“Why are you wasting my life?!” A wake-up call for Salespeople from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos

“Why are you wasting my life?” Can you imagine a client saying that to you after you delivered (what you thought) was a pretty good, on target presentation?? Jeff Bezos did exactly that after one of his engineers delivered a complicated, boring presentation to the outspoken founder of Amazon. I

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A Good Sales Tip from Breaking Bad: Let the Prospect Connect the Dots

Even if you didn’t get swept up in the Breaking Bad saga, it would have been difficult to miss the powerful hold it had on its audience, the awards it racked up or the place it earned popular culture. Maybe you had to listen to coworkers endlessly dissect each episode

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7 Quick Acting Tips for Sales Pros

Most actors have to audition for every role.  In fact, even Marlon Brando had to audition for his iconic role in The Godfather.  Although he was a very successful actor at that point in his career, there were a lot of qualified actors competing for the part.  He knew he

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Gain Instant Credibility in Your Presentation or Demo with the Movie Critic Principle

Thousands of movie-goers rely on reviews from people they’ve never met to guide them before shelling out hard cash for a movie. We are willing to trust the opinion of a disinterested third-party, whether it’s a website like Flixter or Rotten Tomatoes, or a newspaper or magazine, because they, like

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7 Tips for Using Stories in Sales to Win Business

Like a great movie, using stories in sales can make a strong impact on your business audience, differentiate you and your solution and inspire action in a way that delivering information alone simply can not.  On the flip side, a poorly crafted or executed story can cost you credibility, attention and

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5 Ways to Close your Presentation with an Encore

Can you imagine an experienced performer like Justin Timberlake ending his performance by singing a few random notes before looking blankly at his audience and announcing, “Well, I guess that’s all I have” ? Not likely.  Professional performers strategically plan how they close their set to leave their audience clamoring

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Entertainment is Everywhere…until the Sales Presentation Starts

The average American spends more money on entertainment than on gas, household furnishings or clothing.  Global spending on entertainment and media is over $1.8 Trillion dollars. What does that have to do with you—a salesperson who doesn’t sell entertainment or media-related products or services?  It has everything to do with you: These people

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5 Must-Know Rules of Improv for Presenters

It was how many nightmares begin, only this time it was real.  I was standing in front of 200 people ready to speak at sales conference.  My first slide had a link to a virtual poll that would get everyone's input on the topic.  We had tested the link and

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5 Ways to Bring your Presentation into the 21st Century

When my dad was in sales, he didn’t have to compete with a steady stream of “urgent”texts or emails for his prospect’s attention.  He was rarely rushed along when he presented, asked to stick to the “script” or sandwiched in between competitors.  My father had the luxury of building rapport

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