Jonathan Farrington’s Blog

The JF Guest Author Spot

Debbie Fay

Top 10 mistakes presenters make:

10.  Thinking everybody’s a comedian:  If you are funny, good for you!  Everyone loves to laugh, and Lord knows grown-ups don’t laugh nearly as much as we should.  BUT, you don’t have to be funny to be a good presenter.  In fact, the only thing you DO have to be is yourself.  Audiences only listen to people they trust, and the only way to be trusted is to be authentic.  The only way to be authentic is to be YOU.

9.  Being a stranger in a strange land:  Always get to the site of your presentation early; the day before if possible, but at least a half hour before you’re scheduled to appear.  If you’re speaking at a conference, you need to be there even earlier, and be prepared to “go on”.  Often a previous speaker will go short, or worse, not show up.  You need to be there and be ready.  More important, when you arrive early you have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the room in which you’ll be speaking and you’ll get to meet some of your audience members; a great way to break the ice and increase your comfort level.  Most important, if you’ve had the opportunity to meet a few of your guests, you can mention them or their area of expertise in your speech and exponentially increase audience interest.

8.  Winging it:  I am always astounded at people who tell me (with pride) that they don’t prepare for their speeches; they prefer to speak “off the cuff”.  Yikes.  This is like walking the trapeze without a net and WORSE showing a complete lack of respect for your audience.  You MUST plan and prepare no matter if you are speaking for 10 minutes or 10 times that.   NO one likes to listen to someone ramble, meander, digress or repeat themselves.  I believe it was Mark Twain who said extemporaneous speaking requires LOTS of preparation.  Just do it.

7.   Going Long:  It is NEVER NEVER a good idea to speak longer than your allotted time.  You should either end a few minutes early or finish right on time.  In fact, if you are one of many speakers, and you’re speaking right before lunch or worse, just before the end of the day, make yourself a hero and go 10 minutes short.  Then make yourself available for questions at lunch, cocktail hour, etc.  Those who want to hear more will seek you out.  Everyone else will LOVE you simply for being sympathetic to their empty stomachs and full minds.

6.  Telling it All:  You’re the expert, and they’ve come to hear you speak.  The common impulse is to tell them everything you know.  WRONG.  The best way to organize your material is around the rule of threes, something I consider magic.  I strongly discourage you from ever trying to put across more than five main points.  Why?  It’s simple. Your audience can’t retain more than five, and if you insist on giving them more, they will 1.) Dump everything you’ve said up to that point and 2.) Become angry. They worked hard to hold on to your first five points and need you to wrap up, not move on to point six, seven, etc.  Be clear, concise, and considerate.  Organize your thoughts in 3 big bundles so that your audience can do the same.

5. Apologizing:  Nothing makes an audience more uncomfortable than hearing a speaker apologize for something a.) They hadn’t even noticed, b.) Had no way of knowing was wrong or missing, and c.) Is distracting them from getting the message.  Remember, the audience doesn’t know the order or number of your slides.  If you find your slides are messed up, or some are missing, keep it to yourself!!  Likewise with anything else that might go wrong that YOU know about but the audience doesn’t – ignorance is bliss.

4. Reading:  You should never ever read a slide, flip chart, overhead, handout etc., unless you’re presenting to kindergarteners or anyone else who doesn’t know how to read.  An audience can read 7-10 times faster than you can speak.  Plus, they CAN READ.  Why should they sit and listen to you read it to them?  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard people complain of having to sit through a presentation where the speaker read slide after text-intensive slide.  “Jeez”, they say,” If I’d known he/she was just going to read the whole thing, they could have emailed me the slides and saved me the time and trouble.”

3.  Creating visuals that aren’t aids:  Speaking of reading slides, you should never show slides, or overheads, or flip charts that are text intensive.  Period.  Your visual aids should always be something that says what you (with words) cannot.  Get it?  We’re talking charts, graphs, pictures, cartoons, music.   Any visual aid you create should act as a synergistic component; it should illuminate in ways that are beyond you and your words.

2. Neglecting to Practice:  There is simply no way around this one.  You MUST practice.  OUT LOUD.  And you must know your introduction and conclusion cold.  The easiest way to let “stage fright” get the better of you is to allow yourself to stand up in front of a group of people without ever having heard the words you’re about to say come out of your mouth.  All of the great speakers practice, and they practice a lot. 

1.  Not getting HELP:  None of us is good at everything.  Ham that I am, I wouldn’t try and do my own taxes EVER.  My wonderful genius accountant does my taxes (and he happens to be a good public speaker too).  If you are struggling with any or all of the BIG TEN, get help!!  You’ll be glad you did, and on your way to being heard.

Debbie Fay is the founder of bespeak presentation solutions, a  presentations coaching company that helps clients build and deliver presentations that get heard and get results.  Debbie has helped hundreds of people of all ages and vocations become confident compelling change-making speakers. 

Go to www.bespeakpresentations.com or email; beheard@bespeakpresentations.com   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
 

Ed: Debbie has also recently joined the exclusive ranks of the Top Sales Experts team.

Today’s News: Tibor Shanto, another recent recruit to the Top Sales Experts team and a really nice guy is in conversation with another really nice guy, Clayton Shold over at Salesopedia - “How To Shorten Your Sales Cycle” you can listen in here

To those of you celebrating - happy May Day.

Tomorrow: I look at the five main drivers for optimal organisational performance - and there really are only five

The JF Guest Author Spot

Tim Wackel

My wife and I are the proud parents of two great kids—a teenage son and daughter. Our daughter is getting ready to start college next week, and our son is like almost every other 15 year old, living life large with lots of attention on comfort and few worries about appearance.

Last week I promised my son, Nicholas, that I would take him to the mall to buy new shoes. He loves to wear athletic shoes (or is still okay to call them sneakers?) and prefers to wear them until they fall part apart at the seams.

This shopping trip was going to be different because Nicholas decided he would expand his closet and buy a pair of Top-Siders (seems that these are making a bit of a come back on high school campuses). I figured we could find these at almost any department store but was surprised to find only one store in the mall that carried a variety of sizes and styles that he was interested in.

I find myself standing in Nordstrom’s shoe department surrounded by hundreds of pairs of shoes and a few well-dressed, professional looking salesmen. One of the younger men working in the department approached us and asked, “What brings you into the store today?” What happened next was one of the better (and least expected) lessons in “selling” that I’ve experienced in quite some time.

I have to confess that I’ve never thought of retail as being much of a selling environment. Point customers in the right direction, answer a few questions about sizes and availability, ring up the order and you’re done. So what valuable lessons did I learn in Nordstrom that day? Here are the four principles that everyone will recognize but very few consistently apply.

