Archive for July, 2006

Some of your speakers will need help in organizing their speeches. Explain this plan to them. Urge them to use it. Sell tie benefits.

Indecision and change of decision in speech planning will be cut to a minimum. They’ll save precious time. Having organized a couple of speeches in this way, they’ll never go back to the slipshod method.
Poor talks have done more to ruin sales meetings than any other one thing. While you can minimize the amount of speaking and number of speeches, some talking is always necessary. In every possible instance, get the speakers to use the five-step plan in organizing their material. Their talks will be more interesting and effective.

Result: Your sales meeting will undoubtedly be improved.

How to organize a speech?

* Collect Material for the Talk
* Decide Upon the Point
* Determine Whether the Point Is Appropriate
* Develop Examples-The Meat of the Talk
* Restate the Point, Making a Plea for Action
* Work Up an Interest-getter

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

Long talks should usually be avoided. Few speakers can keep the attention of an audience more than 10 or 15 minutes. It’s a cinch the speaker cannot inspire action when he can’t even keep attention.
It takes 10 or 15 minutes to clinch a point-that is, to drive it home properly. Therefore, a speaker should seldom try to make more than one point. When more than one point is to be made, however, the five-step plan can still be used.
The five steps are observed in putting across each point. For example, the speaker goes through the five steps in making his first point. Then he repeats the five-step procedure for each additional point.

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

See the people

Interest-getter:*
“At daybreak one morning, two lumberjacks started chopping down trees.
“They chopped and chopped, until the middle of the morning when one of them paused for a moment to sharpen his axe, the other not taking time to do so.
“They continued chopping and chopping, until mid-afternoon when that same lumberjack stopped to sharpen his axe-the other, again, not taking time to do so.
“They continued chopping and chopping, until the sun had fallen in the sky and the forest was cloaked in darkness. At the end of the day, which of the two lumberjacks had felled the more trees?
“Yes, the one who stopped momentarily to sharpen his axe. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what we are doing today at this sales meeting. We’re pausing momentarily to sharpen our axes. We’re sharpening our axes for this new year-the biggest year in the history of Ajax Tool!

Point:

“And this can be your big year with Ajax if you’ll only SEE THE PEOPLE. See them early. See them late. See anybody and everybody.
“See them up the street, down the street, across the street. See your in-laws, the outlaws, the dog catcher-see everybody who might buy your merchandise.

Reasons for Point:
“Make lots of calls, because it’s the only way to sell lots of merchandise. Prospecting pays dividends.
“There’s a direct relationship between the number of calls and the number of sales.

Examples:*

“For instance, our sales records show that it takes four calls to average one sale. So if you want more sales per week, make more calls per week. If you want one more sale, make four more calls. If you want two more sales, make eight more calls. It’s that simple! Purely a matter of mathematics.
“A fellow working from our Bangor office was ready to quit last year. He said he wasn’t making enough money. And he was right. He wasn’t making enough money.
“We helped him plan his calls so that travel time would be minimized. Also, we urged him to make calls up to 4:50 p.m. instead of ‘knocking off’ at 4:00 or 4:30. These two factors enabled him to make 12 more calls per month. Those calls resulted in three extra sales per month. Now he’s making $1,100 per month instead of $800 per month. He’s happy.
“I’ll let you in on a secret. We’ve been working on the profile of a successful salesman. That is, we’ve been trying to determine what the most successful salesmen look like, how they eat, act, and what they do. We thought this study might help us in selecting salesmen in the future.
“We checked the record at all seventeen branches. In every instance, the same thing stood out: the most successful salesman was the man who made the most calls. There was not a single exception to the rule.
“Here’s another illustration. At a civic auditorium sales-rally the other night, our competitor presented an award to one of his salesmen. After receiving the award, the salesman was asked to tell how he’d won it. His speech was brief and pithy: ‘Get the body in front of the prospect. That’s what I did.’ “

Restate with Plea For Action:

“The best product in the world must be sold. People won’t come to you and take it away from you. You must go to them.
“It’s been said that the world will beat a path to your door if you’ll build a better mousetrap. But that’s not true! Here’s a picture of the man who did it. (Show picture of bearded tramp in front of lean-to in a hobo jungle.)
“Does he look prosperous? Is the world beating a path to his door? Of course not! He must see the people.
“And we must see the people. We don’t have a better mousetrap. We have something even greater! But it won’t sell itself. Let’s see the people!

