Before I became a successful professional speaker and executive speech coach, I was one of San Francisco’s top men’s hairstylists. As I said on 60 Minutes – and if you’re on 60 Minutes someday, you WILL tell EVERYBODY – “I used to work on the outside of peoples’ heads, now I work on the inside, so there’s only half an inch difference.” Years after I’d retired from hairstyling, I was cutting my brother Robert Fripp’s hair.
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I first had the honor of speaking at the Ragan Speechwriters Conference in 2003. It was an exciting experience and I made many new friends, including John Howze who kindly allowed me share his “best of” conference notes with my readers. Consider how you might incorporate some of these ideas into your public speaking and writing. Remember, many of the presenters at the Ragan Speechwriters Conference literally write for history.
This is a follow up to my post on how you can solve “who cares?” syndrome in your sales presentations. We discussed the importance of asking good questions in order to discover how a client can benefit from your product or service. With that, here is a strategic approach to several aspects of asking questions within the sales process—and how you can use questions to move the process forward.
Basic Openers. The first priority is to learn as much as you can about pain points and what the current environment is like. For example:
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To be persuasive, you need to appeal to the other person’s rational self-interest. People make decisions for their reasons, not yours. Here are some quick reminders to help them make those decisions in your favor.
Forget your company history or industry jargon, which might be the biggest “who cares?” of all. You have heard the expression, “A confused mind always says no.” Here is a Frippicism: “A bored mind gets distracted and cuts your meeting short.”
Use a phrase like, “Based on 15 years of helping clients of your size business, I have learned…”
Read More...The first President of the National Speakers Association Bill Gove. He said, “The seminar comes from the discipline of teaching and the keynote comes from the discipline of show business.”
Another Past NSA President Don Thoren said, “As a keynote speaker, you are the star; in training or a seminar, you have to make the audience the star.”
One more Past NSA President…me… Patricia Fripp says, “When you deliver a keynote speech, you must be committed to a higher caliber of performance.”
John Palmer was the founder of the National Speakers Bureau and before that a well-known band leader. Brian Palmer, his son and now the President of the NSB is known as one of the most creative and ethical professionals in our speaking industry. As part of a recent interview with Brian these were his closing remarks:
Read More...“..here’s one of my favorite stories from my dad. He worked as a bandleader with legendary comedienne Phyllis Diller, who was constantly working on her craft. He’d be off on the side of the stage, and she asked him to look at his watch and write down every time there was a laugh, and measure the amount of time between laughs. He believed that speakers should have the same understanding of their presentation flow.
Here is a great action step for you to take… Call your five best clients – those whom you currently use as references. Even if you leave a voicemail, say, “Bob, I never get tired of telling the story about how we (fill in the name of an important project you worked together on). Would you mind telling me in your words what your experience was? Did we reach or exceed your expectations? Did we come in under budget? With your permission, I’d like to make an appointment and record your comments. Can I use you as an example in my sales presentations? Let me know when we can talk.”
How often do we repeat a well-known quote without knowing who first said it?
Most of us never even wonder!
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Lady and the Champs How to Speaking Conference 2014
February 22-23, 2014 at the Palms Hotel, Las Vegas
Presentations will include Executive Speech Coach and Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker, Patricia Fripp sharing her expertise.
Keynote – Under the Magnifying Glass: From Good to Great on Steroids
In this entertaining, thought-provoking keynote speech you will learn four specific techniques that will guarantee both you and your presentations are memorable. You will understand how to:
Read More...What to do when you’re losing your audience…
Are there a lot of yawns and sleepy eyes in your audience? Use these tactics to pep up your talk and keep your listeners’ attention.
Audience members’ attention will fade over time unless you take specific steps to keep them engaged.
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.
