“I am in sales. How does what you teach about presentations apply to my ‘sales pitch’?”

“How do I make my presentation an effective pitch?”

A couple of very common and necessary questions that I hear a lot.

As I am putting together the final touches on my online course and coaching program (launching at a heavyweight discount the first of the year) I have focused on creating solid content for the salespeople in my audiences.

Below is synopsis of what my upcoming course goes into detail about concerning sales presentations.

The quick answer to what is the difference between a simple speech and a pitch is this: We are all selling – either ideas, or feelings or attitudes or products or services. When we give a presentation, we are selling something to our audiences.

I see a continuum from gentle influencing all the way to serious selling. Every presentation will fall somewhere on this line.

So. let’s focus on the upper end – the serious selling. Let’s say we are selling something to a client. Maybe a big ticket. What are the differences between that and asking folks to recycle their soda cans?

It’s a matter of degree. Your presentation should have the same or similar content but each of the elements I am going to discuss should be amped up for the sales pitch.

And a quick note here: I am not trying to turn anyone into a hard core, high pressure, crazy, plaid-suited, used car salesperson. I am just saying if you are encountering people who are naturally skeptical of anyone who is “selling” them something you have to bring your very best efforts.

I have divided these principles up into two groups for reasons you will see at the bottom of this email. The second group will be heading your way tomorrow. So be forewarned!

Here’s your A-game game plan. To create a sales presentation or pitch, do all the things you would normally do during a regular presentation but double up on the intensity and focus of each of these:

1. Show your audience you know who they are. You better have solid audience research and understanding. This means a deep “what keeps them up at night” understanding.
2. Focus on the problem. Make them squirm a little. Twist the thorn in their boot.

The before example: “Many people get nervous when it comes time to step in front of a group and speak.”

The after example: “Remember the last time you spoke to a group? Your hands were sweating. Your throat was dry. You wanted to run to the bathroom or just leave altogether.”

See the difference? You are not over dramatizing it, but you are helping them relive their worst fears.

3. Dive deep into their needs. As part of 1 and 2 above, explore what they want. Is it a completed project? Is it more money? Less stress? Respect? The deeper you go the better.
4. Show them the solution. Tell them how your idea or service or product will give them what they want and make the pain go away.
5. Tell them how wonderful it will be. Make sure you set the hook and paint a picture of how your solution will improve their future.

These are the emotional drivers. There are 5 more points I want to give you, but I wanted to divide them all in two. The 5 points above address the emotional needs of your audience. Emotional investment is most critical to create that desire that guides people to your goal.

We all know that emotions create desire, but our logical brain needs to be satisfied also.

Emotions today. Logic tomorrow — five more ways you can turn a normal presentation into a super effective sales presentation.

If you are ready — coming in January… Online presentation training, a step-by-step system that will get you to a superstar, effective and confident presentation. Plus, feed-back and coaching opportunities. All at a seriously discounted price if you can jump on this very limited opportunity to get real-world actionable content with me.

Get on the first-to-know list here: https://ready2speak.com/course/

Tom

A few years back I attended an NSA Influence Conference. Got to hear some fabulous A-list speakers. Folks who are at the top of their game — pushing the margins every time they step on stage.

I like to think of myself as a student of all aspects of presenting – from the roughest newbie to the 30 year, 50-dates-a-year seasoned pro.

You can observe a lot just by watching.

I remember seeing Jeanne Robertson when she had just turned a big number year. Even at her stage in her career she was and is the best of the best. She could easily rest on her laurels and deliver a passable presentation. But that is not how she got where she got. When I saw her, she was still developing new material, still fine-tuning the material she had. It was very inspiring.

When she steps in front of any audience, she brings her top game. There is no mailing it in. There is only the best she can offer.

This brings me to a particular unnamed mainstage presenter I saw at this NSA meeting. He was appearing on what could easily be considered the “Oscars” of professional speaking. Big time.

His background was as a sportscaster on a national network. You would know his name.

As he presented the material that he must have delivered dozens of times in the past, he would look down after each sentence and check his next line on the “confidence” monitor at the foot of the stage. It was obvious to everyone in the room. It was distracting and it totally negated any audience contact he may have had.

He was a pro and he blew it. Bad form with the confidence monitor.

Want more proof? Check out Michael Bay on YouTube being interviewed at a Samsung press conference. The confidence monitor was out of sync and he couldn’t put two logical thoughts together without it. I am sure Michael Bay, the famous director, is quite capable of speaking in public. But his mojo got slammed when the monitor went wonky and he stormed off the stage.