IT’S ALSO THE NATURAL THING TO DO

“For the proof of its logic and simplicity, let’s suppose your wife is leaving home to do the family shopping. It would be natural for you to yell, ‘Hey, Mary! Get some coffee. We’re nearly out. There’s not enough for breakfast tomorrow. Besides, we’ll want some with dinner tonight. So be sure to get coffee.’ “

Interest-getter:* “Hey, Mary”

Point:* “Get some coffee.”

Reasons for Point: “We’re nearly out.”

Examples:* “There’s not enough for breakfast tomorrow. Besides, we’ll want some with dinner tonight.”

Restate with Plea For Action:* “So be sure to get coffee.”

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

Here are a couple of brief speeches illustrating the five-step plan:

GOALS

Interest-getter:*

“Fifty or sixty men were sitting in the room that day. Yet, not a word was being spoken.
“Somewhere in the background I could hear a clock ticking-away the minutes. But except for the ticking of the clock, there was a deafening hush.
“The situation could be likened to that of a company of soldiers, in their last few moments of silence before jumping-off into combat against the enemy. It was surprising to me, because the sales meetings I had attended were full of talk, pep, and enthusiasm.
“Yet, I can almost see them now, each with a pencil and a piece of paper in his hand. They were apparently poring over some problems but saying nothing.
“Then, it struck me! I knew what was going on! Because one man jumped from his seat and shouted, ‘I’m going to have a 30 percent increase this year!’ Another man declared, I’m going to open 30 new accounts by the first of June!’
“That’s what those men were doing. They were establishing their objectives. They were setting their goals.

Point:* “All good salesmen set goals for themselves. Set
your goal today-now/ Set your goal and stick to it! Determine what you expect to accomplish this year. Establish an objective. Then work to reach that objective.

Reasons for Point:

“How can anyone expect to hit the bull’s eye unless he has a target at which to shoot?
“How can you accomplish anything unless you know exactly what it is you plan to accomplish?
“Since salesmanship first became a science, it has been known that goals are essential for success. That’s why you should set your goals. They help you succeed.
“Think back to the last time you telephoned Western Union to send a telegram. It’s a good bet that, before making the call, you jotted down the exact words to be included in the message. And when you did, you set a goal, because it became your intent to transmit those words and no others.
“Now think back to the last time you went grocery shopping. Did the wife give you a list? When you accepted it from her, you set a goal. It became your objective to go to the store, obtain those items, and return home with them.
“The next man who leaves this room, and gets into an automobile will have a goal. He’ll not wander aimlessly around town. He will know exactly where he’s going.
“Now then, if we have goals for such simple things as sending telegrams, grocery shopping, and routine automobile trips, does it not follow that we should set goals for ourselves in this-the cause to which we have dedicated ourselves-our careers with Life Line Insurance Company?

Examples:*

“Of course it does! And that’s what the successful salesmen are doing. They’re setting goals, and determining what must be done in order to reach those goals.
“For instance, Cliff Gregory set, as his goal, the Million-Dollar-Round-Table. To reach that goal he calculated that he must write a certain amount of business each month. Thus far he’s right on schedule. And he says this goal is the major reason for his success.
“Then there’s Jim Baker. He figured that his goal should be based on earnings. Although he was interested in renewals and future income, he set a goal in connection with earnings for the current year. Yesterday he dropped by the office and reported his progress. He said that this year’s earnings will be the highest he has ever enjoyed. Why? Because he had the gumption to set a goal and work to reach it.
“Another case in point, is Walter Arnold. He set a goal last year but failed to reach it. The difficulty was that he neglected to break down the goal into bite-size chunks. He failed to decide what must be done each month, each week, each day, in order to reach his goal.
“But this year he broke the goal down into a step-by-step plan. Is it working for him? You bet it is! He’s having a tremendous year.
“So let’s be guided accordingly. Setting a goal is not enough. We must break it down into steps that can be taken one at a time.