#1. Open questions close more business
The question that you are asked most often when you walk into a retail store is, “Can I help you?” This is a bad question, plain and simple. It’s closed and requires no thinking on your part. Most shoppers will simply blurt out “no” hoping to avoid premature pressure to buy something.

Let’s go back and look at what the Nordstrom shoes salesman asked:”What brings you into the store today?” Not exactly rocket science but this question encouraged me to share that Nicholas was interested in divesting his collection of athletic shoes and wanted to look at some Top-Siders. A conversation was born… what style, size and color? When did he plan to wear them? Looking for something dressy or just something to kick around in?

Ask questions that are thought provoking, not mind numbing.

#2.  Make it easy for customers to decide
Nicholas had pretty much lasered in on one particular style of shoe, but when the shoe salesman returned from the stock room he had several boxes in tow.

Nick immediately tried on his favorite style and began walking the floor to check out the fit. I could tell by his expression that he felt the shoe looked better on the shelf than it did on his foot. The salesman also picked up on this and suggested that Nicholas try on one or two of the other styles that he had taken the liberty to bring out of stock. After all, they were right there and it wouldn’t take but a minute to check them out.

The second pair generated a more favorable response but the third pair was a home run. Give your customer painless choices. What looks good in the window doesn’t always look good on your foot. Think ahead and develop contingencies. You’ll be glad you did.

#3. Look for unidentified needs 
Nick had picked out the right shoe, and we had the right size. We were ready to leave when the salesman asked permission to show us what he had in the remaining boxes he brought out of the stock room. He politely mentioned that he couldn’t help but notice how much “good use” Nick had gotten out of the shoes he was currently wearing. He then asked if my son would be interested in seeing some brand new athletic shoes in the latest back to school styles—need I say more?

Want to be more successful at up-selling? Read (and re-read) #3 above.

#4. Would you like some fries with that?
Nick and Ihave our purchases picked out, and we’re ready to leave when the young man pulls something out of his back pocket. As we walk to the register he shows me (the economic buyer) a shoe tree and shares facts about how these beautiful cedar appliances will extend the life of Nick’s new shoes (assuming I can get him to use them!). I hadn’t expressed any interest in shoe trees but this sales professional picked up on my frustration with how fast Nick could destroy a pair of shoes. He had the courage and the smarts to offer something we both knew had value. What was the worst thing that could happen?

I left the store that day with a lighter wallet but I got a real “deal” on some great sales training. These four simple (but powerful) lessons have been around for a long time, but very few reps consistently apply them.

Are you looking for ideas on how to take your craft to the next level? If not, you should be. You’ll be surprised by what you can learn and amazed at where these lessons can take place.
 
Speaking of Sales is about finding, winning and keeping customers for life. If that’s part of your job, then you won’t want to miss the next issue - you can sign up here and get a bonus copy of Tim’s “Questions That Sell” program.

Until then.

Tim Wackel is founder and president of a training and consulting firm based in University Park, Texas and is an active member of the American Society for Training and Development. He holds a professional membership in the National Speakers Association.
More about Tim Wackel…http://www.timwackel.com

Today’s News: I endeavour to keep my eye on the metrics for all our sites using various tools, specifically Google page ranking, incoming links, unique visitors etc, but I can share with you that the one statistic I ignore completely is the Alexa statistics - what a complete nonsense they are, and I have no idea why anyone takes them seriously. To begin with, they can only evaluate visitors to your site if those visitors have Alexa’s own toolbar, which is definitely for “techies”. Other than that, they simply guess and ask you to contact them if you disagree with their assessment.

For example, according to Alexa, 80% of visitors to this blog come from Canada! Now, I know that a lot of visitors do come from that wonderful country but 80%, I ask you I checked with Google Analytics and in fact the number is closer to 15%. The other fascinating fact that I discovered, is that so far this month, visitors have arrived from no less than sixty three countries, and I find that simply amazing.

But the most interesting statistic is that every Tuesday, more than fifty visitors come from Holland - but only on Tuesdays. I am very keen to discover why this is, so if you are reading this and you are in The Netherlands, please, please enlighten me - Welkom bezoekers uit Nederland. Ik wens u een prettig verblijf op het JF Blogit en hopelijk komt u vaker terug. Met vriendelijke groet. JF
 

Tomorrow: Discover what type of networker you really are.

Selling is not something a salesperson does to a prospect. Selling is something you do with the prospect in a process of discovery and interaction - human relations at work.

The “Egocentric Predicament”

The greatest barrier to success in this process is the “egocentric predicament.” This consists of being overly and unnecessarily concerned with the self. Our ability to be perceptive and concerned about others is inversely proportionate to our self-concern.

When the self gets unnecessarily in the way, the fruitful cycle of good human relations stops producing.

The key to understanding and accepting others is to first understand and accept oneself - starting with the realization that, rather than striving for an unattainable “I should be” image, we should settle for our real self as “I am” - accepting shortcomings along with strengths.

I Am vs. I Should Be

The following points provide a practical answer to the “I am” versus “I should be” conflict:

• Recognize it — and recognize that its source is rooted in the views of others.

• Either (a) accept your “I am” image or (b) decide on attainable, constructive steps to achieve “I should be” in the future.

• Our behavior is a reflection of our attitudes, and our attitudes grow out of our values. Each is an integral part of the other. Do your life values make it easy for you to put the other person’s interests first?

• Sincerity is a much-used word in relation to selling. Integrity is a kindred word. Integrity implies a consistent kind of honesty: acting outwardly the way you truly feel inwardly. That’s why sound values are so important to your success with others.

Remember: “People buy our product not so much because they understand the product . . . but because they feel that we understand them.”

There are many effective ways of doing this: The best way to create this kind of buying climate is to “transmit on their frequency.” This opens their mind to you and makes them willing - and eager - to listen.

A sincere, specific compliment on a point of real meaning to them gets the other person talking about things of interest to them. It opens doors.

“Before I sell my prospect what my prospect buys, I must first see my prospect as they see themselves.”

A Magical Word:

Empathy is the magical word in human-to-human interaction. It means feeling as the other person feels, not just with them. It means putting yourself in their shoes and shaping your attitudes accordingly.

Beyond getting the order, the plus factor in selling is to make people look good in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. Rather than sell to them, we help them buy.

We do this best by building their self-image. This helps them grow. And as we help others grow, we grow. To do this, we must be open and honest - this is the essence of good human relations.

These concepts are applicable to every facet of our lives, and in selling, they pave the way to the truest and most fruitful success.

