Sales Presentations Training

The monthly meeting of NSA Colorado will be October 13,2006. The meeting will be from 2 to 6pm. We will be hearing some great public speakers including Shep Hyken, CSP. Shep will be speaking on Getting clients and selling product! Sales strategies for speakers and consultants. Shep has built and sustained his successful business for twenty years. Shep brings real life experiences that new and seasoned speakers can use.

Next on the agenda will be Michael Benidt and Sherly Kay speaking on Perfecting Internet Connecting. Their program will show you how to get crucial information faster! If you are overwhelmed by information overload-Don’t miss this great information!

We are also pleased to be joined by Scott Halford, CSP. Scott is a former NSA/Colorado President and Emmy award-winner. Scott has a very successful business model. Instead of 100 speeches to 100 different clients a year, he strategically selects 5-7 companies and works in each one 10-20 times per year-Great information!

This will be a great Friday meeting on Presentations, Marketing and Internet Searches. Don’t miss our NSA/Colorado meeting this Friday!

Steve Mertz
See You Friday!

Technorati Tags: NSA/Colorado, Shep Hyken, Michael Benidt, Sheryl Kay, Scott Halford 

A friend of mine has to give a one hour presentation before a committee next month. It will determine whether or not she gets to manage her own Starbucks store-I’d say a lot was riding on her presentation! It’s been a pleasure to watch this young lady grow over the year that she has been working at my favorite Starbucks and I’m pleased that she asked me for some presentation advice.

I asked her about the process. She told me that she will be presenting to about seven managers who will be looking for her best ideas on increasing revenues for the store. She mentioned to me that she had seen two previous presentations by her peers to the committee. What struck me the most is when she said how a particular individual was so out of character at his presentation. Gone was the smiling, gregarious and joking young man that we all had come to appreciate-In his place was the serious, no smile, no humor, stoic presenter!

I’m sure we all witnessed the same occurrence. What strikes me funny about this is that everyone knows “you” and they love your ability, leadership and unique character…so, why would you leave that at home the day of your presentation?
I get the fact that this is a huge deal for these young up and coming stars but my advice to my friend is to let the committee she the real her and her delightful humor. I can work with her on her presentation skills and ensure that she will give a very tight presentation but as with all speakers-it’s up to us to let the committee see our real and genuine self!

Steve Mertz
Let the Genuine You Shine Through!

Technorati Tags: Career Training, Public Speaking, Presentations Skills, Starbucks

Just about 90 minutes West of Denver is some of the world’s greatest skiing in Vail, Colorado. It could also be our next meeting place for your executive team. Whether you are preparing for an important sales presentation, IPO Road Show or looking for executive coaching-Why not meet up in Vail, Beaver Creek or Keystone? Vail mountain is tentatively scheduled to open November 17th, so it’s not too early to start planning your executive retreat!

Aside from all the fabulous outdoor activities Vail also offers great facilities for our conference needs. My staff and I would be happy to discuss any projects you may have upcoming and work out some logistics for a Vail getaway. Interested? Give me a call on my cell at 303-619-8972 or feel free to email me at smertz at msn.com

Get the G5 fired up and let’s meet at Vail for your next executive retreat! 

Steve Mertz
All Work and No Play…

Technorati Tags: Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Executive Coaching, IPO Road Show, Sales Training

I was on a conference call last evening with some speakers. A woman on the call mentioned that she had given a presentation last week that lasted an hour and thirty minutes…And her presentation included 129 PowerPoint slides! At first, I thought she was joking.

When we called her on it, she became a little defensive. She saw no problem at all showing 129 PowerPoint slides in a 90 minute presentation. Let’s see-that’s only one slide every 1.4 minutes!! (Check that, 1.4 slides every minute) Which begs the question-Was the audience paying for a PowerPoint slide show or the speakers expertise?

I’m sure you all know by now that I believe slides should only be used to clarify or accentuate a point in your presentation. When PowerPoint becomes the show it makes it easier for the meeting planner to hire someone else who will give a cheaper slide show. Audiences want to learn from your experiences and your expertise!

Steve Mertz
Beyond PowerPoint!

Patricia Fripp has some excellent presentation tips in this months news letter. She discusses converting a Seminar to a Keynote. Regardless if you are looking to do this-you will find some excellent tips to increase your sales presentations. You can read How Can You Convert a Seminar to a Keynote here. Enjoy!

Steve Mertz

I Have Good Mentors!

Technorati Tags: Presentations, Coaching, Public Speaking, Patricia Fripp

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

With the ever increasing global economy-many of us have been exposed to international opportunities. The opportunities can be very rewarding but Dr. Gary Goodman gives us some timely advice on the hidden costs of delivering an international speech. Read his full article here.

