Refining and Polishing Your Sales, Presentation and Negotiation Skills

While reading a recent Inc. story about a CEO on a year long sabbatical <http://topsy.com/www.inc.com/magazine/201111/how-to-be-an-absentee-ceo.html?allow_lang=en>,  I was struck by his parting advice to the newly promoted manager-in charge: “it’s easier to save it than earn it”.  Making investments where necessary is prudent; saving where possible is essential.

Truer words were never spoken when it comes to the preparation of food.  Those of you who have crossed paths with me,  know that I relax in the kitchen, much as some do in a high $ spa.  To me, the only thing more satisfying than whipping up a satisfying meal is whipping up a satisfying meal on the cheap.

Enter fresh frozen fish.  Eating fresh caught seafood is a dream come true; eating fresh – frozen – now de-thawed and just countin’ the days behind the counter seafood  approaches nightmare status.  Each day in it’s thawed state is one day more of losing flavor and essential nutrients.   Adding to insult, is the fact that these “previously frozen” fillets, are frequently higher priced than the fresh frozen variety.

Individually fresh frozen fish (IFF) is your best buy from a nutritional, dollar, and flavor standpoint.  Recipes abound on the internet; savvy shoppers could start with the lowly cod, it’s just right for a hearty New England fish chowder.

So… what’s for dinner at your house?

Public speaking really kicks up the anxiety meter for many people. They want to sound natural, knowledgeable, but above all, confident. In my experience as a trainer and coach, business professionals vacillate on whether or not memorizing their speech can achieve those results. They worry that given free rein, they will wander, ramble or the speaker’s worst nightmare-deer in the
headlights syndrome.  Even very smart people, with a trail of academic letters after their name, are genuinely concerned about their ability to deliver a dozen sentences without committing a contextual or grammatical gaffe. So, will memorizing solve the problem?

For most people, memorizing a presentation creates more problems than it solves. First, there is the preparation time; there are a variety of methods people use, but they are all time-consuming. Additional complications occur during the presentation, itself. If the speaker should forget a phrase, or even a specific word, panic ensues. The expectation of an exact delivery becomes a further source of stress and creates more anxiety, not less.

Even worse, this technique shifts the focus to concentrating on strings of words, rather than the big ideas. That can cause a disconnect between the speaker and his audience. An audience will forgive almost anything other than apparent detachment on the part of the speaker.

A better approach is to block out your main ideas, reduce them to key word prompts on index cards and practice with these until you’ve achieved a good flow. I sometimes refer to the practice as a ‘talk-through’ and it’s usually best if you can practice at least a couple of times with a partner. Confine your memorized material to a short intro and/or a closing phrase, but even here, a well ’read’ quote won’t diminish your effectiveness. This system works whether or
not you’ll have a visual aid such as Power Point to cue you.

Proper prep really does increase your chances of delivering a smooth presentation. Concentrate your efforts on remembering the key points, rather than the exact words, and you’ll deliver just what your audience needs.

“It’s Just Lunch” is not only the name of the national dating service, it can be a useful marketing tool in industries that require or appreciate a continuous stream of subject matter expertise (SME).

The oft heard lament: “but my customers require education to understand this new technique, product, service” can really work to your advantage.  Bringing information to a prospect is an especially productive component of value added selling: you’re establishing credibility while laying the foundation for future sales.

Let’s examine the headline and what it implies. The inference is that only a small amount of time is being used for this meeting and that it’s time typically spent away from work, anyway.  This is especially attractive in an economy where people are tasked with “doing more with less”, ‘time’ frequently being a common casualty in this paradigm.

There are a couple of different ways to approach this learning session.  One is to demonstrate your product offering and explain applications in which it would be useful.  A second way is to provide new, general, information that is relevant to the audience and is also self-serving (has a tie to your product or service).  An example would be an engineering company presenting – to members of an architectural firm – results of a market survey regarding new trends in commercial building design.  This is immediately followed with a demonstration of how a new structural component gives more flexibility in manipulation of materials.   The projects that would make use of this might not even be on the drawing board yet, but the seed has been planted.

Financially this should make sense for you.  Target a local prospect or a several out-of-town companies when you plan to travel.  Their conference room is your seminar location.  You don’t actually have to provide the lunch; coffee, dessert and fruit or yogurt would suffice.  If you do bring in food, keep it inexpensive and tasty but not difficult to eat (nix the barbecue with special sauce).

Here are a few items to ensure the success of your Lunch & Learn.

1) Make sure the topic is relevant

2) Use an engaging speaker who can relate to the audience

3) Observe the time period

 

If you’re new to this, experiment with hosting a handful of these lunches in the coming year.  Keep track of your results but remember that this effort could take some time to bear fruit.

According to Webster, one definition of ‘niche’ is “ideal position” and that’s the one that matters whether you’re trying to find your way in life or trying to find a way to sell a comparatively higher priced product or service.

Over a decade ago, amid consumer complaints over rising medical costs, the concept of ‘concierge’ medical care was born.   Patients receive some nice perks: less time in the waiting room, more face time per visit, promptly returned calls, etc.  In return, the docs receive an annual retainer fee, paid directly by the patient.  So how is that working out in this current financial environment?  The January 2012 issue of American Medical News carried a report by one of the larger concierge groups, MDVIP, citing a 92% retention rate among clients.  How? Why? These physicians were able to connect with their niche; they changed the offering of their standard product and found buyers that appreciate that difference.

Commanding a premium price is a three-step process:

• Differentiate the offering
• Identify the audience
• Articulate the benefits

Differentiate yourself from your competition with a unique selling proposition (USP).  You must have a clear understanding of the distinctive features you provide, identify the audience that would benefit from them and be able to articulate those differences in your marketing and sales efforts.

How can you be sure that your customers really do value the differentiation you bring to the table?  One quick, easy-to-implement test lies in the answer to this question: “Are your target customers willing to pay a premium for it?”  If not, the product features you’re describing may be cool, interesting, and even desirable but they won’t create or support a niche market for you.
So, got your niche? Get an awareness and appreciation of what sets you apart!

NPR Interview: The Next Cool Thing segment by Colin Maiorano.

Linda Fierman Speaking from Experience about Negotiating Tips You Can’t Afford to Miss.