Today’s News:

Many of you will have heard of Social Media Today, but fewer of you will recognise the name The Customer Collective  but as I hinted last week, that is all about to change: They are attracting some of the very best sales and marketing commentators and bloggers, and you will be very impressed. Backed by Oracle and fronted by Co-Founder and CEO, Robin Fray Carey, this initiative is destined to be mega. I am hosting the Sandbox this month and you can check it all out here

Tomorrow: On The JF Guest Author Spot it’s the return of my good friend and fellow Top Sales Expert from Texas, big Paul McCord, who last week offered me plenty of advice to pass on to BA after the T5 debacle. I thought I had escaped but no, being the only Brit on the team (albeit one living in Paris) does leave me vulnerable, but having said that, they do provide me with plenty of ammunition of my own :-)   

 The JF Guest Author Spot

Tim Wackel
I always get a big chuckle when sales people call my office to prospect for new business. I’m amazed at the fundamental lack of research, amused by their haphazard preparation and surprised that they actually believe their approach has any chance of working.

Here are a couple of actual winners I’ve recently received. The voicemails you are about to read are real. The names have been changed to protect the guilty. See what you think:

“Hi, this is Ken with Hopeless Inc. We purchase used office telephone equipment and PC’s. Our number is               214.555.1212  If you’ve recently switched systems or plan to in the near future please give us a call at               214.555.1212“ 

Not much of a compelling reason to return this voicemail. What is the potential value in doing business with Hopeless Inc.? It looks like the classic numbers game…make enough calls and eventually you find someone who has just “switched systems” and wants to get rid of the junk sitting in the closet. I couldn’t do that for a living, and I’m glad I don’t have to!

Here’s another example. Maybe it looks familiar to you.

“Good morning Kim, this is Barbie with Clueless. We produce the business to business database called Insight Online. I’m following up on your email inquiry to see if you have any questions about our product. Please give me a call at your convenience. My number is  888.555.1212  extension 1234.”

Well for starters my name isn’t Kim. Yes, I did make an email inquiry, and I’m pretty confident that I didn’t misspell my name on their form. Barbie says she wants to see if I have any questions on their product. Maybe it’s just me, but if I had a question I’m thinking I would pick up the phone and call them. What if Barbie was calling because she had ideas to share on how Insight Online has helped other sales speakers improve their business? Think I would return that call? You better believe it!

So what does it take to craft a better voicemail message? How can you improve your odds of getting a call back? Here are five questions that will help you start creating better messages now…

#1. Who is your target market?

Specifically, what is the title of the decision maker you want to do business with? And, if you are leaving a voicemail message for me, I want to hear that you work with professional sales trainers and speakers. I’m not interested in a one-size-fits-all approach. I’m interested in talking with someone who knows something about what I do (that’s why it’s called research!).

 #2. What are some of the specific challenges that you solve? What are some opportunities that you help create?

Be as specific as possible. This is the classic pains & gains stuff. Re-visit these ideas often… that is why they are called classics!

 #3. What emotions (frustration, disappointment, concern, optimism, hope) does your target market experience with the challenges and opportunities you outlined above?

Remember that emotion plays a big part in buying decisions, yet most of you sell using too much logic. Ever see someone driving a Lexus or wearing a Rolex? Help me understand the logic behind those decisions.

#4. What are some of the competitive alternatives available to your target market?

Yeah, I hear you screaming “never bring up the competition!” Do you really believe your prospect is only going to consider you without checking out someone else? Think again! And remember, doing nothing is a competitive alternative.

#5. Why, based on all of the alternatives available, should they do business with you?

What are your compelling differentiators? Be careful here, because most of you are thinking “great products, awesome service, solid reputation and a competitive price.” If most of you are thinking this, then it really isn’t a compelling differentiator… is it?

Now just plug and play!

Fill in the blanks, read, revise, get feedback from your peers and you will have crafted a message that is purposeful, powerful and on target.

“I specialize in helping (target market) who are (feelings/emotions) with (specific challenges) and want proven solutions for (your specific benefits). (Quantify number or use names) of clients have already discovered that unlike (competitive alternative), my solution is/does (compelling differentiator).

My goal is not to make a sales call on you, but if these issues sound familiar and the benefits are important to you, then it might be worth ten minutes for us to have a brief fact finding conversation.”

I can’t guarantee that this process will work for you, but I can guarantee that it works. I’m hoping you will take some time to review and improve your current library of voice mail scripts. If you aren’t getting all the callbacks you want, you don’t have much to lose!

Speaking of Sales is about finding, winning and keeping customers for life. If that’s part of your job, then you won’t want to miss the next issue.

Until then,

Tim

Tim Wackel is one of today’s most popular business speakers who has mastered the ability to make information entertaining, memorable and easy to understand. He combines more than 20 years of successful sales leadership with specific client research to deliver high-impact programs that go beyond today’s best practices. Tim’s keynotes and workshops are insightful, engaging and focused on providing real world success strategies that audiences can (and will!) implement right away. http://www.timwackel.com/index.aspx

Today’s News:

My good friend Diane Helbig, is marching for Breast Cancer - if you can make a donation or better still, walk with her, details are here - I will be with her in spirit all the way.

Tomorrow: Some really useable advice about negotiating concessions and bargaining.

The JF Guest Author Spot

You have just been asked to give a 30-45 minute speech at a conference and there is absolutely no time to put visuals together for it.  You’re on a sales call and your PPT presentation dies on you.  You are having lunch with a client and it would be inappropriate to pull out any marketing materials.  In all three scenarios, you’re panicked at the thought of boring these people to death with just your information.

Where can you turn for help?

WORD PICTURES to the rescue!

Word Pictures are words that create images in your listener’s mind.  They add color, life, interest and meaning to your information that would otherwise have been provided by actual visuals. They help listeners see, feel, understand, and retain your information.  Used artfully, they make complex information simple and simple information meaningful.  Spice up your information with a liberal use of the four techniques below. 

TIP: It is generally a good idea to have at lease one vivid WORD PICTURE for every different piece of information you present.

1. Show with Examples & Stories.
A. “We have over 200 clients, such as IBM and GTE.”
B. “Let me tell you what we did for IBM...”

2. Dramatize Points with Comparisons (Metaphors & Analogies)*
A. “We need to implement system X.  Otherwise, we are going to wind up being roadkill on today’s superinformation highway.”
B. “Entering this market will make us the big fish in the little pond.”
C. “Cutting training when business is down is like stopping baseball practice when the team is losing, a foolish strategy in both cases.”

