tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231295432011-12-23T06:10:01.654-07:00Your Company works very hard to get that 1 hour slot for your best presentation. Millions of dollars can be on the line-Make sure you bring your "A" game. I've been involved in major sales presentations since 1983 and will ensure your best effort.SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.comBlogger681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1154457364245595632006-08-01T12:26:00.000-06:002006-08-01T13:15:19.986-06:00

In sales presentations using PowerPoint, we all hope to have that million dollar slide. The one that enhances our presentation and leaves an image with audience members that they can't forget. We have talked about the million dollar slide before in this post.I wanted you to see this post from David Garfinkel-He is an excellent copywriter and a great read. Here is his post on Selling With Humor.

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1154112807795810152006-07-28T12:37:00.000-06:002006-08-01T13:11:50.783-06:00

I recently had an investment advisor send me an email and ask : "If I tell them everything I know-what is their incentive to make an appointment?" A little back ground might be in order. This gentlemen gives one hour presentations, loaded with PowerPoint slides, to retiree's. His ultimate goal is to have them make an appointment so he can present the benefits of immediate annuities.Everyone in

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1153848201636906632006-07-25T10:53:00.000-06:002006-08-01T13:08:34.696-06:00

My buddy, Brad Montgomery, good looking guy on the left, made a simple but astute observation: Want to be Funny? Hang with Funny People! Brad is a great comedian and also a fellow Colorado blogger. Many business presentations don't incorporate any humor-and that's a shame becasue audiences today are demanding great content delivered in a humorous way! The big shift is on. Last week I was talking

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1153241572505220502006-07-18T10:38:00.000-06:002006-07-18T10:52:52.516-06:00

At my favorite Starbucks this morning I couldn't help but notice the disheveled gentlemen going around asking strangers if they were "Mark". It looked to be a business meeting and I can't think of a worse way to start a meeting-assuming he ever figures out who is "Mark".I've seen public speakers during their presentations who gave me the same impression. They had done nothing to learn the

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1153154104607904362006-07-17T10:17:00.000-06:002006-07-17T10:35:04.700-06:00

Thanks to all of you who have helped to make Sales Presentation Training a Success. Google recently ranked this blog with a page rank of 4-coming from a (0) I am very pleased! I also notice that when you do a search in MSN for "Sales Presentation" this blog is coming up number 2 in search results of 2,789,322! Thank you all very much for using Sales Presentation Training as a resource for your

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1152716484390752132006-07-12T08:43:00.000-06:002006-07-14T10:50:11.946-06:00

David Hornick, one of my favorite venture capitalist writers, has a great post on his blog Venture Blog. Hornick was at a conference discussing vertical search. Someone asked if there was anything left in the search engine arena and Hornick replied that he had spent the week searching for information on the best barbecue for Dad's Day but had come up with little useful information.Next week an

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1152473687598690142006-07-09T13:13:00.000-06:002006-07-10T10:29:27.906-06:00

Last week I was speaking with a potential client who wanted executive speech coaching. He has an important meeting coming up and needs to convey an important shift in corporate culture. He told me: " I feel I speak pretty well off the cuff."Here are some of my top reasons on why you might not want to speak off the cuff when you are delivering a very important public presentation:1. You will have

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1152201449591151922006-07-06T09:41:00.000-06:002006-07-06T09:57:29.750-06:00

The question is: Will the publicity be good or bad for your public speaking career? A few weeks ago I commented that Guy Kawasaki had an excellent presentation but I was distracted by his use of offensive language. Last week, Garr Reynolds over at Presentation Zen was surprised to hear Tony Robbins-yes that Tony, call Al Gore a son-of-a-bitch in a public presentation. Garr opined that maybe he

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1151596505970958152006-06-29T09:36:00.000-06:002006-06-29T11:47:51.996-06:00

Have you ever shown a PowerPoint slide and have your audience gasp-in an awe struck, marvelous way? You know you've won the presentation battle at that point. I recently witnessed this very event at The Colorado Capital Conference that I've mentioned before. The firm was TheraTogs, Inc and they were presenting to venture capitalists, seeking additional funds for expansion.They produce medical

