Our goal in sales presentations is to have our key ideas remembered and repeated. Say, for example, you are pitching a large project, and you represent just one of several bidding companies. Realistically, the prospect is not going to give you a yes or no answer when you are in the meeting, whether you are […]

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Where will you be on Saturday, the 26th of April 2014? If you would like to improve your presentation skills and are anywhere near Chicago – and certainly if you are a District 30 Toastmaster – you will be joining me for the District 30 Toastmasters Spring Conference in Skokie, Illinois. District 30 has planned an […]

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If you want to deliver a successful presentation, you will spend a lot more time preparing for your presentation than you will speaking. Even highly experienced speakers must devote time to preparation, including rehearsal. My friend and colleague, Rob Biesenbach names inadequate rehearsal as one of the “11 Deadly Presentation Sins.” In his recent book […]

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Life is a series of sales situations, and the answer is always “no” if you don’t ask.  Even Wayne Gretzky, the legendary hockey player agrees – “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” There are, however, two additional parts of the equation. The first is this: The real sale comes after the sale, […]

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In the event of a crisis, your organization might be overwhelmed by the media or by the disaster itself; it could become nearly impossible to provide thoughtful responses and accurate information without a crisis communication plan already in place.  In light of the recent and tragic loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, I share this […]

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Opportunity does not knock once, it knocks all the time. The trick is, we don’t always recognize the sound. The key to becoming more successful is to find opportunity in everyday life – not just wait for that life-altering, retire-in-the-Caribbean bolt from the blue. Here’s how to start: Each day this month, you’re going to […]

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You have no idea how often I hear, “I have just …written a book on public speaking …created a DVD on public speaking …added a video to YouTube on public speaking… and will send it to you. Tell me what you think!” Simply reading emails like this requires time and energy and distracts me from my actual […]

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My friend and colleague, Laura Stack’s newest book, Execution IS the Strategy was released today. Laura has been working with leaders in the areas of strategy execution, employee productivity, and team performance for 22 yeas; she is a true expert in her field. In Execution IS the Strategy, Laura explains that a leader’s biggest challenge […]

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The first and last thirty seconds of your speech have the most impact on your audience. Last words linger. Unfortunately, there are some common mistakes you can make in closing your presentation that will actually undermine your message. Learn how to craft the closing of your presentation so that it reinforces your message. In this […]

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In the first part of this series of story strategies for sales presentations, we walked through the first formula for a good story well told:  Situation, Solution, Success. This second formula will help you learn how to create a story your potential buyers can relate to. Whenever you are telling a story to a prospect, […]

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