Leadership, Communication, Presentation & Sales Development Blog

PRESENTATION SKILLS... DO NOT SAY TOO MUCH



One of the keys to effective public speaking is knowing when to stop. And, this does not only mean at the end of your presentation.

Stopping within your presentation is also important. Your story can be too long or contain too much unnecessary information. You may take too long to answer a question; you may spend too much time explaining a visual aid.

The general principle for all of these speaking elements is to stop when audience interest is at its peak.

When telling a story, you must have a sense of direction. Never take too long to describe a scene and don’t take too long to get to the point of the story. The story has to be exceptional to take more than two minutes of speaking time. When you get to the point of the story—stop! Don’t explain and review the story after the punch line; this is the time to move on. Let the point of the story be what you leave the audience to think about. If you feel a need to explain the story, you probably have not done a good job of telling the story in the first place.

If you are telling a funny story, and the audience does not respond as you expected, do not explain what you think they may have missed. Just move on to your next point.

Answer a question as concisely as possible. Your goal should be thirty seconds or less. The only person really interested in knowing the answer is probably the person who asked the question; the rest of the audience might get bored quickly with information that is unimportant to them.

In addition, if you take too long to give your answer the audience will lose interest. If you start summarizing and repeating parts of your answer, you have gone too long. If you can answer a question in one sentence or with one word, do so. That will insure that you have finished at the height of audience interest.

In providing statistical evidence, stop with the most significant statistic and divide statistics into threes if you have several to give. That is all the audience can assimilate at one time. Providing information in threes is a pattern that audiences respond to with good attention.

There certainly is a point about knowing when to stop at the end of the presentation as well. Know before you begin how much time you have to speak and then plan to stop a couple of minutes before time is up.

Our culture is very time-conscious and a speaker will be perceived as more effective if he or she does not exceed the time limit.

The point of speaking is not just to share information with an audience; it is also to know when to stop sharing.

Leave the audience wanting to hear more.

You know you have succeeded when you hear departing audience members saying, “Time went so fast; I could have listened for another hour!”






All the best with your business communications!

Posted in , by effectivecommunication.com.au

10 DAILY HABITS OF LEADERS

A leader is one who helps others see and achieve outcomes others didn’t think were possible.
In order for a leader to do that, they have to be at the top of their game each day.
Below are 10 daily habits leaders must demonstrate to be successful:

1. Learn something new each day, whether it be from another leader, a client, a peer, a downline, a provider or from life in general.

2. Know your time is your most valuable asset, so value it by not wasting it.

3. Build up other people with whom you come in contact, regardless of who they are or where they’re at.
Know the best way to become more successful is to help others become more successful.

4. Remain focused and disciplined on your objectives, all in an effort to achieve outcomes, not just complete tasks.

5. Take care of yourself including body and mind. Never forget the value of good health.

6. View everyone you meet as an opportunity to help open the door to a new opportunity.  
Leaders view developing new business not as an after thought, but as the main thought.

7. Maintain the same demeanour, even when nobody is watching. What you do is not something you turn on and turn off; it’s the consistency in how you act that allows you to be so successful.

8. Do everything with integrity, never forgetting how much character counts. This is the biggest  thing that separates a real leader from everyone else.

9. Help others be more successful. In the end, if others you lead aren’t more successful, there is no way you will be more successful.

10. View every challenge or problem as an opportunity, which drives your motivation and passion for success.


All the best with your leadership!

Posted in by effectivecommunication.com.au

IDEAS EVERY SALES PERSON SHOULD KNOW

Having trained tens of thousands of people in business during the past fifteen years across different nations and cultures, our goal at EffectiveCommunication.com.au (EC) is to help accelerate people's sales traction from where they are, to where they want to be!

Too many people learn sales lessons the hard way therefore, EC helps people circumnavigate the “hard way” learning curve.

The following offers some ideas that every sales professional should know, understand and apply:

1. You can learn sales

Primarily many people learn sales by observing what the best performers in their office do. Yet, typically positive sales performers constantly learn by reading books, going to training seminars and investing in their professional education.
Agreed, the best sales people have a natural pre-disposition (including the enthusiasm to learn) but any person can learn to better inform, influence and persuade others.