Confidence monitors are evil. Especially if you are counting on them for your exact wording. If you are just listing an outline and are practiced enough to only glance at it when you are stuck, then go ahead and use it.

My very biased opinion is that if you need a confidence monitor you have not rehearsed enough, and you are toying with the gods of disaster.

Beware!

Pump up your confidence muscles at: https://ready2speak.com/coaching

Tom

Claude was the tour guide when my wife and I visited Montreal many years ago on our honeymoon.

He was sharply dressed, overly polite, humorous in a self-depreciating sort of way and he showed us all the good stuff.

We loved Claude.

Our little bus was filled with people from various parts of the globe. Claude took us to all the highlights of his wonderful city plus a few curious and quirky out-of-the-way places that only a local would know. And he kept us away from the spots that were a waste of our time or perhaps not the best places to be in.

He regaled us with stories and insider details that enlarged our understanding and appreciation for his beautiful city and country.

We all got a true feeling for what it was like to be in Montreal without spending days and days of our time studying all the minute details.

This is the perfect metaphor for a presenter.

Show them the highlights and avoid the mundane details. Most audiences don’t need to spend too much time exploring the weeds. They want to walk away with an appreciation of your world and perhaps a nugget of truth they can apply to theirs.

When speakers assume the role of the trusted tour guide, they are setting their listeners up for a rich and rewarding experience.

If you are ready to get on the bus, your tour of better presenting skills can start here: https://ready2speak.com/coaching

Tom

Yesterday was my day to work with experts who speak. There were a few at various venues who had test speeches or actual presentations that they were in various stages of preparing.

And I saw it again. And again. And again.

(Full disclosure – I have done it myself again and again)

Too much information.

This is one of my recurring rants. So here we go again.

Today I want to say why this TMI dragon is so bad and must be slain. But only if…

• You want to be effective at not boring or confusing the heck out of your audience.
• You want to not be that out-of-breath, 60-minutes-of-droning-on-and-on type of speaker who wonders if you have given anything of value to your audience.
• You ever want to sell or influence anyone.

Too much information poisons your entire speech.

The first reason is the simple fact that a one-to-many presentation is the most inefficient way of delivering details and facts.

It is, however, the most powerful way of delivering emotions and deep feelings. We all should know by now that feelings are what drives actions (and sales, if you are interested in that sort of thing). Facts don’t.

So, we relentlessly load up our PowerPoint canon with a hundred facts and features and pummel our hapless listeners. They might have gotten one or two – but twenty?

So that right there ruins the whole deal. We may have delivered a dozen facts and figures but have failed to connect with their feelings or needs.

But wait…there is more (and it’s all bad).

When a presenter knows that he or she has a lot of information to spray on their audience they rush. Big time.

A thousand words a minute. No breaths. No pauses. There is a switch that goes off in the speaker’s mind that kicks them into high gear and turns them into a speed talker. There is a nagging voice that says to them: time is short, you have a lot to cover, so let’s get moving here.

You audience, if they are even trying to follow along, can’t catch up. They are still processing point 23 and you are on 32. All that information is lost. And they are lost. Most people will just check out or superficially listen for anything that will sound slightly interesting.

And finally, the worst thing about too much information and rushing — it makes you look amateurish and worse — not confident.

Great speakers turn the flood of information about their topics into crisp little bite-sized take-aways. Things that this particular audience can actually use – maybe even today.

That simple act of slowing down and using pauses exudes confidence and expertise. Those great speakers are now seen as the true gurus of their material.

So, as the polite officer in Taliaferro County asked when I rolled down my window, “Do you have any idea how fast you were going?”

Slow down. Enjoy the ride. Your audience will think you are pretty smart.

You want smart. We all want smart. Try this… https://ready2speak.com/coaching

Tom

Do you have restless speaker syndrome?

Here is a great tip from my wise coach and mentor Jim Dawson. He and I were in a class watching a newbie presenter pace back and forth during their delivery. A nervous but very distracting habit. Even experienced speakers can fall into this unconscious pacing.

Jim suggested that they should try practicing while standing and lightly pushed against the back of a stationary chair placed in the center of their practice space.

They then would begin to get used to the feel of not moving. The stand and deliver strategy.

There are plenty of reasons to move about your space when presenting. These movements can add drama and dynamics but should be done with intention as a supplement to your words.

Standing can be an acceptable substitute especially if the only other option is wearing a path in the carpet as you anxiously pace back and forth.

If that is your problem – get a chair and give it a try as your practice.