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1151365087553358252006-06-26T17:04:00.000-06:002006-06-26T18:30:16.486-06:00

I frequently see a Google search with the phrase: "elevator speech financial advisor" or "financial advisor elevator speech". It seems to go in phases, sometimes I get close to one hundred inquires a month so I did a Google search and here are some of the leading thoughts on "The Elevator Speech." I just grabbed these randomly so there are no specific credits given.One person says she is an :

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1151258906902651012006-06-25T11:50:00.000-06:002006-06-26T18:34:37.026-06:00

National Speakers Association has always taught us that when we have the platform it is a privilege and should be treated as such. So, as I reviewed Guy Kawasaki's public speaking presentation I had mixed emotions. As an entrepreneur I found myself jotting notes and smiling. However, as a professional speaker I was cringing. Kawasaki wasted the first seven minutes of his presentation warming up

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1151074078137298352006-06-23T08:33:00.000-06:002006-06-23T08:47:58.156-06:00

I've previoulsy posted about Guy Kawasaki. Many people consider him to be a world class speaker. I've followed Guy's career for years and as an entrprneur found him to be very inspiring.I'm going to point you to a video of Guy speaking, it is 39 minutes long and will post my critique on Saturday. Some of the points you may want to consider are the following:1. Does he have a killer opening?2.

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1150996012852361582006-06-22T10:34:00.000-06:002006-06-28T17:06:36.606-06:00

The Mystery Shopper (me) was out and about last night. I attended a Public presentation for a new product. The presenter was looking to sign up additional afflilates for this program. The presenter was very good. She was articulate, energetic, sincere and used PowerPoint that actually enhanced her presentation!Near the end of the presentation-the call to action, if you will, she went to a board

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1150910136685547822006-06-21T10:56:00.000-06:002006-06-21T11:15:36.793-06:00

Whenever you speak in a public forum or if you do a lot of in house presentations-give your audience a speaker evaluation form that they fill out anonymously. This is one of the most powerful tools you can use to catapult your presentation skills!A few weeks ago I was speaking with a mutual fund wholesaler-they promote their mutual funds to investment advisors to sell to you, the public. He told

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1150835871087396262006-06-20T14:22:00.000-06:002006-06-20T14:39:42.190-06:00

Do you have a critical public sales presentation coming soon? Will you be doing a presentation to your peers in the very near future? If you have ever wanted to pick up the phone and get immediate help from experts...Help is now a phone call away.Beginning next week we will begin offering a monthly subscription service for $97 a month. This includes an initial coaching session with follow up

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1150834012053904842006-06-20T14:05:00.000-06:002006-06-20T14:06:52.066-06:00

Thanks for stopping bye today. Would someone be so kind as to share where you are hearing or reading about my blog? Thanks, Steve

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1150740540379795122006-06-19T12:06:00.000-06:002006-06-19T12:21:27.316-06:00

No...Steroids will not help your public speaking presentations, however an Apple video iPod is a great idea. The Colorado Rockies have started a trend in baseball. Video is downloaded to the iPod so pitchers can study opposing batters as well as see their performance. Great idea and one that is very useful in sales presentation training.By having your presentations or practice sessions downloaded

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1150567769904579922006-06-17T12:05:00.000-06:002006-06-17T12:09:29.920-06:00

I need someone who has experience with Blogger to do some work for me. Things like adding Feedburner, subscribe by email and maybe some formatting. If you are interested shoot me an email at smertz@msn.com to discuss $$ you can make! I will also be looking at migrating to Wordpress at some point. Thanks, Steve

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1150338537333064302006-06-15T07:11:00.000-06:002006-06-15T07:17:42.816-06:00

For all of those of you who have wondered if there really was a Christie Ward, Sales Presentation Trainer extraordinaire-Please enjoy the following:For the third year in a row, I was training business presentation skills to the new hires at Johnson & Johnson last week. One of my graduates from the program the year before stopped in to tell me about an experience she had shortly after being part

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1150308390968491172006-06-14T11:48:00.000-06:002006-06-14T12:06:31.050-06:00