2. People make decisions for their reasons not yours

If you think people buy because of your sales presentation, you are on another planet
People buy because of their own selfish, personal reasons and motivations not yours. The day you work this out, you become a much better sales person immediately.


3. Talking someone into doing something that they don’t want to do is a bad idea

People that say, “I can talk anyone into buying anything” are fooling themselves and doing the world a disservice.
The main reason for this is there are some clients that you simply don’t want. Knowing when to back off and say no to clients will save your sanity and save you much frustration and grief with clients that didn't want to be there in the first place.


4. You need to natural and relaxed

You need to be cool
Having worked across dozens of industries, it's clear that those who are natural, relaxed and non-intimidating seem to sell more. When a sales person is too over the top or pushy or un-cool, clients simply will typically not buy from them.
No one talks about the "cool factor" in selling and they need to because it’s important. If you are cool and you treat people well, they will buy more from you and more often.


5. Humans have a highly tuned detector therefore, hyped up sales tactics just don't work

If you try to use hyper, cliche’d, verbatim, swag type sales tactics and language with potential clients, they will not think highly of you. And, will rarely buy from you - full stop!
In fact, If you are using a sales framework that does not sound like you because you sound and act more like the another hyper sales personality clone, people will see straight through it. You need to be congruent, genuine and sincere with what ever approach you use or you are going to struggle.  
Potential clients will always detect the fake verses genuine you!


6. Momentum begets momentum

The more correct sales skills you apply, the more you will want to do so. And, the more you sell, the more you will be more likely to sell.
The secret is to get going on the correct path and do not stop


7. How to get yourself out of a rut

Call five past clients who think the sun shines out of your butt. Don't try to sell anything, simply call to catch up and ask about their worlds.
After the 5th call you will be ready for action again


8. There is a massive dichotomy when it comes to “closing"

Businesses often think their sales teams have a problem with closing. The dichotomy with closing is that it is important, but it won’t happen if you aren’t good at 'Opening'.
'Opening' means you qualified by uncovering opportunity to begin with. This starts from the very microsecond you meet a prospective client.


9. Some people don’t make decisions

They just won’t. Don’t let it drive you insane because it’s not about you it’s about them


10. People won’t move from where they are until they are uncomfortable to do so

Doesn’t matter what you sell, unless you can create a conversational environment where you expose the commercial discomfort or pain of what they already have, they simply won’t move towards buying from you, or anyone else.


11. Never think you know it all

Sales realities are constantly changing. Yesterday’s "super script" is today’s cliche - people are learning sales both buyer and seller.
You need to stay unique to survive. Get caught using the "Benjamin Franklin” close in today’s sales world and you can kiss that sale and that customer goodbye.


12. Mindset is everything

However you get mindset nailed, you can’t ignore it. It leeks out of you in everything you say, everything you write and in every neutron of your energy. You need certainty about what you sell, your company and most importantly you!


13. Technology is great but don’t become too reliant on it

As soon as you hang your hat entirely on one lead generation source you become vulnerable to it’s possible demise. Using a diverse rage of lead generation will make you and your sales efforts way less vulnerable to the bell curve of popular media.



All the best when selling! 

Posted in , by effectivecommunication.com.au

DO YOU HAVE EXECUTIVE PRESENCE

Many people in business need to work on Executive Presence. However, they are swamped, doing the job of two or three people plus attend one meeting after another etc.

In theory, most people agree it would be great to develop Executive Presence, but yet, they don't really know what they should do differently.

The reality is, if people don't develop strong Executive Presence, their business will suffer both now and in the future!

Why does Executive Presence matter?

How you deliver your message affects whether or not people listen and take you seriously. It impacts people's perception of you, your company and its products or services.

Amy Cuddy, in her book, 'Presence' notes, "When you have presence, it signals authenticity, believability, genuineness, and trustworthiness, all critical elements for a leader, for anyone hoping to rise up the corporate ladder".

The question you must ask yourself is... "Can I afford not to address how I convey my message including my Executive Presence?"

What Presence is


Amy Cuddy notes, "Presence is hard to define. People can describe the lack of it but can't easily put words to what it is".