Years ago, I used an analogy to compete for and win the Presentation Skills training business of a leading ad agency in New York.  I was up against every major firm and consultant in the city, including one who specialized in presentations work with agencies.  When confronted with the fact that I had no ad agency in my client base, I responded, “That is correct. However, you just won the DHL (the overnight courier) account.  How much overnight courier experience did you need to have to have the right to do their advertising?  Let me suggest, none.  You would learn the dynamics of their business the way you have of all your other accounts in the insurance and beer industries.  DHL just had to be sure you were the best ad agency for them. Isn’t that right? (“True,” replied the Executive Vice President).  “The same is true with me.” I continued.  “I will quickly learn the dynamics of your ad agency the way I have learned the dynamics of my other clients in the aerospace, investment banking, and consulting worlds.  You just need to be sure I know everything about presenting. And I do.” (the last three words said staring into her eyes).  As the truth of what I said dawned on her, all the EVP could manage to say was, “Oh.”  I won the business and went on to earn many thousands of dollars from them over the next several years.—all because of this carefully thought out analogy to their business.

3. Translate Abstract Numbers into ConcreteTerms
Numbers are meaningless abstractions. They only have impact when compared to something else familiar to your listener — another number, an equivalent amount of time or resources, or another known situation from your listener’s experience. For example…
A. “It costs $925, half the cost of last year’s event.”
B. “We’re talking a billion dollars — enough money to operate every school in America for five hours.”
C. “The ideal consumer has a $50,000 household income, a house valued at $350,000, and an annual clothing budget of $10,000. We are talking the Bloomingdale’s shopper here, not the K-Mart shopper.”

4. Bring in Quotations & Testimonials
Quotations from people or sources known to listener’s increase the credibility of your information, because they validate what you are saying.
A. “GE’s….division said our system increased its sales by 15%.”
B. “You ask, is a team building program necessary? As John D. Rockefeller said, ‘I will pay more for the ability to get along with people than for any other ability.’ And he knew something about business sucess! So, yes, this program is essential for our growth.”
C. “‘Automobile’ rated XYZ car #1 in its class for the last three years, so you are definitely getting real value for your investment.”

WORD PICTURES IN ACTION
Pretend you are an Event planner, responsible for your firm’s annual meeting. Below are statements from a Resort Sales Director who wants your business. Compare the persuasion power of the facts presented below with and without the use of word pictures.

1. We offer many activities for your group to enjoy.
1A. We offer many activities for your group, including tennis, golf, fly fishing, soaring, hiking and biking–something for everyone to enjoy.

2. We are able to respond to all emergencies quickly.
2A. We are able to respond to all emergencies quickly. For example, last week we helped a speaker who had an allergy attack the night before his talk. We reached his doctor in his home city. We filled his prescription at midnight and the next morning, the recovered speaker was able to present his seminar as scheduled — to the eternal relief of the Event Planner!

3. Bruce Jones will handle your account. He is very creative and very careful.
3A. Bruce Jones will handle your account. He is the Steven Spielberg and Martha Stewart respectively of creativity and attention to detail.

SUMMARY
With or without actual visuals, WORD PICTURES are a necessary part of any presentation. They engage the mind. They strike a cord in listener’s hearts. And they ignite your audience’s imagination. As one of my clients said, “Trying to sell without using images is like running a marathon barefoot.  It can be done, but not very well and not without a certain amount of pain.”

c. 2008 Anne Miller.  

Anne Miller, sales and presentations consultant, is the author of “Metaphorically Selling.”  She works with high profile firms like The Blackstone Group, Yahoo! and Time, Inc. to help them sell products and services worth millions of dollars of business.  Her free newsletter is available at www.annemiller.com  Contact: amiller@annemiller.com 212 876 1875

Today’s News: I read some interesting facts over the w/e and one of them was that 56% of all sales forecasts in the USA are hopelessly inaccurate and unachievable. Do we assume that Americans are unrealistic and the rest of the world are far more rigorous? Hardly! I can be absolutely certain that this is just as true for sales teams based in Europe, Asia and every other continent.

I work with my clients to develop process tools that are wholly appropriate for their specific sales force, industry, sector and circumstances, but it takes time.

However, if you are looking for a better way to improve your forecasting accuracy you should tune in to the work that my good friend Kevin Dwyer is doing over at the Change Factory - by subscribing to his superb Winds Of Change weekly newsletter, you will gain access to some very innovative and pioneering work.

The hot topic over at Salesopedia this week is “Sales Prospecting” and there are some excellent articles, including the highlight “Searching Customers With Style, Strategy And Speed” by Anita Sirianni You can hear her in conversation with Clayton Shold later in the week here. Can’t wait? OK, go here

Tomorrow: Customer care levels have, in my opinion, hit an all time low - how does your organisation measure up? Is everyone in your company really tuned in to the value of building brick walls around your existing client base, or is that something that is left to a small number of individuals, whilst the rest of you go about your own tasks?

Do you have what it takes to become a superstar in sales?

No, I’m not talking about having superior product knowledge or knowing some sales strategies.  I’m not even talking about having a real desire to reach the top.

I’m talking about, do you have the real foundation that is mandatory for becoming a top producer.

• Do you know which markets that you will really dominate?

• What marketing and prospecting methods are best suited to your strengths and skills?

• What sales process will make you the most successful?

• What your real strengths and weaknesses are and how to take full advantage of them to sell more than you thought possible?

• Exactly how and where to spend your time and energy to make the most money?

• How to make sure your prospects and client always welcome your calls and emails and never consider your competition?

• How to eliminate price as a primary issue?

• How to set and actually reach goals that will take you to the top 10% of the salespeople in your industry?

Everyone knows that top salespeople are made, not born. 

But what do they REALLY do that is different than everyone else?  What do they know that so few others know?

In a sense, it’s pretty simple.  Instead of leaving their sales businesses to chance and accident as most salespeople do; top producers have learned how to control their sales business to GUARANTEE their success. 

And so can YOU.

My friend, Paul McCord has just released SuperStar Selling: 12 Keys to Becoming a Sales SuperStar, the most detailed guidebook to creating a top producing sales career I’ve ever seen. 

This isn’t the typical book with some tips and strategies to close a few more sales or to find a few more prospects.

Hardly.

SuperStar Selling: 12 Keys to Becoming a Sales SuperStar (http://tinyurl.com/3×5rf5 ) is a guide to finding YOUR personal keys to success–your keys to controlling your career and insuring you are one of the top salespeople in your industry.  No longer do you have to allow chance to determine whether or not you reach the top of your field.

SuperStar Selling doesn’t have any canned answers.  No quick miracle fixes.  No fluffy promises of easy success.