Steve Mertz

International Opportunities

I had the opportunity to view three excellent presentations at the NSA/Colorado chapter meeting on Saturday, September 9^th. All three presenters did an excellent job of connecting with the audience and giving them information that they could use immediately. There are common traits of great presentations that I want to high lite here:

1. The speakers did not warm up on their opening-they got right into their material and immediately captured the audiences attention. The first 20 seconds of an opening can really set the tone for your presentation so it’s always worth the effort to make it fresh and compelling to your audience.

2. They used stories that were universal to any audience that anchored their key points. Your audiences love to hear personal stories of yours and how or what you learned from those experiences to help you overcome obstacles and achieve success from the experience. Even if you are a CEO of an organization-your audience will relate and appreciate stories that are yours and anchor a key point you are making.

3. All three presenters used generous amounts of humor to poke fun at themselves and anchor key points.

4. They kept on topic and stuck to the allotted time they were given. By sticking to your topic your audience will leave with the key points you sere making. Those who tend to wander off topic can leave an audience with a feeling of “we liked the presentation, but don’t really remember any specific points.”

5. All the speakers engaged the audience and were able to make a great connection because of the interactivity.

6. Handouts were effectively used and yes, the one PowerPoint presentation did support and enhance the presentation!

Steve Mertz

Great Presenters are Fun to Watch!

NSA/Colorado Chapter is having it’s first meeting of the 2006-2007 year this Saturday ,September 9^th, 2006. The meeting will be at the Renaissance Denver Hotel located at 3801 Quebec Street, Denver, CO. 80207

The featured speaker will be Ford Saeks and his topic is Information Marketing mastery for Professional Speakers. Ford is the real deal and this high-energy “how-to” session offers you a multitude of creative direct & internet marketing techniques for professional speakers. Ford’s presentation will be one hour.

Next on the agenda is Tim Gard, CSP, CPAE. Tim is Colorado’s newest member of the Speaker Hall of Fame and will show you how he confounded experts be being true to himself and riding irreverence all the way to the top
of the speaking profession. Tim will share the secrets of how he runs his business and how you can create your own model for speaking success!

Debra Fine will conclude our monthly meeting. She talks on some of your best marketing opportunities are right around you and cost little or nothing. Debra, a nationally recognized expert on conversational skills and author of the acclaimed book, The Fine Art of Small Talk, will show you how to turn every conversation, hospitality suite, conference, golf outing, and chamber, civic or association event into a powerful business opportunity!Our Chapter meeting will run from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm

The charge for guests is $65

This will be a fabulous meeting with a lot of great information for public speakers, trainers and authors. Hope to see you this Saturday at our meeting Here is the link to National Speakers Association/Colorado chapter for more information.

Steve Mertz 

Come To a Great Meeting!

Technorati Tags: NSA/Colorado Ford Saeks Tim Gard Debra Fine National Speakers Association Public Speaking Presentations Money 

Andy Beal is an expert on Search Engine Optimization and he has a post about one of his biggest beefs when it comes to experts speaking at conferences: “They Turn Speaking Engagements Into “Sales Pitches”.

“It’s a sad fact that most “expert speakers” don’t understand what their audience wants to hear from them. I’ve seen too many speakers stand-up and provide the audience with high-level theories and concepts. They then hit their audience with a double-whammy of atrocity. First, they never actually provide solutions to the problems they’re discussing – fearful that they’ll give away too much information. Second, they compound this by turning the presentation into a sales-pitch for the company they represent. Arrgh!Want to know which speakers end-up getting a fistful of business cards at the end of their talk? It’s the ones who’ve shared so much great advice and information with the audience that the attendees think to themselves…

“Wow, that’s really going to help our company, but it sounds so complex and time consuming. I know what, that guy seems to know his stuff. If he shared that amount of information in a 20 minute presentation, imagine the amount of info I’ll get if I hire his search marketing firm.”

I always encourage financial advisors, executives and small business owners to speak at conferences to gain exposure and establish themselves as experts. This is an excellent way to gain credibility quickly but as the above comment points out it can be disastrous if you abuse your invitation. Here are some tips on maximizing your speaking presentation at conferences.

1. Have a very clear understanding of your topic and stick to it.

2. Ask the meeting planner if you can give a handout or include a link to your website.

3. Don’t be afraid to share your “best” information-it will only enhance your expertise.

4. Be respectful of your allotted time-do not go over your time slot.

5. Have your presentation in modules so if you are given less or more time you can make it happen without stressing out!

6. Remember to incorporate some humor that is specific to the conference attendees.

7. Ask permission to interview 3-5 members who will be attending to gain inside insights to their specific problems or concerns.

8. Make your slides available to the audiences. Simply have the attendees write “slides” on their business cards and you can email them the slides.

9. Be available to the audience after your presentation.

10. Thank the organizers. It’s a small world and a small thing like a thank you will buy you a lot of good will!

11. Have fun

Steve Mertz

Break a Leg!

Technorati Tags: Public Speaking, Sales Presentations Training, Search Engine Optimization, Andy Beal, Sales Pitches