Amy describes presence in a number of ways:

  • Believing and revealing the abilities you truly have 
  • Confidence without arrogance 
  • Passion without being over-the-top 
  • Ability to relate on a personal level 
  • It's not about trying to impress 

The more you are yourself, the more your ideas will be heard

Executive Presence behaviours
  • Stand or sit up straight. Don't rock or shift from one foot to the other 
  • Look people directly in the eye with sustained eye contact 
  • Complete thoughts or sentences with each person 
  • Don't scan the room and assume audiences are connecting 
  • Show how you feel 
  • Speak with a strong voice, not one that is a monotone 
  • Do not rush through arguments. Instead, allow time for ideas to sink in 
  • Gesture and move to make a point 
  • Don't curtail energy. Instead, work at letting it out purposefully 

How you improve presence

Most of us in business have important messages to deliver to important people. This can cause anyone to feel anxious. It is easy for people to feel they aren't confident enough. As a result, they just try to get through it.

Many people present by talking quickly and reading from slides or notes. Their nervousness shows through strange mannerisms or tics.

Amy Cuddy notes, "You can trick your body into feeling confident by doing certain actions. You can fake it until you make it. In essence, your body can influence your brain and behaviour".

To get to the point where you aren't faking, you have to practice until Executive Presence delivery skills are part of your muscle memory. By isolating the skills of eye contact, posture, gestures, movement, vocal and facial animation and practicing them one at a time, they will begin to feel natural. Your body will automatically do them. You will let out energy appropriately.

Sometimes, we only get one chance to make a positive impression. Obviously, we want Decision Makers to feel we are the right one to handle the job, the perfect person to put in charge. Displaying confidence, showing conviction and connecting on a personal note will make others conclude we deserve the right to be there. Others will see us as having Executive Presence!






All the best with your business communications!

Posted in , , by effectivecommunication.com.au

ONE YEAR SALARY EARNED IN JUST ONE MONTH

How long have you been waiting for sales results? 

A month? A year? Three years? More? 

If your sales are stuck, there is a fundamental idea you should grasp. Your sales are not in a rut. You are in a rut. Therefore, you need a paradigm shift.

Matthew was new to the mortgage sales business after working many years in hospitality.  He was trying to help real estate agents get their buyers financing for homes. Matthew was stuck in a rut. 

When Matthew was pushed to “get naked,” to be vulnerable and authentic he shared what he thought was keeping him stuck.

“I’m afraid to call on really big clients because I don’t have a nice suit,” he said. “I want to get a custom suit made, but I need to lose 15 pounds first. I don’t want to order my suit until I slim down.”

What was so important about a custom made suit?  “I would feel better about myself,” Matthew said. “I’d make sales calls with more confidence and call on bigger and better prospects.”

When asked how long he had been waiting to lose just 15 pounds plus buy the new suit, Matthew said, “Two years.”

For two years, Matthew had been trying hard to sell yet experienced minimal results. He had been delaying his own success. 

Matthew's fundamental belief that a suit would make all the difference—and that the suit was impossible without the weight loss—was keeping him stuck.

Matthew had it backwards. Imagine that he’d bought that custom made suit two years earlier. What would have happened? He would have felt better about himself and, with that increased confidence, made better sales calls on bigger prospects. His improved self-image would have led to weight loss, and he could have bought a second or third suit!

When this thinking was laid out for Matthew, a switch flipped inside him that changed his life forever. He experienced a paradigm shift!!!

On Monday morning, Matthew immediately began calling on big prospects. He then called a tailor and ordered a custom suit. Matthew lost 15 pounds, and by the time the custom suit arrived he had increased his income to $20,000 a month, an increase of 400% in 120 days.

Matthew thought the suit would have some magical power that would help him close more sales, but like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, he really had the power all along. 

The fear that he wasn’t enough all by himself vanished, and he decided to stop waiting for his results.

How many times in life are we our own worst enemies? We give our power away to a certain object we don’t know if we’ll ever obtain or to some future event beyond our control. Within each of us is a Matthew. We all have a gear we haven’t activated that has the ability to propel our success to a different galaxy!!!

