Ever wonder what makes some speakers super successful? Have you ever sat in an audience in awe of a speaker and pondered, "How did she do that?" The answer is, through a lot of work. There are some freaks (meant lovingly, of course) out there who are naturally gifted at speaking, but most of us have to work really hard at it.
P
ublic speaking is an art, and like any art form – it takes years of practice to get really good at it. However, there are some habits that you can get into right now that will elevate your speaking and sales presentation skills.
Habit #1: Know the Audience Every presentation you’ll ever do begins and ends with the audience. It is your job to get to know them intimately before creating one word of your speech. In a sales presentation, you must answer these three questions to be a success. 1. What does your audience believe? Find out as much as you can about their demographics, but what’s more important is understanding their attitudes and beliefs. With this knowledge in hand, assess how far or close what your selling aligns with the audience’s beliefs. Are there a lot of obstacles for you to overcome before getting to a yes? Or are you on the same page? Knowing the answer to this question helps with Habit #3. 2. What problems do they face? You’re showing up for a reason. Do the research on what problems the organization or individuals face. What is keeping them up at night? Don’t just understand the facts; uncover the emotions that underlie the problem. 3. Who is the decision maker? It always boils down to the one person who ultimately signs the contract to buy from you. You need to know who that person is. Ask the person who brought you in for the pitch who that person is, then find out everything you can about them. There’s no shame in a little Internet stalking using Google or LinkedIn. The more you know, the more you can help.
www.soldlab.com
Knowing your audience is key to creating sales success.
Habit #2: Always be Creating Value Alec Baldwin famously said in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, “Always be closing.” In today’s world of content marketing, a sales pitch is not about closing; it’s about creative value for your audience. The new mantra: Always be creating value. Sales presentations are not about you. It’s about your audience. The entire focus needs to be on them. Your product is terrific, or they really should hire you, but if they didn’t hire you? How will you be memorable in their minds? When they do finally decide to hire or buy, what will make you be the first person they call? Helping solving their problem and creating value as a direct result of your presentation. Yes, I’m talking about 100%-free information that helps regardless if they buy. This might sound counterintuitive because, after all, your audience needs you so they should shout an enthusiastic “Yes!” But what if they don’t realize that in the moment? When they have the aha moment that they need more help to solve their problem, you’ll be the first person whom they call. You are the trusted resource, not just the sales guy or gal. A no in the moment could be a YES in the future if you provide your audience value beyond the sales pitch!
Habit #3: Begin with the End in Mind Since the headline of this post blatantly rips off Stephen Covey, one of the most effective habits of presentations is to "begin with the end in mind.” If you don’t know where you are going, how do you expect to take your audience on the journey with you?
| 37