This article originally appeared on Julie Hansen’s blog If you’ve been selling for more than a week, you’ve already heard plenty of excuses from buyers: I need to think about it. I can’t afford it. You’re too expensive. The details may vary, but the reason buyers aren’t anteing up typically boils down to this: Frankly… Read More
About Julie Hansen
5 Encore Endings for Your Presentation
Can you imagine an experienced performer like Justin Timberlake ending his performance by singing a few random notes before looking blankly at his audience and announcing, “Well, I guess that’s all I have”?! Not likely. Professional performers strategically plan their endings to leave their audience clamoring for an encore in order to influence cd, t-shirt… Read More
5 Harmful Myths about Sales Presentations
Have you heard we only use 10% of our brains? If you have, you’ve bought into a popular myth. While that myth is harmless, others like, “The flu vaccination can give you the flu” can produce some harmful consequences. I’ve run across a number of presentation myths over the years: New techniques hailed as “the… Read More
5 Types of Stories Every Salesperson Should Be Ready to Tell
Stories are a powerful selling tool, but rarely is a single story right for every selling situation or customer. In a dynamic marketplace, salespeople should be prepared to tell 5 types of stories in their pitch or presentation. Here are pros and cons, tips and examples for each type of story. Your Organization Story Pros:… Read More
5 Ways to Improve Your Executive Presence and Increase Your Influence
Executive Presence is a fuzzy term that’s often used to describe a host of soft skills and qualities, from body language to dress to emotional intelligence, deemed necessary for selling to the C-suite, moving up in an organization, or motivating a team or individual to adopt new ideas or behaviors. While not a gender issue… Read More
7 Quick Acting Tips for Sales Pros
Most actors have to audition for every role. In fact, even Marlon Brando had to audition for his iconic role in The Godfather. Although he was a very successful actor at that point in his career, there were a lot of qualified actors competing for the part. He knew he couldn’t go in and do… Read More
7 Tips for Storytelling That Sells
ONCE UPON A TIME… The ability to tell a good story was merely a handy skill for entertaining friends, clients and coworkers. Now experts are recognizing that storytelling is also a powerful sales tool for differentiating yourself from your competition and driving home your value proposition in a compelling and memorable way. Prospects are told… Read More
A Good Sales Tip from Breaking Bad: Let the Prospect Connect the Dots
Even if you didn’t get swept up in the Breaking Bad saga, it would have been difficult to miss the powerful hold it had on its audience, the awards it racked up or the place it earned popular culture. Maybe you had to listen to coworkers endlessly dissect each episode every Monday morning, laying out… Read More
A Quick Guide to Using Improv to Win More Business
If you’ve ever seen Improv performers, like me, you’ve probably wondered how they respond so skillfully to the seemingly unrelated suggestions thrown at them. They are given no script, no direction and typically only the thinnest of plots to work from. If you’re in sales, this should sound very familiar to you! As salespeople, how… Read More
An Actor’s Secret for Getting in a Selling State of Mind
“I’ve always considered myself to be just average talent and what I have is a ridiculous insane obsessiveness for practice and preparation.” Will Smith It’s no secret that a focused and positive mindset in sales creates focused and positive results. Learning how to let go of negativity and get in an ideal state of mind… Read More
Are you Being Heard? The Importance of Vocal Authority in Sales
Rachel, a new sales leader, is frustrated because her team isn’t listening to her, making it difficult to excel in her role. Kristin, a highly-experienced sales person, describes being frequently interrupted or “talked over” by her own manager. Anna is a talented young sales person who feels she is not taken seriously by older decision-makers…. Read More
Brando’s Secret to Opening Doors with Busy Prospects
Your prospect may have a need that your product or service can fulfill, but often they don’t have the time to think about it, much less hear about it. Yet these same busy prospects are also people who have time to go to the movies, watch their favorite hit series or spend three or four… Read More
Break out of Presenter Mode
In business, most people (and salespeople are no exception) don’t speak with as much energy or personality as they do in their personal lives. They tend to flatten or smooth things out and tamp down the good and the bad news alike. Telling a prospect you’re going to save them a million dollars is delivered… Read More
Brrr…Why your Cold Calls are Colder than they need to be!
It’s all about preparation. When you get ready for a sales call or presentation, what do you spent 99.9 percent of your time on? What you’re going to say, of course. But words play only a small part of your effectiveness. https://youtu.be/3hF5HZwBUI8
Does your presentation close — or simply come to an end?
Imagine being on trial – you’re not guilty of course − and after the final witness’ testimony your lawyer simply rests her case and leaves it up to the jury to make sense of all of the evidence and deliver whatever verdict they feel appropriate. Would you be happy? I don’t think so. Yet most sales presentations… Read More
Dramatically Better Sales Role-play
Role-play. Two words that can send even the most confident sales rep racing for the nearest exit. Traditional sales role-play conjures up every actor’s nightmare of stepping into the spotlight without knowing his lines while the chief critic watches from the front row. Role-play can be extremely valuable for helping sales reps internalize knowledge and… Read More
Five Tips for an Engaging Web Presentation
Salespeople and prospects don’t always see eye to eye, but there is one thing they typically agree on: On-line presentations have all the sizzle of a week-old soda. The problem is that most sellers are used to adjusting their content for each prospect, but rarely adjust the way that they deliver that content. And while… Read More
Flip Your Demo: A Winning Strategy for Closing More Sales
Want a surefire way to improve the success of your demo? Flip it. Conversation Intelligence Platform, Gong.IO recently analyzed 67,149 SAAS demos and found that demos that start with the end result are significantly more successful than demos that follow a linear path or a series of workflows before getting to that end result. This… Read More
Get to “Yes!” with this Winning Improv Technique
Very few salespeople like objections. I’d go as far to say that many salespeople hate them. They’re afraid of saying the wrong thing, they disrupt your flow, they create conflict…the list goes on. But the truth is that the road to “yes” is often peppered with “no’s.” According to a well-known study, prospects that buy… Read More
Hey Presenters! Hand Over the Microphone! How are Your Listening Skills?
Warning: If you can hear a pin drop during your presentation, your audience may be asleep. Which one of the following is an example of a good listening skill? (A) Address your customer’s objection’s first. (B) Use animated listening. (C) Finish your customer’s question as proof you’re in sync (D) Exaggerate your posture to show… Read More
How to Break Out of “Presenter Mode”
In business, most people (and salespeople are no exception) don’t speak with as much energy or personality as they do in their personal lives. They tend to flatten or smooth things out and tamp down the good and the bad news alike. Telling a prospect you’re going to save them a million dollars is delivered with… Read More
How to Use Your Personal Story to Connect Emotionally with Buyers
Sales is a transfer of thoughts, ideas and emotions. And one of the best ways to connect emotionally with buyers is with stories. Research even shows that when listening to a story, changes take place in our brains. We actually connect emotionally with the storyteller. Of the 5 types of stories I suggest salespeople have at the… Read More
Make Your Presentation 570X More Memorable with Props
You can check my math, but according to Toastmasters, listeners only retain 10% of what they’ve heard one week later. This percentage increases to 67% when visual aids are added to the equation. This is a strong message to sellers that if you want a prospect to remember your sales presentation, demo or conversation, adding… Read More
Make Your Presentation Memorable with Props
According to Toastmasters, listeners only retain 10% of what they’ve heard one week later. This percentage increases to 67% when visual aids are added to the equation. This is a strong message to sellers that if you want a prospect to remember your sales presentation, demo or conversation, adding a visual or sensory component can be… Read More