I recently had an opportunity to view 8 presentations given to Venture Capitalists. These were all small businesses seeking capital for expansion. Here are some observations of mistakes that my readers of the blog would never do: 1. In one ten minute presentation there were over 25 PowerPoint slides-not one of the slides enhanced the presentation.2. Presenters were reading the slides to the

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1150216225185520852006-06-13T10:18:00.000-06:002006-06-13T10:30:26.410-06:00

Not Interacting with Audience before your Presentation.I once was in the audience when Keith Harrell, arguably the best motivational speaker in the world, was speaking. Keith also happens to be one of my favorite speakers in the world! Before the presentation Keith went down the front row introducing himself. He then used some of our names in his presentation! Keith had the audience eating out of

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1150125423656972412006-06-12T09:08:00.000-06:002006-06-12T09:17:05.613-06:00

Sales Presentation Tip #14 of 15: Biggest Mistakes Salespeople Make in Their financial Presentations. Minimizing Your Knowledge. It is a fine line in a sales presentation between not making your presentation all about me and minimizing your knowledge! A great way to accomplish this task is by sharing third party endorsements of your work. By sharing actual problems and solutions with your

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1149698952275395782006-06-07T10:34:00.000-06:002006-06-07T10:51:44.400-06:00

Sales Presentation Tip #13 of 15: Biggest Mistakes Salespeople Make in Their Financial Presentations. Failure to Clearly Define the Exit Strategy. Your prospects as well as clients get inundated about how to create wealth. Deep down, your prospects want to hear how they are going to have a steady stream of cash flow when they want to spend their day collecting sea shells in Maui! This is a great

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1149526432409539082006-06-05T10:46:00.001-06:002006-06-05T10:53:52.420-06:00

Sales Presentation Tip #12 is Not Enough Preparation. Advisors pride themselves on being quick on their feet and able to occasionally shoot from the hip. That's great, but when it comes to your sales presentation there is no substitute for practice. At the very least record yourself and for even better results get a video of your sales presentation. This will help you eliminate any distracting

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1149091322882637902006-05-31T09:44:00.000-06:002006-05-31T10:02:02.923-06:00

Losing Sight of The Goal is #11 of Biggest Mistakes Salespeople Make in Their Presentations. The goal of a sales presentation is to get an appointment and get more money under management. An important part of your sales strategy is to give the prospects so many benefits of your expertise that the only reasonable next step is to engage you for all their needs. Remember the old "T" bar example of

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1149024190340930442006-05-30T15:10:00.000-06:002006-05-30T15:24:52.933-06:00

Not Painting Great Visuals With Words. If I say the work Hawaii your mind immediately paints a beautiful picture of white sand, blue ocean, swaying palm trees, beautiful flowers and magnificent sunsets, right? Your mind does not spell out H-A-W-A-I-I. Use this to your advantage and make sure your words paint vivid images of prosperity that will have your audience tripping over each other to get

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1148659605280662692006-05-26T09:59:00.000-06:002006-05-30T15:31:22.566-06:00

Not Enough Humor in Presentation. Money is serious business but audiences learn better and retain more when they are laughing. You can make some pretty profound points by using humor. Rather than pick on the audience I always use self effacing humor to be on the safe side! If you are humor challenged email me and I will send you some recommendations of world class humorists who can punch up your

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1148580110858612442006-05-25T11:48:00.000-06:002006-05-25T12:03:55.976-06:00

A TV interview can be a great opportunity to promote your company and product or a miserable flop. A great way to prepare for this public speaking venture is to tape up a black piece of paper in your home and office. Put it in several different places and when you are near it look right at that paper and practice the critical points you hope to make! Make that black paper your best friend.On my

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1148573707924076292006-05-25T09:55:00.000-06:002006-05-25T10:50:34.620-06:00

Killing Them With PowerPoint. You knew this had to be in the top 10 offenders list didn't you? Don't start with a Powerpoint presentation and put your material in between the slides! Slides are meant to clarify or emphasize critical points-not be the main attraction. Your words are more important to your audiences. Believe me when I tell you that no one really cares what the Dow Jones Average has