Whatever your business and whatever you sell, whatever opportunities exist in your genre, if you make three decisions, you will get the same kind of results that Matthew did.

Decision # 1: Define Your Belief

Most salespeople need a shift in their belief paradigm. Don’t be afraid of the gap between your goals and your reality. You do, however, need to define that gap. Here are the two questions that Matthew was asked that really got him thinking about what he believed:

“What are you doing with your one and only life?”

Nothing changes until you do something differently. Where do you need a small or large victory that will help you achieve a paradigm shift? 

For Matthew, it was calling on the bigger prospects without his new suit. Once you identify your difference maker, commit to preparing and executing on that goal as soon as possible.

Ask yourself, “By when?”

When you pick a date, you will have the discipline to drive to your destiny. After his initial success, Matthew assigned a “by when” to each of his goals. Then he developed daily non-negotiable actions that brought him closer to that goal. If you orient your actions around your “Goal Dates,” you will have real power.

Decision # 2: Focus on What’s Important

Accelerating your sales success isn’t about doing more of a lot of things. Rather, it’s about focusing on a few of the right things. Focus is the gateway to productivity. It always precedes success.

Matthew focused in on several key changes:

He cut his primary client base by 75 percent and tripled his time and focus on the remaining 25 percent. This increased his volume by 75 percent.

He cut his regular tasks by 60 percent and delegated them to a new assistant. As a result he had 60 percent more time to sell.

He got out of bed an hour early five days a week. Over a period of four months, he immersed himself in learning his trade. Those 60 hours of focused learning have helped him quadruple his income.

Decision # 3: Follow Up

This is one of the most important decisions you must make if you want to accelerate your sales success.

A key thought is if you don’t follow up with them, they won’t follow through with you. 

Most loan officers stink at following up, and that included Matthew. Now he devotes two hours a day to following up with new leads, contacting existing leads that haven’t converted to sales, and corresponding with existing clients to get more orders and referrals. 

The fortune really is in the follow up

Bottom line result... During the financial year 2014-2015 Matthew earned AUS$55,000 whilst in hospitality. and, during March 2015, Matthew made $56,000

Boom! The affects of a paradigm switch flipped!


All the best with your sales!

Posted in , by effectivecommunication.com.au

COMMUNICATION - HOW TO AVOID YOUR IDEAS BEING TABLED

Most people in business get what they deserve!

If they do a good job of presenting their idea, they get what they deserve. If they do a poor job, they also get what they deserve.

Do you believe you get what you deserve during meetings?

If not, or if during your meetings little post action occurs, then perhaps you are ignoring the the top 5 reasons Executives and Decision Makers table an issue.

1. Poor Preparation

One Exec said, "I can always tell when someone isn't prepared. They stumble when I ask them questions. They also don't seem to anticipate that I will need proof."

Another Exec said, "I loathe when people waste my time and aren't prepared."

Think about the last time you tried to sell an Exec or Decision Maker an idea. How long did you spend preparing? Did you do more than throw a few slides together? Did you sit down ahead of time and try to figure what questions will be asked or what analyses might be requested?

2. Faulty Strategy

A Director of Innovations at a technology company said, "I am all about big ideas, but I have to follow your argument. You can't be jumping all over the place, leaving me to figure it."

When you meet with an Executive or Decision Maker, are they able to easily follow your logic?

Do all of your points lead to the same conclusion?

3. Lack of Clarity

Steve Jobs once said, "Decisions are easy when ideas are simply explained, but you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple."

Some of us over-talk an issue. We use a lot of acronyms. Our sentences are very complicated with lots of phrases and clauses. We often make up words. Nouns are turned into verbs and vice versa.

Ask yourself, "Is your argument clear and simple?"

4. Dubious Benefits

EC has worked with Executives and Decision Makers who interrupt presenters right up front if the benefits to a proposal aren't apparent nor relevant to their priorities.

One of these Exec's famous line is "Yeah, so what! Why should I care?"

People reporting to this Executive know that they must link ideas to things that are top of mind for the Exec. The presenter cannot speak in generalities.

Do you support any benefits with metrics? Are the metrics tied to what is important to the Executive?