Instead, SuperStar Selling challenges you to examine everything about your sales business and then to make RADICAL changes.  It forces you understand how you’ve gotten to where you are in your sales career and why you aren’t where you want to be.

Then it not only demands you make radical changes to what you do, why you do it, and how you do it, it guides step-by-step through the process of finding exactly what markets and marketing methods, and what sales process will take you from where you are today to where you want to be.

This is absolutely a career changing book.  McCord walks you through every major area of your career, not only demanding you examine each area in detail, but works with you to create real plans, real goals and real solutions to your problems that will make you a top producer.

You’ll learn:

• Why it is absolutely necessary to understand your sales history to know how to get to the top

• What your real behavioral, personality and sales strengths are and how to find the markets, marketing methods and sales process that will highlight your strengths and minimize your weaknesses

• You’ll determine exactly what you’re really willing to commit to your success in time, money and energy

• You’ll find out how to make realistic, attainable sales and income projections and goals that will get take you to where you want to be

• How to establish an accountability system that will force you to meet your goals

• How to overcome the negative thoughts and self-criticism that destroys most sales careers

Here’s what a few other experts are saying about this book:

“Paul McCord has written the most complete sales bible for aspiring sales superstars I’ve ever read!  His 12 Keys will become your “Ten Commandments” to both a far more profitable career and fulfilling life!”
Dave Anderson, best-selling author, How to Deal with Difficult Customers

”Think top sellers are born, not made?  If so, you’ll learn otherwise in this straight-shooting book by Paul McCord.  He takes the mystique out of their stellar results and shows you exactly what top producers do differently than the Average Joe. Best of all, he shows you how you can replicate their achievements, capitalize on your personal strengths and take charge of your success.”
Jill Konrath, best-selling author, Selling to Big Companies

“If you’re still dreaming of becoming a sales superstar, or simply need to *finally* make a decent living, then this book will meet you where you are today, and show you the steps.  No vague fluff.  No impractical methods.  Just training of the highest order. Paul’s a ‘Dr Phil’ for no-nonsense sales training.”
Dr. Martin Russell, WordofMouthMagic.com, Australia

“Paul McCord provides a step-by-step approach for separating yourself from the crowd of faceless salespeople scrambling to survive.  If you are ready to be a Super Star sales professional, buy this book, study its truths, and apply its powerful lessons for achieving outstanding results.”
Randy Pennington, Author Results Rule! Build a Culture that Blows the Competition Away

“If you’re tired of chasing, pursuing, and begging for sales, read this book immediately. Paul McCord knows what it takes to become a sales superstar and knows how to make you one too. I know because I’ve seen him do it for countless salespeople firsthand.”
Frank Rumbauskas, NY Times Bestselling Author, Never Cold Call Again

Purchase the book today at Amazon http://tinyurl.com/3×5rf5 and You’ll get over $2,500 in Bonuses from top experts such as:

• Dr. Joe Vitale
• Jill Konrath
• Dave Lakhani
• Frank Rumbauskas
• Randy Pennington
• Dave Anderson
• Sales Dog.com
• Kelley Robertson
• Keith Rosen
• SalesGravy.com
• Dr. Martin Russell
• And many more

See all of the great bonuses at:  http://www.thetwelvekeys.com/html/bonus.html

Get your copy at Amazon right now! http://tinyurl.com/3×5rf5

Once you have bought your copy from Amazon, go to: http://www.thetwelvekeys.com/html/register.html to claim all of your bonuses.

No more excuses for not becoming a sales superstar.  No more having to guess.  No more trial and error.  No more floundering.

SuperStar Selling: 12 Keys to Becoming a Sales SuperStar is the REAL THING. 

Get real guidance. 

Change your career forever. 

Buy your copy NOW:   http://tinyurl.com/3×5rf5

Today’s News: We have just announced February’s “Top Sales Article Of The Month” over at Top 10 Sales Articles and it an excellent piece of work - do check it out here

Tomorrow: Negativity, that most destructive of all emotions - how you can create your own “neg repellent”

The JF Guest Author Spot

“Pearls of Sales Wisdom on Vacation”
By Steve Martinez

Shhhhhhh, My wife will probably never know I wrote this story about a vacation experience unless you tell her. It is just too good of a story to pass up. It is a great example of using a small gift to get attention and sell something. It all starts when we are on vacation at a typical tourist trap and we are looking for a gift for our Grand Daughter. Our budget is about $25.00 to $50.00 and we aren’t sure what to purchase so we stroll around the shopping center. We end up exceeding the budget and it isn’t for the Grand Daughter.

As we enter the building, a young lady approaches me and offers me a key to open a treasure chest on the counter. I thank her and walk by since I’m on a quest for a gift for our Grand Daughter. My wife stops and accepts the key and sure enough, her key opens the box. Inside the box is a free opportunity to try her luck at an oyster for a pearl. The young lady picks out a pearl, gets my wife’s name and rings a loud bell before she opens up the pearl. This becomes an event and my wife feels special. This induces a little excitement for my wife in the hope that she is lucky. Well, wouldn’t you know it; the oyster has a pearl inside. Who would have guessed? At this point I have wandered around to another area seeking to find the gift for Taylor, our Grand Daughter. My wife is all excited about her new success, the lucky pearl.

Every Pearl needs a setting.

At this point, I find all of this too obvious but I don’t want to spoil my wife’s fun since we are on vacation and we have plenty of time. My wife learns that there is a small cost to purchasing the pearl, which seems very reasonable. However, every pearl deserves a setting. Next thing I know, my wife is looking at various settings for her new lucky pearl. At this point I remember hearing those bells ring again because another key had opened the box to find a pearl inside. Was my wife really that lucky? I must tell you that while we were in the store, those bells rang many times. It seems that every key opened up the little treasure chest and every oyster had a pearl. As you might expect, every pearl needs a setting so this is where the store makes its profit and my wife adds to her collection.

Why coupons and special offers work.

Coupons, special offers, gifts or certificates apply the law of reciprocation.  This law isn’t found on law books but it does exist. It exists in our minds when someone is nice to us. The urge to reciprocate back to the business or person who gave us something is a strong emotional response.  In my wife’s case, she felt a small obligation after winning the lucky oyster. Although It might seem small, the purchase advantage went to the salesperson.  My wife, Sallie stayed there and ended up buying something she never thought she would. Sallie is very pleased with her purchase and enjoys her lucky pearls. The sales clerk succeeds with a sale because she quickly profiled my wife as an outstanding prospect. My wife was wearing a pearl ring which the clerk determined made her a good candidate for pearls. When the sales lady offered multiple compliments on my wife’s jewelry and I knew we were in trouble. My wife beamed with pride as she spoke about the history of her pearl ring.