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1148483736123143902006-05-24T09:04:00.000-06:002006-05-24T09:15:39.203-06:00

The 192 edition of the Carnival of the Vanities is being hosted this week at Blog d' Elisson. The Carnvial of the Vanities is the oldest Carnival in the blog world and features some of the best writers and ideas. This Carnival covers topics from Current Events to Business Advice-something for everyone!I have an entry in this weeks Carnival called: Part 4 of 15: Biggest Mistakes Salespeople Make

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1148481990798296642006-05-24T08:30:00.000-06:002006-05-24T08:46:30.820-06:00

No Pauses in Sales Presentation. Have you ever noticed how world class speakers and comedians will ask a question in their presentation...And then pause? Wait five seconds and let the audience answer the question in their minds. They can be forming a powerful bond with you during this pause so don't be a rookie and move on too fast!This is also a very powerful technique when you are making a

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1148424106676650402006-05-23T16:25:00.000-06:002006-05-23T16:41:46.686-06:00

It was a beautiful day in Denver and I had sales coaching clients in the afternoon-right in the heart of downtown Denver, Colorado. So, in the morning I checked out a couple of swanky new condo developments. The prices ranged from $300,000 to $3Million-in Denver that still buys you a boatload! Here are a few observations I made in my "Mystery Shopping" today.Kudos to those sales people who

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1148388525879051082006-05-23T06:41:00.000-06:002006-05-23T06:48:45.893-06:00

Heavy Emphasis on Intellectual Connection. It's imperative to give solid facts and figures but don't forget the emotional connection you must establish with your audience. All things being equal, people are more likely to buy from those they like and trust! By using powerful stories with characters that your audience can relate to-you will be head and shoulders above your competition.Steve

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1148342918533566142006-05-22T17:51:00.000-06:002006-05-22T18:08:38.563-06:00

The Carnival of Capitalists is being hosted this week at The Integrative Stream. by William Crawford.The Carnival of Capitalists covers many topics of business and you will find great articles that may help you in your business endeavors. I'm pleased to be included in this weeks Carnival with two entries: This Personal Finance Tip Saved Me $29,871.63 and Sales Presentation Tip-Don't Waffle.I hope

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1148243519353380262006-05-22T06:07:00.000-06:002006-05-22T08:05:16.096-06:00

No Great Stories. Some of those great "campfire stories" may help you weave compelling and memorable stories in your sales presentations. A great story helps us paint a picture in our minds and is a great way to anchor one of your major points in sales presentations. Some of the great stories that help entertain your friends and colleagues may be a good starting point-even if you are the CEO of

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1148050277674340022006-05-19T08:31:00.000-06:002006-05-19T08:56:07.590-06:00

Garr Reynolds has a deligtful Friday thought: The Power of a genuine smile. He refrences a performance he saw from the japanese Duo, Dreams Come True. The fabulous smile belongs to Yoshida Miwa.Using a genuine smile in your presentation is a great way to relax and put you audience or committee at ease-I've even seen it work in front of Venture Capitalists! Have a great weekend and read the enire

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1148002956981470192006-05-19T04:45:00.000-06:002006-05-19T04:46:06.820-06:00

It's All About Me. It's all about getting an appointment and getting millions under management. Make sure you make it all about your audience and the value you will provide. Here's my favorite technique(Yes, I do use this) to measure your effectiveness. Type out your entire presentation and then get some colored markers. For all the facts in your presentation, highlight them in red. For all you

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1147912927932442352006-05-18T06:00:00.000-06:002006-05-18T06:08:45.693-06:00

Lecturing to Audiences. I know you are simply sharing your brilliance but it can come off sounding like you are lecturing. Make it more conversational and invite comments and experiences from the audience. This is kind of a "clubby" post for those who have been in the trenches as an financial professional. When I got out of training with Merrill Lynch our class was told that we now knew more than

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1147886129055093072006-05-17T11:01:00.000-06:002006-05-17T11:15:29.070-06:00

