As they say in live theater, “the show must go on.” The same holds true for your presentation. Whether the customer throws you a curve ball, you’ve forgotten your slide deck, or can’t access your demo environment, you must carry on. Things change and mistakes happen. Technology and humans are

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Too many sales presentations start out strong, only to run out of gas at the end.  Making this common mistake in your presentation leaves  buyers uninspired, unmotivated, and unlikely to take next steps. Your  closing is second only in importance to your opening, yet it is often the least planned

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Sales is a transfer of thoughts, ideas and emotions.  And one of the best ways to connect emotionally with buyers is with stories. Research even shows that when listening to a story, changes take place in our brains. We actually connect emotionally with the storyteller.  Of the 5 types of

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Kristin, a highly-experienced sales person, describes being frequently interrupted or “talked over” by her manager or peers.  Andrea is a talented young sales person who is often ignored by older decision-makers.  Daniel, a new sales leader, is frustrated because his team isn’t listening to him, making it difficult to excel

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Video is fast becoming a salesperson’s secret weapon in the battle for attention of today’s busy buyers.  Whether it’s recorded videos for prospecting or a webcam for a remote meeting, using video in sales can help you quickly establish a personal connection, stand out from the competition, and close more

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“My customers don’t want to see a bunch of slides.  They tune out almost immediately.” “I don’t even bother with PowerPoint anymore.  I just have a conversation with my clients.”  I hear comments like these every day from salespeople and customers alike.  It’s not surprising really.  Over 30 million PowerPoint

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Have you ever tried arguing with reality?  It’s a losing strategy.  Yet that’s what so many salespeople do when they “handle” customer objections.   Many methods involve an almost confrontational approach to “correcting” the customer’s perspective.  And who doesn’t like to be corrected?!  LOL The way you do (or don’t) handle

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It never occurred to me how much an audition and a sales call had in common, until I auditioned for one of HBO’s first mega-hits, Sex and the City. As a single woman in New York, Sex and the City was required viewing. Your friends, your co-workers, your customers, everyone

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For many of us, bringing a pet, a favorite toy or even person to school for show and tell was our earliest experience using a prop.  Why didn’t the teacher just have us tell a story?  Because teachers know that a verbal story alone is not enough to hold the

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I love new technology. Especially presentation tools that make connecting with an audience more effective and impactful. That’s why I was excited to try the new Logitech Spotlight remote. Like most presentation remotes, the Spotlight allows you to advance your slides and go to black without being tethered to your

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So many ways to blow a great presentation or demo…and so little time.  You likely work hard to get the opportunity to present to a prospect, so why risk blowing it on one (or more) highly preventable mistakes? Here’s my Top 50 ways to blow a great presentation.  Check off

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Do you believe that we only use 10% of our brains?  If so, you’ve bought into a fake fact. While some fake facts are harmless, others like, “The flu vaccination can give you the flu” can produce devastating consequences. I’ve run across several fake facts about sales presentations over the

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