How to Convert Telephone Calls into Powerful Prese

How to Convert Telephone Calls into Powerful Presentations

by: Roger C. Parker

You can multiply your ability to persuade by 400%, whether your audience is 1 or 100. Webbased presentations add a visual element to teleconferences. Instead of just talking to prospects, you can simultaneously show them and tell them. According to a Wharton Business School study, this dual mode communication makes your message up to four times more effective than using just your voice.

Present from your office:

Webbased presentations can be as effective as inthesameroom presentations, but are free from the costs and frustrations involved in traveling.

Talk to your prospects using your current telephone or—for large groups —a rented bridge line. You and your audience view your visuals using a standard web browser and Internet connection.

You control what’s displayed on your audience’s computer screen! Your screen contains a menu listing available visuals. You control presentation content, pace, and sequence. You can spend as much or as little time as desired on each visual. You can show all of your visuals, or just those needed to respond to attendee concerns or questions.

No limits on audience size:

No audience is too large or too small for a webbased presentation! You can easily and costeffectively show and tell 1to1 as you speak to individual prospects, or you can present to hundreds at a time.

No advance scheduling:

Your visuals are available 24/7. No reservations are required to present. Convert any telephone call into a presentation by inviting your caller to immediately access your online visuals while talking.

More than one set of visuals can be prepared and ready for instant use.

Preparing your visuals:

Use Microsoft PowerPoint™ to create your presentation. Presentations can be as simple or complex as desired.

In addition to creating visuals for your ขcoreข presentation, consider creating ขcontingencyข visuals available for showing as needed. This permits you to customize your presentation on the basis of questions from the audience or callers.

You can easily add and edit visuals. This permits you to customize the title or specific visuals with your client’s name or clientspecific contents and prices.

After completing your presentation, upload it to the server where your visuals will be available online to you and your clients, prospects, or employees.

Access:

Only those who know the specific location of your presentation on the web will be able to access your visuals. You can communicate the URL during the phone conversation or you can send it to a group via email before an event.

Unless you are also online, visitors will not be able to navigate through your presentation.

Applications:

Any presentation task you would normally accomplish inperson can now be done on the phone and online:

Demonstrations. Do a better job of describing the benefits of your product or service by showing as well as telling. Interactively walk prospects through the steps you’ll use to help them solve a pressing problem or achieve a desired goal.

Previews. Increase attendance at teleseminars and live events by previewing the contents and benefits of attending.

Proposals. Deliver client presentations in an interactive environment. Use your voice to build enthusiasm and address concerns or questions as they arise.

Continuous contact. Keep in close touch with clients and prospects while helping them make informed purchase decisions and best use of their purchase.

Training. Keep employees and your sales staff motivated and up to date on your latest products and services.

It’s all about relationships. Webbased presentations are just another way you can put today’s lowcost technology to work building and maintaining close ties with customers and prospects. At low cost, you can communicate with added impact from your office.

About The Author

Let Roger C. Parker show you how to attract qualified prospects and retaining clients by creating the right messages and choosing the right tools. Visit www.onepagenewsletters.com or call Roger at 6037429673 for information.

This article was posted on August 12, 2004

by Roger C. Parker

Redefining Distance to Market your Company

Redefining Distance to Market your Company

by: Lee Traupel

The recent terrorist attacks here in the US have caused many companies and individuals to rethink how they want to market to and work with others. As a result, webenabled presentations and or collaborations are finally coming of age – the technology works with a minimum of hassle, it’s an efficient way to give marketing presentations, hold meetings, provide training and do product demonstrations. The cost savings can be significant, especially when contrasted with all of the burdened costs of holding conventional meetings; i.e. travel, hotel, transportation, facilities and “time out of the office issues.” Here is a quick primer on some baseline issues to consider when weighing the effectiveness of virtual marketing presentations and meetings.

1. There are a broad number of vendors, although the “virtual presentation and meeting” market segment has undergone consolidation in the last few years. I’d recommend assessing these four market leaders: www.webex.com (well established with diversified terms of services), www.placeware.com (corporate focused), www.centra.com (provides a good client plug in that enables Voice over IP (“VOIP”) communications, www.raindance.com (emphasizes teleconferencing).

2. PC configuration, Internet access and firewall issues all need to be considered when your assessing the effectiveness of this process and technology. Port settings need to be “tuned” or optimized, the PC must have multimedia capabilities if your using VOIP, just about any speed of internet connection will work, but the experience for the attendee can vary depending on the connection speeds and how “heavy” your presentation is with graphics.

3. Web presentations offer a lower cost model versus traditional presentations or meetings, but there are burdened costs for webenabled marketing – phone conferencing can be anywhere from $.1535 per minute per user, presentation uploads for a standard power point presentation (which is the defacto app for virtual presentations), can cost $1030. per presentation, costs per attendee can vary tremendously but average $50500. per session, depending upon the number of users.