The 191st edition of the Carnival of the Vanities is up and being hosted by Accidental Verbosity. The Carnival of the Vanities has 41 entries this week covering everything from politics to personal finance.I have an entry in this weeks Carnival titled Sales Presentation Tip-Don't Waffle! The opening and closing of any sales presentation are critical-so start off with a bang.The Carnival of the

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1147829813440592172006-05-17T05:51:00.000-06:002006-05-17T05:52:20.346-06:00

This is tip number 2 for Sales Presentations Mistakes. Shooting From the Hip.Many Salespeople try to make their presentations informal with the intent of more audience interaction. Planned chaos is the best plan! Your prospects time is valuable and people love structure-so give it to them. It also keeps you from rambling and missing key points. Have you ever walked out of a presentation and said

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1147806509502836242006-05-16T12:44:00.000-06:002006-05-16T18:24:07.963-06:00

Robert Louis Stevenson: "Everyone lives by selling something." Salespeople make it all happen and there is nothing I enjoy more than being around that energy and creativity. Having been an Investment Advisor for 15 years I gave and saw hundreds of sales presentations. In the next few weeks I am going to outline the 15 biggest mistakes that salespeople are making in their presentations before our

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1147230336068374742006-05-09T20:45:00.000-06:002006-05-10T04:47:20.713-06:00

Patricia Fripp brought down the house at our Saturday meeting of the National Speakers Association-Colorado. She was the keynote speaker and then conducted an additional three hour coaching program in the afternoon! I had the pleasure of attending the session as well as taking her to the airport Sunday morning. She and I share a common passion of helping business speakers shine on the platform.

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1147099344054719062006-05-08T08:29:00.000-06:002006-05-08T08:42:24.190-06:00

The opening in a sales presentation must be "your best song"-Don't waffle on the opening. Waffle is defined as To speak or write evasively. Imagine if you and your significant other were going to a special concert, for the sake of argument, let's say you had those $500 a ticket front row seat for the Rolling Stones. How would you feel if Mick comes out and the first song the band does is

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1146789370241127712006-05-04T18:09:00.000-06:002006-05-04T19:22:08.546-06:00

This Saturday, May 6th, National Speakers Association-Colorado Chapter, will be holding our monthly meeting. The featured speaker will be Patricia Fripp, CMP, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame and Cavett Award Recipient. That's her on the left. Fripp is a world class speaker and trainer. She is also one of the most sought after trainers in the area of Sales Presentations Training. If you are reading

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1146765247735641032006-05-04T11:28:00.000-06:002006-05-04T12:16:37.823-06:00

I have added another link to a great blog written by Bert Decker called Create Your Communications Experience. Bert has a great post today titled The Power of the Pause. which I'm sure you will find useful in your sales presentations. As a matter of fact, I think it is one of the most powerful techniques and encourage clients to practice this technique. This is one of the most powerful techniques

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1146585302655253472006-05-02T09:31:00.000-06:002006-05-02T10:26:59.883-06:00

When I give tips about sales presentation training I am usually referencing my experiences in the United States. I live here in Denver, Colorado and like most Americans, I'm guilty of not fully acknowledging the global community. This morning I looked at where some of my guests were coming from: Italy, United Kingdom, Germany and Taiwan to name a few. Thank you to all of my international audience

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1146502151810905812006-05-01T10:28:00.000-06:002006-05-01T10:49:11.820-06:00

I received an interesting email this weekend. A start-up in Silicon Valley asked me to look at their company. They have limited funds and need some serious cash to take their product to the market. They also need a great sales presentation for potential investors. They asked me if I would help them for a reduced fee and take some stock in return for payment?Interesting...I haven't been asked this

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1146247295894227242006-04-28T11:56:00.000-06:002006-04-28T17:31:52.026-06:00

Garr Reynolds at Presentation Zen has a few Presentation Video clips that you may want to peruse this weekend. I haven't checked all of them out but you can pick up some good pointers. Enjoy!Steve MertzEnjoy the Show!Tags: Sales Presentations , Garr Reynolds, Engaging Audiences, Opening Techniques.