The power of reciprocation can be applied to almost any sales situation. What amazes me is how any small gift will work. Donuts, coffee of cookies and gestures of kindness apply this law with impact and allow us to secure a little more time with a customer or prospect. The compliments we offer work wonders for us too. If you are in sales, and we all are, add a little kindness to your customer contacts, you might be surprised how these acts of kindness return huge dividends in sales.

Steve Martinez is the author of Sales Impactivator a sales e-publication for success oriented individuals. As the President of Selling Magic, his company teaches business professionals how to automate the selling process, preventing sales people and business owners from experiencing the hard lessons in selling. Steve has consulted with businesses around the country sharing his 25 years of sales and marketing experience to eliminate sales failure. Steve uses his experience as a National Sales Manager and National Account Executive to share the real-world lessons in sales.

When you want to impact sales with advanced selling strategies — signup for Impactivator our sales e-newsletter. Selling Magic teaches businesses and salespeople how to automate and customize CRM programs. http://www.sellingmagic.com

He is also a member of the Top Sales Experts team and you can read his full profile here.

Today’s News: Steve has done a lot of excellent pioneering work in the field of sales automation and you can see an example here 

Tomorrow: “How To Turn The Company’s Investment In Personnel Into An Asset Producing An Increased Return On That Investment”

Using the funnel questioning technique will uncover needs, if they are there to be uncovered. However, it is one thing to uncover the need, it is another thing to prove that there is adequate pay back and value in fulfilling the needs.

Having uncovered the needs we must probe and find out as much as we can about those needs and the implications to the customer if they are not met or fulfilled. We do this by asking past, present and future questions i.e. “How did you use to do this?” (Past), “How do you do this now?” (Present) and “How do you plan to do it?” (Future).

What we are trying to establish is the difference between what the customer used to do and how he does it now. If we can establish this then the comparison between what they are presently doing and what they may be able to do based on our solution, will be easier to grasp. This is important, because the difference between them doing something and not doing it is the “value gap”. We need to find value gaps that we can attach a price to, so that we can justify the benefit in terms of added value.

Let’s take an example:-

Your support customer used to have a manual stock and inventory system. Using your database for an automated system has enabled them to increase shipments by 20% per day. With the shipments of goods totalling £10,000 per day, the value gap i.e. system or no system, is £2000 per day. If the system is down it would cost £200 to £400 in lost or delayed shipments per hour. Staying as they are or going for a support agreement that would reduce down time is the value gap opportunity. That gap is worth £200 to £400 per hour.

Value Added Arguments:

You should always be looking for opportunities to offer more features that will be of benefit by asking the customer to tell you areas in which they would like to see greater support or additional services. If you say “Mr Smith we would like you to upgrade to our gold support agreement, you will receive earlier notification of software upgrades” the usual response will be, we don’t need them. Far better, using reasoning and questions to manoeuvre the customer into a position where they ask or enquire about additional services, explain to you what the possible outcome would be if they did not have those additional services and then you present a value added argument, to fill the gap.

Summary:

The best product, at the best price does not always win the order; we have all been outsold by a competitive salesperson probably offering less of a solution and sometimes even at a higher price. By selling benefits, not telling about features, the prospect will understand the pay off that your solution will deliver. Do not leave them to work it out for themselves, they might not bother!

If you can identify the need for more services and explain, using benefits, how you can meet those needs, it will be a lot easier to up sell and cross sell.

Today’s News: My good friend Keith Rosen has an excellent event coming up this week:

Permission Based Prospecting (TM) Attract More Qualified Prospects - Close More Sales.

Learn from best selling author and renowned executive sales coach Keith Rosen how to maximize your cold calling potential and boost your income by learning how to get in front of the right prospects in less time and create greater selling opportunities without the fear, pressure or anxiety associated with cold calling.

February 21, 2008
1:00 pm ET (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT) Book online here

Tomorrow: In fact Keith is my guest tomorrow on the JF Guest Author Spot and he identifies “The Only Real Competition Is………..”

The JF Guest Author Spot

I teach a lot of different revenue generation strategies in my global travels, and I can tell you when done right referrals are the most powerful tool in the sales arsenal.  My challenge to you is to wake-up and recognize that if you don’t have a systematic referral program in place you are missing out on one of the simplest, lowest cost, ways to generate a massive in-flow of high quality customers for your business.

Why are Referrals so Powerful?

Referrals are the lifeblood of sales; they are more powerful than any advertisement you might run because referrals are founded in trust.

Referrals are powerful is because they create unequaled credibility from a trusted third party, a friend that’s experienced the benefits of doing business with you.  Referrals are even more powerful when they come from someone they know has successfully done business with you.  Why? Because when a referral comes from someone they trust there is no higher way to position the benefits you bring than to help a friend.

You can believe what your friend says about the person being referred as opposed to hearing a “corporate commercial” from a salesperson whose sole purpose is to make money from you.  Do you see the difference?

Referrals have an innate value as they are given freely as a reward for the high quality of service rendered.  A referral is the most compelling sales advertisement on earth. 

Best of all, because you served your customer with integrity you’re able to get referrals for absolutely nothing.

Research shows the how valuable referrals are - Paul and Sarah Edwards, authors of “Getting Business to Come to You” suggest that up to 45% of most service businesses are chosen by customers based on the recommendations of others.  A Dun and Bradstreet survey uncovered that referrals are one of the two most popular marketing methods for any business to make sales, the other one is advertising.  However, referrals consistently out-pulled advertising as to the quality and value of a new customer relationship.

One important note to consider is that referrals increase the life-time value of your customer who has referred someone to you; the referrer becomes more loyal to you and your business because once they have endorsed you, psychologically they become more loyal to you and your business. 

Many sales people and small business owners assume that referrals will happen by themselves if you give good service.  This belief if false and has no grounding in reality.  If you are not deliberate and proactive in developing referrals, the chances of you receiving as many referrals as you want are very unlikely.

Remember your best customers are ready and willing to give you referrals - You just need to show them how. Give them a blueprint on how they can help you.

Let me take a moment to discuss the difference between Word of Mouth Advertising and Referrals.  Word of Mouth advertising happens casually when one of your customers or friends mentions you or your business in a conversation. It’s not intentional or planned and is not something you can depend on to generate a predicable revenue stream.

A referral system is a systematic process that captures qualified prospects through your trusted relationships with clients, associates and friends.

A ’system’ by its definition is a process that produces predictable, measurable results.  A system like the ones I design can be controlled and ramped up to provide all the referrals you can handle very quickly. Every business benefits from word of mouth advertising… but don’t mistake the random nature of word-of-mouth advertising with developing a systematic, predicable system for referral prospecting.

