The journey: You’re in management at a company that has been honing its expertise and services for decades, using a business model and methodology that has served you well. Now, a new technology trend in your industry almost demands that you make big changes to the way you do business if you want to stay competitive. You decide to dive in, and boy is it exciting at first. But then, things get a little painful.
Six Minutes and Twenty Seconds
Emma Gonzalez stepped up to the podium in Washington, D.C. and faced the 100,000-plus March for Our Lives crowd, with more pain in her eyes than any eighteen-year-old should ever have. "Six minutes and about twenty seconds,” she began. “In a little over six minutes, seventeen of our friends were taken from us, fifteen were injured; and everyone, absolutely everyone in the Douglas community, was forever altered…
Say your company is offering a new line of artisanal beer glasses designed by local glass blowers. You’ve just stepped in front of the C-level team of a large wine and spirits firm to wow them with your product. You don’t want to waste any time, so you launch right into your pitch. Three minutes into your presentation, the CEO stops you and says, “Wait. We’re discontinuing our beer line this winter.” Uh-oh. Wrong product, wrong time? Not necessarily. Listening more upfront, establishing the need before you advocate, or having an internal coach can avoid wasted time.
Ever tried to have a conversation with someone who absently nods while you talk because—you can see—he or she is just waiting to say what they want to say? Annoying, right? Makes you feel like getting up and walking out of the room? Welcome to the world of a potential customer who is at the receiving end of a one-way sales pitch.
KNOW THYSELF? BETTER YET: KNOW THY CUSTOMER. The sales landscape is littered with stories of salespeople who pitched products and services to potential customers they didn’t bother to research. Taking a naïve (at best) or arrogant (at worst) approach, these kind of salespeople think all they need to do is dazzle with facts, figures and sales acumen to seal the deal. Or they think the product pretty much sells itself, so why do any research about potential buyers?
We recently interviewed 24 top executives in the process of developing our SalesSpeaking® course. Listen to Sharon Black, President of Strategic Accounts at Robert Half International, as she tells the story of the novice salesperson who didn’t put much stock in knowing his audience.
The new year is a great time to evaluate your direction and opportunities. Public speaking extends beyond formal presentations and can translate directly into career potential. In 2018, improving your communication skills may be more important than ever. Here are five ways public speaking can advance your life:
Oprah Winfrey’s Golden Globe speech has been heralded as one of the best speeches in the last 50 years. How did she inspire her audience as she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement? Read on to catch the analysis, transcript, and video in this week’s PowerSpeaking’s blog…and ask yourself, “What’s the application to business?"
A holiday party is the perfect time to express appreciation! Take time to inspire your team by crafting a holiday talk that sets up a revitalized team in the new year. Here are six tips any leader can use to create a memorable moment.
Uncovering trends among what makes executives successful is useful for anyone climbing the corporate ladder. It helps to see what paths lead to success and what skills are needed to get there. The trouble with successful CEOs is that a large number don’t fit the mold for the stereotypical expectation. However, there are some qualities that explain how these people become leaders of their organizations. Recently we interviewed top Silicon Valley executives and together with feedback collected at the New York Times, compiled a short list of habits everyone can use to ensure their leadership skills. Read on to learn which six qualities CEOs need to be highly successful.
Starting an engaging sales conversation takes more than the words you use — it’s about presence. Watch this short clip from our newly redesigned SalesSpeaking® program to understand the role presence plays, and how to break free of routine interaction. As Everett Oliven, Group VP Sales at Oracle says, you won’t be successful if “you take a cookie-cutter solution to a complex problem.” Learn how to move the conversation forward at every stage of the sales process with SalesSpeaking. Our next program is December 7.