5. Lack of Confidence

"Unconfident people scare me. I wonder why they are in charge." This is a comment we at  EC hear frequently from clients who are Executives and Decision Makers.

People who show they are nervous rarely get a positive result.

One Executive said, "Act like you belong." Executives just want to have a CONVERSATION.

Confident speakers look people in the eye. They don't read from their notes or slides. They don't rush.

Having a carefully thought out message is, of course, important, but give the same amount of attention to how you will deliver it.



Getting what you want and deserve from a meeting doesn't happen by accident. It should never be left to chance. Avoid being disappointed by paying attention to what Executives and Decision Makers feel is important in a CONVERSATION!

Posted in , by effectivecommunication.com.au

Be Like A Tour Guide When You Present

Following a recent visit to Cancun, Mexico, our Mayan tour guide was a local born and bred man named Henry.

Yes, heads were scratched amongst our group as we were in Mayan territory with a man visually possessing Mayan genetics named Henry!

Other than his very British name, Henry was positively striking & impressive because of his extraordinary communication skills.

Henry presented Mayan history to our group wisely using the same fine tuned skills you should use during all your business communications including presentations to ensure our ideas are heard.

Here is just a short list of the fine tuned communication skills Henry used to ensure out experience with him was enjoyable and his message(s) memorable:

Spoke slowly
Obviously, English is not Henry's first language and so, to compensate for any differences in pronunciation, he spoke slowly.

Henry tried to carefully enunciate, even though some letters and words were difficult for him.

Wouldn't it make your ideas sink in if you spoke slowly instead of rushing? Wouldn't speaking at a slower pace be enormously helpful your varied audiences who are not necessarily native to your language?

Framed up what we would be seeing
If our group were about to go to a specific place or land mark, before we would arrive, Henry shared why the next place was significant and what we were about to see. Maybe it had to do with the age of the place/land mark or the intricacy of the carvings, etc.

In your environment, do you give a short overview of why the meeting or presentation is important and what actions you will be requesting as you conclude?

So often, we skip the overview and jump right into the details.

Looked us in the eye
To make sure explanations were resonating, Henry watched our facial expressions, looking for any indicators that said, "Not understood." Many of us think we are looking people in the eye, but mostly, we scan the room.

Without strong eye contact, we cannot read the reactions of our listeners. Do you scan or engage people one at a time with sustained eye contact?

Took ownership
If Henry could see by the look on the faces of our group we didn't understand, he would re-explain. Henry would automatically apologise for not being clear or for his poor English or unclear explanation.

Do you pay attention to whether people seem to be understanding? Do you routinely pause and ask if an explanation is clear to everyone? Do you re-explain in simpler words? Do you apologise for not being clear?

Exuded passion
Henry was demonstrably proud of his nation and people's  monuments, whether they were temples, waterfalls or scenic vistas.

Henry's enthusiasm came across in his voice and in the descriptive words he chose.

When you speak and present, do your listeners hear your passion? Would they be able to picture what you said through the colourful language you used?

Shared stories
To highlight points Henry predominantly shared stories

Many business presenters sacrifice the need for stories, analogies, examples, case studies, metaphors etc and instead populate their messages with heavy, dry and non memorable data.

History and now biological science has proven that the most attractive, interesting, engaging and memorable communications include a positive balance between data and visual imagery. What do you do to make your ideas and message vivid?

Gave abridged versions
Being of non Mayan decent, our international group could not relate to many of the historic places and themes Henry presented. Yet, Henry typically gave us three (3) important things to remember about any place or land mark.

Henry was very sensitive to boring his audience with too many details. Only when asked would Henry go deeper by providing more information, but he would always wait for an invite.


As you think about your own presentations, how simple are your explanations?

When ideas are simply explained, audience decisions are easier!

Retaining what our group learned isn't easy. Yet, Henry made all the difference. Therefore, think of yourself as a tour guide during your presentations and messages by carefully guiding people through your ideas.

By paying attention to Henry's fine tuned skills listed above, you will enhance your ability to communicate and present successfully! 


All the best with your presentations!

Posted in by effectivecommunication.com.au
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