So what’s the secret to getting all the referrals you can handle?  My answer is simple, ‘You just ask for them.’  Logic dictates that you have to ask for a referral in order to get a referral but it’s the fear of asking that impedes many of you from moving forward. 
One reason for the fear is that you are unsure about the perception of value you consistently bring to your clients.  There are a number of reasons for this, and too many to go into here.  Just know that you must become comfortable with asking and overcome the battle you are having with fear because the person you’re asking for the referral can sense the fear, and will be less likely to give you a referral when you are unsure yourself.

Here’s The Good News - People Want to Give Your Referrals! 

Shift your belief from one of receiving to one of giving.  If you truly believe that it will be helping them when you ask them to give you a referral your fear will quickly fade.  Most people want to give back to those who have helped them, and your customers are no different and want to give you referrals.  It makes them feel good that they found someone they had a good experience with and human nature dictates that they will want to share you with their friends.

This positions the referrer as a hero when they give their friends the gift of great service from you, and the person who referred you will feel as though he was able to do his friends a great favor.

When you ask for a referral, after treating the person honorably, you are actually doing them a special favor by letting them refer you.

The Blueprint for How to Ask for a Referral

Has someone ever asked you for a referral?  Did it go something like this: ‘Hi Joe, do you know anyone who could benefit from my services?‘  Joe starts to ponder your question and eventually says, ‘Well, not off the top of my head, but I’ll keep thinking about it…’

This is how 97% of all referral questions are asked and in reality fail.  You might as well not have ever asked the question.
Rarely, if ever will you get a positive response.  Why? Because you didn’t ask the right question in the right way. The phrase ‘know anyone who…‘ is too broad for people to think about and isolate a good referral for you.

People need a specific frame of reference to help them narrow down the playing field of potential referral candidates.  Imagine that you are talking to one of your customers who’s pleased the service you are delivering.

You ask them, ‘You’re a member of the Association for Corporate Growth in Dallas right? They respond, ‘Yes, I am.’ You ask, ‘Do you go to their meetings on a regular basis?‘  ‘Yes, most of the time.’ they reply. ‘Is there anyone in your ACG Chapter that you believe could benefit from my ______ (fill in the blank) services?  Maybe one or two people you’ve known in the group who are Vice Presidents of _______ (fill in the blank)?‘

Did you see the difference?  You gave a narrow frame of reference from which to draw from.  It allowed the person you’re asking to SEE the potential referral candidate in their mind.  This may limit the number of potential people that they might know, but it is far more effective than opening up the ocean of people that they can never identify for you without a reference point.

By being specific with your request, it will also stay in their mind long after you’ve asked it because they visualized your services with much greater intensity.  This will ‘lock-in’ you in the top-of-mind with the individual.

I know one very successful insurance sales person who loves to hunt and knows all the top hunting lodges in America. All of his referral questions are centered on Hunting Lodges because he knows that anyone who can afford to be a member of certain lodges needs his Estate Planning services.

Referrals come from two primary sources - your current customers (people who have done business with you) and non-customers (prominent people) within your target customer group.  You should have an active referral system to secure business from both types of people.

Your customers could be the most enthusiastic about giving you referrals because they have experienced you, your product and your service.  But, when done right you can get more referrals from non-customers than existing customers who have never used your service.

Start developing a system today for obtaining referrals first from your customers and second from non-customers who are Centers of Influence in your market.

In order to quickly ramp-up a Customer Referral Program, recognize that receiving referrals from customers starts giving the kind of great service that creates loyal customers for life.

Perhaps the simplest way to harvest referrals from your customers is to send them a simple well-written letter asking them for their help.  I have an example of this type of letter as a resource in my Trust Cycle Selling Marketing System.

Your best referrers are your customers.  These are the people who have had a positive experience with you and can vouch first hand for your service and products. However, there are many other people and organizations that you must include in your referral prospecting system –

The second set of people are individuals who know and network with many other important and influential people.  These people are often known as, ‘Centers of Influence.’  Centers of Influence can multiply your marketing efforts ten-fold if you approach and position your request properly. They can easily turn your marketing efforts from one-to-one to one-to-many.  Centers of Influence are the heavy hitters that can have a profound multiplying effect on your business.

A person savvy in generating new business will spend the majority of his referral prospecting time with the 20% within their Centers of Influence that produce 80% of their results.

Centers of Influence should be ranked by their ability to help you.  Your Top Tier Centers of Influence are people that are directly related in some way to decision makers within your industry or profession.  Top Tier Centers of Influence have a connection to your industry because they are aligned with others you wish to reach either in business or socially.  Referrals coming from your Top Tier Centers of Influence can be very powerful to your business in many ways.

Your goal with Top Tier referral givers is to be the first person “Top of Mind” when someone asks them about purchasing a _______ (fill in the blank).  With this in mind, you should sit down with the people inside of your company and come up with ideas about how to be the first person that a Top Tier referrer thinks about. Next, develop a list of who those Top Tier Centers of Influence are.

You could consider sponsoring networking events or social gatherings for your Centers of Influence. [Note: Do not allow your competitors to attend.]  Have a good cross section of attendees. You might hold several of these events / parties throughout the year so that you can invite several different potential referrers from the same industry.

Add each Top Tier referrer to your newsletter list so you can continue to “touch” them and maintain your Top of Mind Advantage.  Be sure to give them helpful information that they can use to make their _______ (fill in the blank) go up or ______ (fill in the blank) costs go down.  Give them _______ (fill in the blank) advice and information on new developments in your industry in which they should be aware.

Invite them to an all-expense paid _________ (fill in the blank) association luncheon that has a great speaker.  Rent a limo to pick them up, serve them wine or fine drinks, and treat them like stars.

Purchase a book on _______ (fill in the blank) about their business and give it to them as a free gift.  They will thank you for your interest in wanting to help them grow their business.

If they are a potentially a big referrer, you should send them a year round gift that they will receive every month from Harry and David (www.HarryandDavid.com). This will keep you in their minds all year long.

Place them on an automated schedule to send a birthday card to them, their wife and their kids, send them an anniversary card, and cards for the holidays.  I use “www.RevenueWarriorCards.com” to help me stay in touch with my Centers of Influence.

Arm your Top Tier Centers of Influence with the _______ tools (fill in the blank) to help them to help their customers (and your prospects). You may consider giving your Top Tier Centers of Influence a supply of Special Reports that you have developed that are specifically designed to help them with the challenges they are facing.

