The last time I failed to do discovery (Or how I ended up with Jell-O on my face)

I confess:  I haven’t always done discovery before a sales presentation.  Even when I was working at The National Enquirer many years ago where their tag line was “Enquiring minds want to know!” Like many salespeople, I was often running fast trying to make quota. And on those occasions where a

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How to deliver a successful presentation when your prospect is short on time.

You’ve been given ninety minutes to present and spent two  weeks (and countless hours) preparing to deliver a successful presentation.  Unfortunately, when you arrive, your prospect greets you with the following: Prospect: “Sorry, I’ve only got a few minutes. Can you just give me a quick overview?” Aargh! Disappointing to

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The Anatomy of a Boring Presentation

You’ve probably sat in a presentation that made you long for a fire drill or a burst pipe to release you from the tedium. A boring presentation can be the result of many factors: unimaginative or irrelevant content, poor execution or lack of preparation, but often the problem starts with

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4 Personality Types that can Derail your Presentation (and How to Stop Them in Their Tracks!)

While you may never experience an interruption of Kanye proportions during your presentation or demo, you’ve probably encountered one of these 4 personality types who consciously or unconsciously seem hell bent on derailing your presentation. Handle it poorly, and you can find yourself back at square one with your prospect

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How to Create Urgency by Raising the Stakes in your Presentation

Why you Need to Create Urgency in your Presentation Longer sales cycles and busier prospects dealing with multiple and often conflicting priorities make the need to create urgency during your presentation, dare I say, “urgent?”  I am not of course referring to the manufactured “This is the last one we

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5 Great Reasons to Tell a Story in Your Sales Presentation

Spotlight, 2016’s  Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay, proved yet again that a good story, well told can pay big dividends. Storytelling can pay big dividends in your sales presentations as well when you follow a few rules. The first rule is critical to the success of your story, and that

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The 3rd Annual Oscar Best Presentation Awards

You already know who won the Oscars for the announced categories, but do you know who won the award for Best…or Worst Presenter?  Or the Best “Addressing the Elephant in the Room?” If you look at The Oscars from a sales perspective, it’s a great collection of mini-presentations and monologues given

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How to use a presentation theme…and avoid going full theme park!

A group of flight attendants in matching uniforms strolled through the boardroom handing out drinks and snack-sized peanuts to the executive audience in the boardroom. After some puzzled looks, one of the flight attendants announced: “Buckle your seat belts, you’re in for the ride of your life!” Landlocked training program?

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Does your presentation pass the TED Test?

Imagine having just 18 minutes to deliver your sales presentation. Could you make your key point, engage your prospect, and motivate him to take action? Thousands of TED speakers attempt to do just that with audiences each year — many with fantastic levels of success. Ted Talks are viewed about 1.5

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The Ten Rules of Good Slide Deck Design

A good slide deck is often the price of entry for serious consideration by today’s buyers.  Shabby slide decks reflect poorly on you, your company and your solution. However many salespeople don’t have the time or expertise to create a work of art. Fortunately, you don’t need to be an

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