Archive for June 2007
For Persuasive Presentations Dont Forget WIIFM
A few years ago I was in the pharmaceutical industry and every year we would have a pensions presentation during our National Sales Conference. These were the dullest, boring presentations imaginable and, given the age demographic of the audience, see as largely irrelevant by most people. One year however things changes. The presenter came on…
Read MoreDon’t Sell, Help Your Customers To Buy
Whenever I run a sales training workshop I ask the participants to raise their hands if they like to be sold to. Few if any hands stir. Then I ask them to raise their hands, if they like to buy things. Immediately I am greeted with a sea of hands. We can all learn from…
Read MoreDon’t confuse Assertiveness with Agression
One of the challenges around assertiveness is that people seem to be unsure what it really is. It often appears that we live in a world of extremes; good and evil, left wing/right wing politics etc. Under this model then, if you are not being passive or non-assertive you must be being aggressive. We all…
Read MorePowerPoint Tip – A Picture Paints A Thousand Words
I recently attended an excellent presentation by Anthony Willoughby. He helps senior business people develop their strategic plans in a novel way using the same techniques that Masai Warriors communicate their territory to their tribe. I’m not going to talk about his approach however, I want to focus on his presentation. What was refreshing was…
Read MoreNegotiation Tip – Chunk Up!
A couple of posts ago I introduced the concept of “Win-Win” outcomes or “Happy-Happy” negotiations as I prefer to think of them. One of the biggest challenges with this idea is that it often seems like an impossible dream when the two parties negotiating appear to have fixed positions which are mutually exclusive. Great negotiators…
Read MorePublic Speaking Tip – What’s Your Outcome?
It never ceases to amaze me how many people give talks and speeches without having a clear idea of what they want their audience to be doing as a result of their talk. In my book this is a recipe for disaster. Many moons ago I learned a simple but profound process for success. Step…
Read MoreNegotiation Tip – A Lesson From Sir Alan Sugar
Last night, like millions of others around the UK, I was glued to the TV to watch the penultimate episode of the Apprentice. After a gruelling round of interviews, the five remaining candidates were to be whittled down to the final two. Lohit and Tre were dispatched in usual Alan Sugar style but the real…
Read MorePublic Speaking Tip – Confidence Through Breathing
Many people who come to me for help with their public speaking and presentation skills suffer from pre-speech nerves. One of the things they want is a simple effective cure. The good news is that there are a number of tried and tested techniques proven to alleviate this problem. I’m a believer in going for…
Read MoreSelling & Influencing Tips – Building Rapport – FAST!
The key to a successful and mutually beneficial sales relationship is the ability to establish rapport with your prospective client quickly. Some people believe that rapport is a “chemistry” thing that depends on both people and that you either have it or you don’t. Whilst there is an element of truth in this, consider the…
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