Restate with Plea For Action:*

“Take a tip from the top producers. Set a goal. Set a goal now! Then break it down into a step-by-step plan.
“You’ll be better organized. You’ll write more business. You’ll make more money. “This one act on your part can mean the difference between success and mediocrity. Set a goal. Now!”

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

Here’s a summary of a speech. It shows the logic and simplicity of this plan:

CALL BACKS

Interest-getter:

“This afternoon a man dropped dead in my office! I was startled and shocked!
“Perhaps you knew him. He was a merchant, and one of you tried to sell him our line of goods. He was overstocked at the moment, so he bought nothing. He said he’d buy a couple of weeks later. And he would have bought, had the salesman returned, because he liked our products. He liked them so well he refused to buy any other line.
“But our salesman never returned, so the merchant ran completely out of merchandise. With nothing to sell, he soon lost his store. Then he had no income at all. Finally the poor fellow starved to death.
“Just before dying, he visited me to ask why the salesman never returned. That’s how he happened to die in my office.

Point:*

“A ridiculous story? Of course it is. But sometimes we do fail to call back. And that’s the main point I’m trying to get across. Let’s make call backs -lots of call backs! Call back early and often/”

Reasons for Point:

“Why? Because a well-timed, follow-up is good salesmanship. Call backs pay off. They always have and they always will. They bring you more customers, bigger sales, and more commissions.

Examples:*

“For example, when you call back on the mer-
chant who has never bought your line, you make him feel important. And sometimes you can get an order from him.
“Where a merchant is already using your line, call backs produce still more sales. The customer is impressed by your sincere desire to serve and, therefore, gives you more of his business.
“We’ve found that call backs can most easily be made when . . .”
“There’ll be times when your call backs should instead be made . . .
“And it’s sometimes a good idea to make call backs even though the customer . . .”

Restate with Plea For Action:

“So let’s make call backs-frequent call backs. That’s what the highest paid salesmen are doing,
and it’s what all of us should do. Make call backs!”

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

A bird’s-eye view of the five-step plan…

* Decide Upon the Point
* Determine Whether It’s Appropriate
* Develop Examples of What, How, When, Where It Works
* Restate the Point With a Plea for Action
* Work up an Interest Getter

Now the speaker is ready to arrange his material in the order in which he will deliver it. This can be done simply by moving the interest-getter from the bottom of the list to the top.

Why the five-step plan is so effective?

The foregoing five-step plan works wonders! It places enough emphasis on the one main idea so that the audience remembers it. Many will take action, which is still more significant.
There’s another reason why this five-step plan is so effective. It’s based on consideration of the audience and automatically answers questions that may arise in the minds of the persons listening.

How audience reaction is taken into account?

For example, when a speaker is introduced, some people in the audience are indifferent. They ask themselves, “Why should I listen to him? Hope he doesn’t talk too long. Isn’t there something else I should be doing?” But the speaker’s interest-getter crashes through the barrier of indifference-it makes the audience want to listen.
When their attention has been captured, they start wondering, “So what? This doesn’t affect me, does it?” The point answers such questions. It pins things down and gives listeners the specific idea for which they are now ready.
After the point has been made, people want reasons or justification for it. They’re thinking, “Why? Why should we do that, or why is that true-just because he says it?” So it is logical to give reasons for the point. The reasons help sustain interest and sell the major idea.

By this time the audience is thinking, “Sounds okay so far, but how would it work in actual practice? Is it just theory, or is there proof of it?” The speaker holds the audience by giving examples which answer their questions. He supplies the who, where, when and how-the information the audience wants.

At this point the audience knows what to do and how to do it-All that’s needed is the inspiration to take action. By returning to the point and closing on a high note, the speaker climaxes the speech in a manner that inspires action. Thus, the audience is left with a feeling of completeness and satisfaction. Listeners are given the information they want at the right time-from the beginning of the speech to the close.

Simplicity makes it easy to use

Many items for the home are delivered in factory packaging and must be assembled by the purchaser. The instructions for assembling often state “So simple that even a child can do it.” But most of us aren’t children. Maybe that’s why we sometimes have trouble! Or perhaps the assembling is sometimes not simple at all, any plan should be so simple that people can use it. That’s another feature of this five-step plan for organizing a speech. It’s quite simple. People speaking at one of your sales meetings can learn how to use it in no time at all.

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training