Are you confident that everyone on your sales team can deliver your company story well?
Are you making the fatal flaw of many sales managers?
Make More Sales More Often when you perfect your sales presentation
You may be like many of my clients before I work with them. You have great products and services—perhaps complicated and technical in nature—and they require an incredible amount of trust to sell.
You invest in your sales professionals with product knowledge, ways you compare to your competition, territory management, and technology the company uses. Then you say, “Go out and call on the C-Suite.”
However, you may often fall short on training your sales professionals to create and deliver an engaging, clear, concise, and prospect-friendly presentation.
Lisa Poole knows how to capture an audience’s attention.
Are you ready to take your presentations to the next level and captivate your audience from the very beginning?
One surefire way to make a memorable impact is by incorporating interesting statistics and little-known facts into your opening.
In this article, we will explore a brilliant example of how industry expert Lisa Poole used these techniques to engage her audience and set the stage for her presentation delivered at a PayrollOrg convention about “Adding Value to Your Organization Through Job Costing.”
Let’s dive in and discover the power of intriguing statistics!
I am on the couch reading “Just Another Brick” by Stephen J Moles “The Restoration of the Historic Walled Gardens at Croome” and remembering a wonderful afternoon spent last year on vacation. As I am back in the UK again, my message is more personal. I hope you will enjoy it.
My brother and I had the most amazing afternoon exploring the historic Walled Gardens at Croome Court. The book was a gift from our friends Chris and Karen Cronin, who are good friends with my brother Robert Fripp. You know, they’re the ones who create those massive stages and sets for rock shows, which they’ve also adapted for use in movie sound stages. However, their real labor of love is their garden, and that’s where we went to visit.
Being a tourist and learning about history is a pastime I love, so visiting Croome was a real treat.
Exploring the history of a town or city adds a rich layer of appreciation to our experience of a place.I love being a tourist and understand the value of delving into the past to enhance my understanding and connection with a destination. During my vacation in Swanage, Dorset, near my childhood home, my friend Derek Arden encouraged me to buy the book titled “Swanage in World War II” by C. Stewart W. Borrett.
This simple book ignited a spark of curiosity, prompting me to delve deeper into the history of the town and its people.
The Notion: Acknowledge the Mentors on Your Journey to Success
Sooner or later, as a high-achieving professional, you’ll be invited to share your journey to success. The very thought may trigger a nervous response. After all, we’ve been socially conditioned not to “brag.”
Let’s simplify the process with a strategy. Every speech orbits a central theme. In the “about me” speech, it’s this:
Blurred image, Microphone on stage with blurred bright light background
Success is never a solo venture. Credit your influencers, role models, and mentors, though your personal triumph remains the focal point. Consider your life story as a three-act play:
Act I – your early years, Act II – career initiation, and Act III – the pinnacle of success.
To illustrate, let’s revisit my coaching experience with Alex, a prosperous executive and multimillionaire. At their annual gathering, 700 realtors were well aware of Alex’s financial success but ignorant of his humble upbringing as an illegitimate child. His speech commenced with, “I never knew my mother and met my father at 14. I was raised by my grandmother, and life was perfect.”
I am on the couch reading “Just Another Brick” by Stephen J Moles “The Restoration of the Historic Walled Gardens at Croome” and remembering a wonderful afternoon spent last year on vacation. As I am back in the UK again, my message is more personal. I hope you will enjoy.
My brother and I had the most amazing afternoon exploring the historic Walled Gardens at Croome Court. The book was a gift from our friends Chris and Karen Cronin, who are good friends with my brother Robert Fripp. You know, they’re the ones who create those massive stages and sets for rock shows, which they’ve also adapted for use in movie sound stages. However, their real labor of love is their garden, and that’s where we went to visit.
Being a tourist and learning about history is a pastime I love, so visiting Croome was a real treat.
The gardens there are the largest walled gardens in England, and they used to play a crucial role in supplying food for the occupants of the grand Croome Court. Just imagine the bustling activity of planting, nurturing, and harvesting that would have taken place there. It must have brought a sense of tranquility and stability to the people living in the big house. However, the true history of Croome is far more turbulent than the serene beauty we see today.
Let me take you back to a chilly morning in February 1840.
Picture this: all five furnaces supporting the Hot Wall are fired up, along with two additional furnaces pumping hot water to the glasshouses. If you were standing on Earls Walk, you’d witness the industrial revolution in action, with smokestacks belching out thick, black clouds of smoke, rousing the garden from its winter slumber. And if the wind blew from the east, the smoke would envelop the entire big house, obscuring it from view. These images serve as a reminder that the Walled Garden was primarily a food factory, rather than a serene countryside getaway.
The restoration of the gardens at Croome has been a step-by-step process.