Another idea is to purchase a best-selling book-on-tape that you think they might be interested in and give it to them as a gift to let them know you were thinking about them.  Information products about that teach your Center of Influence how to grow their business are always welcome and will let them know that you are interested in helping them grow their business.

Tier 2 Centers of Influence are people whom you come in contact with on a regular basis in your personal life but aren’t connected to your industry. These are trusted influential people who come in contact with a large number of other people and could easily act as a business conduit for you.

They too can multiply your marketing efforts - Your Tier 2 Centers of Influence include but are not limited to the following:  Neighbors, Friends, Clergy, Business owners, Corporate business executives, Accountants, Financial planners, Lawyers, Etc.
Your Tier 2 Centers of Influence are people that may have no idea what it is that you do.  So you need to take the time to clearly explain to them not only what it is you do but the importance of referrals for your business.

Go one step farther by inviting them to after-hours socials. Tell them stories about some results that your customer’s have experienced as a result of your product or service.  Get them excited about what you do.  Get to know what they do by asking them questions.  Now each of you can get excited when you give valuable referrals, which in turn will be transferred to the new prospect.

The Power of Cross-Promotions is perhaps the single most powerful referral program. Let me explain. A cross-promotion uses endorsements from other well-respected people. It’s a simple idea where an associate sends an endorsement letter about you and your product or service to their customer list and you, in turn, do the same to your customer list. It’s a win-win.

The reason endorsement letters are so powerful is because people will buy from people they know and respect. How many times have you asked a personal friend, ‘Do you know a good place to buy __________?‘  Or ‘Do you know a good ____________ that I can go to see about getting _____________?‘

It is important to understand that we listen to people we trust, that’s the power of referrals.  People in authority positions can easily use their influence to help you win business just by recommending you within their inner circle.

In closing I’d like to remind you of something Zig Ziglar, the famous sales trainer once said, ‘You can get everything in life you want if you just help enough other people get what they want.’  This is so true!  Thanks Zig.

Establishing a referral program with your customers and other influential people is absolutely critical. Start today, and don’t make the mistake so many sales and business people make by not having a systematic program in place to capture referrals. They confuse word of mouth advertising with a referral system and, and tragically lose millions of dollars each year by overlooking the single most effective marketing available for a sales people and business.

Don’t make the same mistake!  Create a Referral System for your Top Tier and Tier 2 Centers of Influence.   Take the time necessary to develop your networking skills and hone your referral program today and start receiving an endless stream of high quality customers to your business. It’s money in the bank!

   To learn more about how to create your own successful Referral-based marketing system; you’re invited to visit http://www.joeheller.com and learn more about “Trust Cycle selling”.

Editor’s note: Joe Heller can be reached at (713) 927-4494 or Info [AT] JoeHeller.com.

(c) 2002-2007 Heller Research International, All rights reserved Worldwide.

Today’s News: Today is officially “Link To Me Day” and I have set aside time to develop more links with appropriate, like-minded people on all the sites that I have been persuaded to join over the past twelve months. In fact, I am going to set time aside every month, because networking is one of my favourite activities and I so enjoy making  contact with interesting people. To give you some idea of my diligence, I have a spreadsheet, which details all the facts about my personal network of friends and acquaintances. I try to make contact with them at least once every month to see how I can help them.

So, here’s your opportunity to link with me: If you are a member of Linkedin, My Space, YouTube, Facebook, Pownce or any other well known networking site, do please look me up and invite me to link.

Oh, and don’t forget my two favourite “sales specific” networking locations - Sales Gravy and Accountmaven - the latter is by invitation only, but if you follow this link you can sign up as my guest.

If you would simply like to link to this blog, all you have to do is leave me a comment on any post.

Tomorrow: “Old Ways Of Doing Business No Longer Works” - so what does?

The first thing to remember is that anxiety or nerves means you are alive and without them your resulting presentation would be like you - dead!

What you need to do is learn to control your anxiety and use it to fuel your enthusiasm.

Identifying Fears:

To control your anxiety you must identify what it is that you are afraid of -

  Is it forgetting your lines?

  Is it the audience size?

Once you have established what exactly you are afraid of then establish whether or not you can control it.

Imagine you are the captain of an airliner; do you fear flying? (But you probably fear crashing )Of course not, because you are in complete control of not only the aircraft but also, the crew and the passengers.

You have a flight plan and before you take off, you know the payload, weather conditions for the flight, arrival time, departure time etc. However, what is most significant, you are familiar with flying, you are comfortable with all of that responsibility, because you have flown so many times before and you know virtually everything there is to know about that aircraft.

Therein lies the secret; the more presentations we deliver, the more accomplished we become but equally, we must know what we are talking about, we must know our subject matter inside out, otherwise our audience will find us out

Let’s consider the areas that you can control:

  Your audience - After all you invited them.

  Your material - You designed it.

  Your resources - You chose to utilise them.

  Yourself - You’re no puppet.

If there are any areas you’ve identified that you can’t control, forget them - it’ll probably never happen.
  
Controlling nerves and reducing anxiety:

Organise - Give yourself plenty of time to prepare, know what is going to happen and when. Take the time to rehearse your presentation, preferably with someone you know well. Get them to pride you with objective and constructive criticism.

Visualise - Get into the habit of visualising how the presentation will go, that way the environment will feel familiar even if it’s your first time. Imagine the end of your presentation and your audience smiling with appreciation

Drying Up - Make bullet point notes on individual postcards to prompt you (not lengthy scripts) - you may not need them but they will give you that “comfort zone”. Do remember to number them though, just in case you accidentally shuffle them

Relaxation - Before your presentation take some time for yourself to relax, breathe deeply, go out into the fresh air and clear your head. Do not allow your mind to mentally rehearse the entire presentation, because you need simply to concentrate on your opening lines. Once you have successfully navigated your way through the first couple of minutes, you will begin to relax – a strong opening is crucial

Warming Up - Clear your throat, practise your smile, drink some water to ensure you are hydrated etc.

Dress appropriately and check your posture -If you look the part everyone will assume you know what you are talking about anyway!

Become mobile - It will keep your audience awake.

Use eye contact and smile - They can’t fail to pay attention.

And finally -  practice, practice, practice!

Today’s News: This is an early heads up for an event I think you will not want to miss. My good friend Jill Konrath is hosting a teleseminar featuring another good friend, Jeb Blount - “The Power Principles:How to leverage your talents to achieve your goals” It’s on February 7th and you can find full details plus registration form here 

A really good selection of articles received nominations over at Top 10 Sales Articles this week - tough call for the panel methinks

Tomorrow:On the JF Guest Author Spot - Diane Helbig, fellow Top Sales Expert and runner-up in last year’s Top Sales Article Of The Year contest.