“If we want to develop, in any sphere, we have to know what we’re doing now – how we’re talking, how people react to us, how persuasive we are, how confident we appear, etc. Once we can see that clearly, we begin to see how to change. Woven throughout all of our work is the skill of developing self-awareness: physically, vocally and psychologically.”
For the last three years, I’ve been writing a book to help busy people give better presentations. I’m very excited to say that it’s nearly finished, and this is the image of what it will look like. It’s been a lot of work, but I’ve really enjoyed it. The journey of trying to boil […]
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Stop being boring when you give a presentation I LOVE it when you send me questions based on my seminars and writings. I don’t mean ‘I like it a bit’, I mean I really love it – thank you, keep them coming! FREE COACHING Every month, I take one question from my newsletter readers (you are […]
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About two years ago client of mine (a sales director) said to me: ‘I hate to think of how much work we’ve lost because of bad presentations!’ I asked ‘Well, do you know how much? Have you kept track?’ The answer was no. Although he could create a sales report on ‘lost opportunities’, his team […]
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If you’re in any kind of professional service, you’ll be familiar with the terror/excitement/awkardness of letting someone know your fee in a sales situation. You’ve built the rapport, created a value-filled proposal and you’ve put a lot of thought into your fee, but still too many people say no, or negotiate hard on your fee. […]
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There are awards and associations for everything. Literally everything. Actors have Oscars, musicians have Grammys and there are even awards for goats. I’m not making that up. I once performed at an exhibition called ‘GOAT 2008’ and one of the cute little animals won ‘Goat of the Year’. (I never dared enquire what the goat […]
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Who doesn’t want more money? People love the idea of referrals, and they particularly love the idea of getting (or paying) a commission. It’s win/win, right? If you pay a handsome commission on sales, you’ll get more referrals. If you’re paid a handsome commission, you’ll give more referrals (and be able to buy more cocktails!) – everyone’s […]
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Is there any area in professional services more mysterious and full of nonsense than sales? From myths about ‘embedded commands’ and ‘hypnotic language’ through to the latest ‘fool-proof sales system’ there’s more snake oil among sales gurus and books than you’ll find at the Centre for Snake Oil Studies in Snake Oil Land. Many larger professional […]
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Presenting when your audience is one person Presentations are not just about public speaking. Many presentations in business are given to just one person in a meeting room, and it can be difficult to know where to strike the balance – should you be formal and risk being forgettable, or should you be relaxed, but […]
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How to be confident at a business networking event when arriving and approaching people. Regular readers (hello!) will by now be armed with some goals. You’ll have done your research and know why you’re at an event. Now’s the fun part – meeting people! When I present sessions on networking, I always ask how many […]
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Your LinkedIn profile is your shop window as a business networker. Here’s how to get it right. Here’s something to remember about networking – if you’re not going to follow-up, then there’s no point going to a networking event in the first place. The value of networking really lies in the follow-up. Networking is a […]
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