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1146173478892525622006-04-27T15:05:00.000-06:002006-04-27T15:42:15.976-06:00

In my recent post of Your Opening Says Everything I mentioned the value of being inclusive with your audience. In other posts I have written about the value of Drawing Your Audience In. You may be thinking Why or saying Mertz, I hate your opening, it's lame! Here's the reason-Studies have shown that your audience or committee, forget 90% of your talk after two days! Ouch-You can hardly believe

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1146084602073889252006-04-26T14:48:00.000-06:002006-04-26T21:00:29.596-06:00

Your opening for your sales presentation says everything. Specifically, will you include your audience or perhaps alienate them? I do a lot of work in the financial industry so we will pick on them for this example. Consider these two openings:Thank you for coming this evening. My name is Steve Mertz and I'm a Vice President of investments with Merrill Lynch.I've been with Merrill Lynch for

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1145985599323227622006-04-25T10:40:00.000-06:002006-04-26T18:48:08.823-06:00

Guy Kawasaki was one of my first mentors when I decided to be an entrepreneur. I've never met him but have read all his books and followed his career from Apple Computer (AAPL) to Venture Capitalist. To the best of my knowledge he is the original author of the 10/20/30 Rule of Powerpoint.I think this is excellent advice for giving a sales presentation with PowePoint and would encourage you to

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1145416296114027962006-04-18T21:10:00.000-06:002006-04-18T21:11:36.133-06:00

I'm off to San Diego for work and will return Monday. Have a great week! Steve

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1144983869994787422006-04-13T20:46:00.000-06:002006-04-26T18:52:17.173-06:00

Debbie Weil was one of my first exposures to corporate blogging. She was recently blogging about how your personal appearance can be so much a part of your schtick if you're a speaker or presenter-Now you know the real reason I wear those crutches! :) She includes a very funny video for your viewing enjoyment to this point.She also mentions that she is currently working with a tremendous speaking

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1144774999917034652006-04-11T10:30:00.000-06:002006-04-26T18:55:36.876-06:00

One of the world's top corporate speakers is Steve Jobs of Apple Computer. When Jobs speaks he goes out of his way to delight and surprise his audiences. He is also very well prepared and makes his sales presentation seem so effortless! This comes from hours and hours of practice-not because he is a gifted speaker by nature.You can read more about his presentations in these tips given by Carmine

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1144169110283128802006-04-04T10:18:00.000-06:002006-04-27T10:42:02.570-06:00

This is one of the most effective sales presentation tools that I've ever been taught. Write your entire presentation out and then get some colored markers. For example, for all the facts that you have written down, highlight them in red. Next, color all your humor in green. Lastly, color all your audience participation in blue.Ok, now step back and look at your work of art. What, you don't see

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1143831483551725622006-03-31T11:34:00.000-07:002006-03-31T12:20:01.600-07:00

I am starting to add some sales presentation training resources to the site. One that I wanted to feature today is Presentation Zen. This blog is written by Garr Reynolds, the former Manager of Worlwide User Group Relations at Apple Computer-whew! That is a mouthful. Garr has traveled and presented extensively across the world and is very generous in sharing information about what works well in

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1143653518013572572006-03-29T10:12:00.000-07:002006-03-29T10:55:29.703-07:00

Excellent sales presentations have two things in common: they are memorable and repeatable. I have posted here on tips from David Hornick on how to make your presentation memorable. Hornick made two recommendations that can leave room for exceptions: those are Don't use a tagline and Don't sing. When I read that I immediately thought of one of my buddies from National Speakers Association, David

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1143600412942801192006-03-28T19:13:00.000-07:002006-03-28T19:50:38.133-07:00

One of my favorite blogs is called Venture Blog, A Random Walk Down Sand Hill Road. The main contributor is David Hornick, a General Partner at August Capital. David is a Venture Capitalist and has seen thousands of presentations. I thought you might enjoy this post of his from February of 2005 entitled "The Dos and Dont's of Presenting at DEMO." DEMO is a yearly event where entrepreneurs are

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1143140819612053152006-03-23T11:40:00.000-07:002006-03-23T12:30:17.920-07:00