4. One of the most expensive parts of virtual meetings is always the teleconferencing component. All of the market leaders have some VOIP component (voice over IP) but most are not publicizing this technology or service, as they don’t want to cannibalize a significant contribution to their revenue streams. One exception is Centra – they are offering VOIP integrated services with their standard web presentations or meetings. The audio quality is good, analogous to voice quality of a standard cell phone call – but there is a client download (small under 250K) to deal with and you must have a multimedia enabled PC.

5. Some webenabled presentation challenges include the need to keep people involved – you can do this easily by leveraging the chat capabilities, dynamic polling, and standard Q&A components built into the application. The higher their interest level (as in real world meetings) the better your meeting or presentation will be.

6. Marketing presentations can be easily archived and made available to others on a 24/7 basis – this archiving can include the standard presentation, enhanced with video or audio components, depending on the sophistication of your presentation. Be prepared to pay an extra charge for this – but the marketing ROI can be significant, especially when you factor in how little most companies charge for an archiving service versus your front end costs.

7. Virtual marketing enables a whole set of webenabled processes – you will have the ability to easily capture your prospect/customer’s email address and standard contact points via a registration process, involve them and capture preferences via polling in your presentations and “push” follow up communications during your presentation/meeting or later. But, it’s very important to include standard “privacy” statements in your materials and adhere to them as you move forward through your business processes.

8. How does video conferencing impact your assessments of webenabled presentations or collaborations? This depends on your budget, number of people attending the presentation, presenter and attendee locations and other intangible that are specific to your business. In general, video conferencing works better for very small (under five people) presentations or meetings, due to some of the inherent challenges of this medium.

About The Author

Lee Traupel has 20 plus years of business development and marketing experience he is the founder of Intelective Communications, Inc., http://www.intelective.com, a resultsdriven marketing services company providing proprietary services to clients encompassing startups to public companies. [email protected]

[email protected]

This article was posted on July 25, 2002

by Lee Traupel

Beetle Bailey and Presentation Skills

Beetle Bailey and Presentation Skills

by: Larry Tracy

In March 2002, the comic strip Beetle Bailey contained a valuable lesson for business presenters. As General Halftrack walked into his office, his secretary asked: กHow was Lt. Fuzzกs presentation?ก

The General replied: กLike the Washington Monument.ก Puzzled, the secretary asked ‘the Washington Monument? General Halftrack responded, กYeah, it took a long time to get to the point.ก

How often have you felt the frustration of General Halftrack because the speaker didn’t กget to the point?ก Worse, have people listening to your presentations been exasperated because they didn’t know where you were taking them, didn’t know what was your point?

An audience, whether it is one person or many, wants speakers to provide maximum relevant information, delivered in minimum time and in the clearest possible terms, centered on the needs and concerns of the audience.

Time is the defining aspect of any presentation. Few audiences have the time for a full exposition of a subject. Presenters must reduce and translate the salient data into an easily and quickly understood message.

The 312 System, the heart of my presentation skills workshop, enables presenters to organize their thoughts in the optimum manner to implant their message in the collective mind of the audience, and to Get to the Point.

Most people prepare their presentations using a 123 Method, drafting in the order of how they will deliver (1) Opening, (2) Body and (3) Conclusion. This is the method to organize our thoughts we have been taught since elementary school.

Unfortunately, this system leads to various false starts, because the presenter is attempting to place the ten gallons of knowledge he or she hass on the subject into the eightounce glass of the presentation.

It is definitely not flexible, and forces the presenter to make changes on the fly. This results in timepressed presentations lacking coherence. The traditional system of organizing our thoughts is simply not geared to 21st century presentations.

Letกs see how the 312 system can help you กGet to the point.ก

Place the 3060 second Bottom Line of your message on a 3x5card. This phrase should result in the intersection of the audienceกs needs and your objective goes on this card, which you mark with a 3.

Insert in front of this phrase words that signal the close of Your presentation, such as: กSo, in conclusionก or กLet me leave you with this thought.ก You now have the words with which you will close with กpunch.ก

This is your closing argument, to borrow a trial lawyerกs technique. This phrase can also provide you with a a minipresentation when you find that the allotted time for your presentation has been sharply reduced at the last minute.

Next, take another 3×5 card, mark it with a 1 and write an opening phrase that will cause the audience to listen because you have hit a psychological กhot buttonก that sends the signal ‘this will benefit you,ก or ‘this will keep you out of trouble.ก A startling statistic or an apt quotation from a wellknown (to the audience) figure could also be in this opening as an attentiongetter.

You might wish to include your ก3 cardก conclusion in your opening statement, and then inform the audience that you will now proceed to prove the validity of your conclusion.

The audience now knows where you are going, and can, in effect, open กfilesก on their mental desktops in order to absorb this information. Audience members will know at the outset just what is your point. They won’t have to wait.

