If you’re having trouble closing…it could be your presentation opening! If you don’t gain your audience’s attention initially and establish credibility, they’re not going to hear your great benefits, your value proposition or your super close! In this video I role-play how a typical presentation opens. Take a moment to watch. What did you… Read More
Sales Role Play for Results. Part 1: Set the Stage
I received a panicked call from a salesperson last week. Carol’s annual sales meeting was fast approaching and she and her fellow sellers were asked to participate in a day of role-playing with management. While promoted as a “learning experience,” Carol knew better; this was a test. Carol and her team would be judged on… Read More
Screenwriting Tips for Sellers: 5 Elements you Must Have to Move a Prospect to Action
Like a well-crafted movie or television show, a successful salesperson must grab a prospect’s attention, pique their interest and establish an emotional connection in order to move them to action. Screenwriters know that there are 5 dramatic elements that must be present in order to engage and move audiences. Make sure you can identify these… Read More
Sell Me This Pen! A Sales Lesson from The Wolf of Wall Street
Scorsese’s excess-packed The Wolf of Wall Street joins a long line of films (Wall Street, Boiler Room, Glengarry Glen Ross) that cast the sales profession in its most negative light. While millions of honest people make their living in sales, they rarely make movies about them (with the happy exception of The Pursuit of Happyness.)… Read More
Sell Yourself Like Actors Do! 7 Quick Acting Lessons for Sales Pros
Unless they are Robert DeNiro or Meryl Streep, most actors have to audition for every role. And unless you are Anthony Robbins, you have to audition for every sale. Actors must stand out from their competition and quickly convince casting directors that they are right for a role in their production while you must convince… Read More
Selling On-Camera: Will you Make the Cut?
Salespeople and customers alike have quickly risen to the challenge of connecting in a virtual world. Initially, simply turning on the camera was a big step for many people and that effort was applauded. But times have changed. Now customers are being bombarded with Zoom calls. What was once a novelty has become a burdensome… Read More
Take me to your leader. Enlisting the help of gatekeepers to get in front of decision-makers
The odds of reaching a decision-maker on your first attempt can be greater than hitting the winning lottery numbers. Chances are you will either 1) end up in voice mail, or 2) speak to someone who will politely inform you that the decision-maker is unavailable but will take a message for them – or put… Read More
The 10 Rules of Good Slide Deck Design
A good slide deck is often the price of entry for serious consideration by today’s buyers. Shabby slide decks reflect poorly on you, your company and your solution. However many salespeople don’t have the time or expertise to create a work of art. Fortunately, you don’t need to be an art major to create a… Read More
The New Rules of Role-Play with the Actor’s Method
I received a panicked call from a salesperson last week. Carol’s annual sales meeting was fast approaching and she and her fellow sellers were asked to participate in a day of role-playing with management. While promoted as a “learning experience,” Carol knew better; this was a test. Carol and her team would be judged on… Read More
The ONE Thing You Must Do in your Web Presentation or Demo
Bad news: Your attempts to spice up your web presentation or demonstration by chatting or polling or drawing on the screen won’t make much of a difference UNLESS, you change this one thing. Ready? Here it is: Adjust Your Style What do I mean by this? You certainly already are adjusting your content to fit… Read More
The Real Benefit of Discovery
Congratulations! You’ve been asked to present your solution to a qualified prospect! No easy feat in today’s competitive marketplace. After high-fiving the rest of the team, what’s your plan? Start cutting and pasting from previous presentations. Review your prospect’s website and get the needed information. Plan a discovery call with key members of your prospect’s… Read More
The Sitcom Secret to Winning Larger Deals
Kelsey Grammer was initially cast in just six episodes of Cheers. Chandler Bing’s’ annoyingly nasal girlfriend on Friends, “Janice?” Cast in a single episode. Have you ever received a small role in a customer’s business when you were hoping for the lead? After you finished mumbling about the unfairness of it all, what did you… Read More
This is not your daddy’s presentation: 5 things you must do to engage today’s busy buyers.
When my dad was in sales, he didn’t have to compete with a steady stream of “urgent” texts or emails for his prospect’s attention. He was rarely rushed along, asked to stick to the “script” or sandwiched in between competitors. My father had the luxury of building rapport and transitioning into his presentation organically. I… Read More
What do buyers really want? Find out with the Actor’s “Magic IF”
“I’m curious about other people. That’s the essence of my acting. I’m interested in what it would be like to be you.” ~ Meryl Streep The ability to understand what buyers really want is critical to targeting your message and connecting, yet most of us never get past the facts and figures. Since most buying… Read More
Why Salespeople Aren’t Using that Brand-New Sales Presentation (and what to do about it)
Your organization just invested a lot of time and money creating a dazzling new presentation for the sales team. So why, three months later, is no one using it?! Here are just a few of the reasons I hear from salespeople: “It’s too much information. It’s not my style. It’s already out of date. I… Read More
YOU are The Weakest Link. How to Stop Sabotaging Your Sales.
“You are the weakest link!,” the catch-phrase from the BBC’s popular game show, The Weakest Link was sharply followed by the word “Goodbye” from the blunt, no-nonsense host, Anne Robinson. What does this have to do with you or sales? In sales, there are several links in the chain that make up your role as… Read More