The longest running Carnival on the internet is the Carnival of the Vanities, this is the 183rd edition! The week, Daniel Harrison of Blogger Idol is the capable host.This weeks Carnival of the Vanities features some of the best original thoughts on the internet. The topics at the Carnival of the Vanities includes topics on Culture, Advice, Religion, Humor, Economics and Personal-something for

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1142957557073149072006-03-21T08:28:00.002-07:002006-03-21T10:56:01.200-07:00

Most financial advisors think they give a pretty good sales presentation. After all, they are knowledgeable, dynamic, a trusted advisor and have a genuine desire to help people. Now consider this fact: Several surveys have shown that something close to 70% of all licensed drivers consider themselves "above average"-a statistical impossibility! For all financial advisors who feel they are in the "

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1142877254142537842006-03-20T10:50:00.000-07:002006-03-20T11:11:03.486-07:00

This Weeks Carnival of the Capitalists is being hosted this week at CaseySoftware.The Carnival of Capitalists is a weekly collection of articles covering a range of business topics. The topics this week include: Business Development, entrepreneurship, Financial, Legal, Micro ISV, Misc Management, Personal Development, Personnel and Planning. I have an entry this week in The Carnival of the

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1142440946036236182006-03-15T09:27:00.000-07:002006-03-19T11:56:41.533-07:00

I read this book about Barbara Corcoran several years ago, before she changed the book title to be a little flashier! Barbara started a real estate company in New York with $1,000 dollars she borrowed from her boyfriend. Around 2003 she sold her company for a boat load of money-I really enjoyed her book and learning about her tenacity. But there is only one thing that really sticks out in my

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1142393442594815862006-03-14T20:08:00.000-07:002006-03-20T20:29:39.713-07:00

There is a critical time before your sales presentation. Maybe you are picked up at the airport, taken out to dinner or just small talk in the hall. This time can really help you or leave you in a big hole to dig out of. That's why you might want to pick up a copy of The Fine Art of Small Talk by Debra Fine. Debra gives you proven tips for getting a conversation going and keeping it going. She

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1142359339859855392006-03-14T10:40:00.000-07:002006-03-19T13:20:39.446-07:00

Will your public speaking fears blow your next sales presentation? Recently, I had the pleasure of hearing an interview with the actor Peter Coyote. Peter believes that the biggest fear that your audience has is being embarrassed. Interesting thought isn't it? Many executives that we work with are of the mind frame that they don't want to be embarrassed at a major sales presentation. Let's look

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1142104842679446402006-03-11T11:50:00.000-07:002006-03-11T12:22:42.300-07:00

Seth Godin, the marketing guru and agent of change, had a recent comment about "the best presentation." Like me, Seth has been Powerpointed to death at countless presentations. His main thought and conclusion was this: The best presentation might be no presentation. "If you're going to bother to do something, you ought to do it very well indeed. Otherwise, don't. Don't show up. Don't waste your

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1142005062830048922006-03-10T08:25:00.000-07:002006-03-11T11:10:09.786-07:00

It's casual Friday and you and your team have a big sales presentation to make. It's casual Friday for "the committee", not you and your team. May I suggest you stop and look in the mirror, and then go put on your suit and tie. Ladies don't seem to struggle with this as much as men. We men can make some awful fashion statements by trying to be spiffy for casual Friday's. Ladies, it goes without

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1141941161949721352006-03-09T14:05:00.000-07:002006-03-09T14:52:44.456-07:00

Any great sales presentation is built around BLT. Does your audience Believe you? Do they Like you? Do they Trust you? Assuming you have a fabulous product or service, if you don't please don't hire me-I'm not a miracle worker! Seriously, we start with a great product or service and have about an hour to convince a committee that we are the one. Let's say there are two or three other companies

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129543.post-1141758165614989452006-03-07T11:41:00.000-07:002006-03-19T11:03:34.906-07:00

Three months ago I was at a presentation given by a company to a group of potential investors. The company was not a start up but rather a company that has a fabulous product and were looking for $5 million dollars for expansion. If you have ever been in their position you know how hard it can be. You have 1 hour to give your best shot at that $5 or $50 million dollar contract. Maybe you have

SEO Speakernoreply@blogger.com0