does the audience trust you. If you have done a fabulous job on the first two components then the trust factor becomes the final building block. Your audience will trust you a lot more when you are confident in your presentation, you aren’t squirming, you are maintaining eye contact and you have addressed their objections before they get a chance to bring them up. Enjoy that BLT!
Steve Mertz Master Chef

Three months ago I was at a presentation given by a company to a group of potential investors. The company was not a start up but rather a company that has a fabulous product and were looking for $5 million dollars for expansion. If you have ever been in their position you know how hard it can be. You have 1 hour to give your best shot at that $5 or $50 million dollar contract. Maybe you have waited for a year or longer to get in front of the committee that will determine your fate-don’t make these mistakes. The secretary started the power point presentation and she never stopped. They power pointed the audience to death. The principals of the company sat there and watched the power point presentation. They would throw in an occasional comment, making no eye contact with anyone in particular! Finally, the president of the company gave a very brief wrap up and the potential investors left-never to return and Never to invest. If you can relate to any of this pain-I can help you with your next presentation. I was an investment advisor for over 15 years and gave hundreds of presentations and was exposed to hundreds more. I am confident that I have seen more boring and ineffective presentations than most! Fortunately, I had the good sense to get professional presentation training and have been a member of National Speakers Association for the past 5 years. I have a special place in my heart for small businesses seeking that necessary contract and my team and I will bring our expertise and passion to your organization. Please contact me with any immediate needs or questions. My site address is www.salespresentationtraining.blogspot.com

Tags: Sales+Presentation+Training