Remember that a business presentation is not a mystery novel. You want your audience to know กwho shot Johnก right away, and then proceed to show the evidence. Above all, you want your audience to be alerted to the fact that you know what their material or psychological needs/problems are, and are prepared to provide information that addresses these concerns.

With the (3) and (1) cards filled out, you have the parameters of your presentation established. You know where you are going and can thus structure your presentation so the audience knows where you are taking them. Take a few cards, marked 2A, 2B 2C, etc. and list your supporting arguments.

The 312 System ensures that the most important information you wish the audience to retain and act upon is placed at the beginning and the end. The 312 system will help you กGet to the point,ก and avoid the criticism General Halftrack meted out to Lt. Fuzz.

About The Author

Larry Tracy, author of The Shortcut to Persuasive Presentations, (Amazon.com), is a retired Army colonel described by President Ronald Reagan as กan extraordinarily effective speaker.ข He now conducts executive presentation skills workshops. Contact him at (703) 3603222, [email protected]. For free tips on presentation skills, visit www.tracypresentation.com.

This article was posted on November 29, 2003

by Larry Tracy

Creating a Powerful Sales Presentation

Creating a Powerful Sales Presentation

by: Kelley Robertson

The quality of your sales presentation will often determine whether a prospect buys from you or one of your competitors. However, experience has taught me that most presentations lack pizzazz and are seldom compelling enough to motivate the other person to make a buying decision. Here are seven strategies that will help you create a presentation that will differentiate you from your competition.

1. Make the presentation relevant to your prospect. One of the most common mistakes people make when discussing their product or service is to use a generic presentation. They say the same thing in every presentation and hope that something in their presentation will appeal to the prospective customer. I have been victim to this approach more times than I care to remember having been subjected to many ขcannedข PowerPoint presentations.

The discussion of your product or service must be adapted to each person; modify it to include specific points that are unique to that particular customer. If you use PowerPoint, place the company’s logo on your slides and describe how the key slides relate to their situation. Show exactly how your product or service solves their specific problem. This means that it is critical to ask your prospect probing questions before you start talking about your company.

2. Create a connection between your product/service and the prospect. In a presentation to a prospective client, I prepared a sample of the product they would eventually use in their program. After a preliminary discussion, I handed my prospect the item his team would be using on a daily basis – instead of telling him about the item I placed it in his hands. He could then see exactly what the finished product would look like and was able to examine it in detail. He was able to ask questions and see how his team would use it in their environment.

Also, remember to discuss the benefits of your products, not the features. Tell your customer what they will get by using your product versus your competitors.

3. Get to the point. Today’s business people are far too busy to listen to longwinded discussions. Know what your key points are and learn how to make them quickly. I remember talking to a sales person who rambled at great length about his product. After viewing his product and learning how much it would cost I was prepared to move ahead with my purchase. Unfortunately, he continued talking and he almost talked himself out of the sale. Make sure you know what key points you want to discuss and practice verbalizing them before you meet with your prospect.

4. Be animated. The majority of sales presentations I have heard have been boring and unimaginative. If you really want to stand out from the crowd make sure you demonstrate enthusiasm and energy. Use voice more effectively and vary your modulation. A common mistake made when people talk about a product with which they are very familiar is to speak in a monotone voice. This causes the other person to quickly lose interest in your presentation. I recommend using a voice recorder to tape your presentation. This will allow you to hear exactly what you sound like as you discuss your product. I must profess to being completely humiliated when I first used this tactic. As a professional speaker, I thought all my presentations were interesting and dynamic – I soon learned that my standup delivery skills were much better than my telephone presentation skills.

5. Use showmanship. In the book, The Sales Advantage, an example is given how a vending sales person lays a heavy sheet of paper on the floor and asks his prospect, ขIf I could show you how that space could make you some money, would you be interested?ข Consider the impact of this approach compared to the typical approach of saying something like, ขWe can help you make more money.ข What can you do to incorporate some form of showmanship into your presentation?

6. Use a physical demonstration. A friend of mine sells sales training and he often uses the whiteboard or flipchart in the prospect’s boardroom during his presentation. Instead of telling his client what he will do, he stands up and delivers a short presentation. He writes down facts and figures, draws pictures, and records certain comments and statements from the discussion. This approach never fails to help his prospect make a decision.

7. Lastly, believe in your product/service. Without doubt, this is the most critical component of any presentation. When you discuss solutions, do you become more animated and energetic? Does your voice display excitement? Does your body language exhibit your enthusiasm? If not, you need to change your approach. After all, if you can’t get excited about your product, how can you expect your customer to become motivated enough to buy?

Copyright 2004, Kelley Robertson

About The Author

Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales and motivate their employees. He is also the author of ขStop, Ask & Listen – Proven sales techniques to turn browsers into buyers.ข Visit his website at www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com and receive a FREE copy of ข100 Ways to Increase Your Salesข by subscribing to his 59Second Tip, a free weekly ezine.

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 31, 2004

by Kelley Robertson