As the Cronin’s told us, “You can’t start by restoring the glasshouses without first rescuing the pathways that lead to them.” The entire project has been spearheaded by the Cronins, who are both remarkable individuals with unique skills and strong personalities.
What you may find as amusing as we do, they embarked on this venture seeking a simpler life—a self-contained home and garden. They were fortunate enough to buy exactly what they were looking for without needing a mortgage.
When they first set eyes on the Croome Estate, it was a sight that defied description.
Enormous glasshouses lay in ruins, resembling shipwrecks surrounded by a sea of brambles. As Karen Cronin recalls, she was trying to take in the scene when her husband Chris uttered the words, “Well take it.” So much for a simpler life!
Our visit to the Walled Gardens at Croome was not only a beautiful experience but also a journey through time. Stephen J. Moles tells this story much better than I ever could, and I’m grateful to have received his book, “Just Another Brick,” as a gift from our friends.
If you are interested in history, gardens, or what can be accomplished by creative and generous people who believe they can turn the seemingly impossible into the possible.
Every story has a “Once Upon a Time.” The place where the intricate weave of values, experiences, and influences begins to shape the fabric of our lives.
As a speech coach, I guide my clients to revisit their own “Once Upon a Time”, unraveling the threads of their past to better understand the tapestry of their present. It is here, in our early years, where the essence of our unique voices and our authentic selves are formed. My “Once Upon a Time” has etched a distinct pattern into my professional journey. Growing up in a time and place with limited expectations for girls, I began to envision a life that starkly deviated from the norm of a small town in the South of England. As a small girl, it was the vision and wisdom from my parents that laid the foundation for my approach as a speech coach and set the stage for a life I had dared to imagine and have very much enjoyed.
Imagine this scenario: You’re about to step on stage as the speaker.
When Fripp speaks others listen.
The energy in the room is buzzing with anticipation.
As you prepare to captivate your audience with your words, there’s a valuable strategy I recommend you embrace before that moment.
Whenever possible, act as your own warm-up act. This is an often overlooked opportunity many speakers make.
When you build rapport with your audience beforehand, you can create an even more exciting and impactful experience.
Let’s dive into the advantages of establishing a connection with your audience before you take the stage. Or, as my co-author of Delver Unforgettable Presentations, Darren LaCroix calls it “before rapport.”
If you are a fan of Star Wars, you know Yoda is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, first appearing in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back. He is a small, green humanoid alien who is powerful with the Force and is a leading member of the Jedi Order until its near annihilation.
Tom Drews is reading Deliver Unforgettable Presentations and Yoda looks over his shoulder.
Yoda is an iconic figure in popular culture due to his distinct pattern of speech and role as a wise mentor.
After my presentation at a recent Game Changers speaking conference organized by Darren LaCroix, several attendees asked, “Patricia you are a well-known speech coach, do you think Yoda would make a great public speaker?” They were surprised when I gave a more thoughtful answer than they expected.
“Certainly, Yoda is known for his wise and insightful sayings, which often carry deep meaning and have been quoted countless times. His unique speaking style, which involves rearranging sentences and using unusual syntax, has also become a signature of his character.
While Yoda’s speaking style might be memorable, it could also be challenging for some audiences to understand, particularly if they are not familiar with his language patterns. Also, Yoda’s character is known for being reserved and contemplative. This may not translate well to a high-energy public speaking environment.
However, Yoda is an iconic character that many people admire and respect and frequently quote. If he were to deliver a speech on a topic that resonated with his audience, I believe he could captivate and inspire them with his wisdom and insights.”
Yoda would benefit from reading Deliver Unforgettable Presentations as it is a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their public speaking skills. By studying the techniques and strategies of successful speakers, Yoda like everyone else, can learn how to connect with their audiences and deliver unforgettable presentations that leave a lasting impact.
How often have you heard, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” and believe it or questioned it?
Comedian Jack Benny’s classic pose
This is only the first part of a quote from Oscar Wilde.
It’s absolutely clear what Oscar Wilde meant (so many forget the second half of the quote) when he wrote “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”
As a speaking coach and professional speaker and long-time member of the National Speakers Association, I strongly advise against the practice of imitation in your public speaking.
Please be inspired by great public speakers. Learn to analyze what they do well and adapt to your own style and message. While it may be tempting to try to replicate the message, style, or mannerisms of a successful speaker, doing so will definitely be detrimental to your own growth and development as a speaker.
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How to Present and Teach in the Virtual World…and More
Receive free, on-going Fripp webinar invitations, sales and presentation skills information, and special discounts from Executive Speech Coach, Sales Presentation Trainer, and Professional Keynote Speaker, Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE. As an added bonus, sign up now and receive a free copy of Patricia Fripp’s How to Present and Teach in the Virtual World.
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