Archive for October, 2006

34.* A dry speech will be more interesting ii interruptions are
planned. It might be a talk on advertising, for instance. The speaker leads up to his point with questions such as, “What makes it easy to sell our goods? What is it that softens buyer resistance everywhere?” Someone in the rear of the room yells, “Advertising!” The surprise interruption stimulates the audience and helps make the point that advertising is productive.

35.* Or your speaker can plan it this way . . . After a couple of minutes of generalities, a member of the audience rises to leave. The speech is stopped while the speaker asks the fellow for an explanation. The man says, “I’m leaving. You’re not speaking on anything important. I had hoped to hear about the salesman’s best friend.”
“What do you mean? What’s the salesman’s best friend?” Then the fellow yells, “Advertising!” A speech on that subject promptly follows.

36.* It’s effective to enact a point by means ofi interruptions. For example, a janitor suddenly appears and starts mopping the floor near the speakers’ stand. The speaker asks him to leave, but the janitor continues mopping.
Finally the janitor explains, “My orders are to mop the floor. And orders are orders. When I’m told to do something, I do it. I do it promptly, and I do it well. And I don’t let some character like you stop me! I’ve finished mopping now, so I’ll leave.”

The speaker covers the point just enacted. “When given a job to do, do it. Be like the janitor. Let nothing side-track you.”

37.* Another twist . . . “Some of you aren’t working. Just as sure as I have on a necktie, some of you are loafing on the job.” A member of the audience dashes from the rear of the room with a pair of scissors. He snips off the speaker’s tie! “As I was saying, just as sure as I’m wearing a necktie . . . And, I’m not wearing one. You’ve been doing anything but loafing. I want to congratulate you on your hustle and spirit.”

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

31.* Many speakers should be jabbed with a red hot pole. They’re too dull! While a good sales manager won’t use a poker, he will do other things. For instance, he might pick out two or three places where emphasis is needed. He asks the speaker to pound the podium at those points in his talk. The pounding is practiced. This loosens up the speaker and causes him to put more life in all of his talk. Or a pitcher of water and a glass can be placed on the stand. He knocks them off at the climax of his talk. An enthusiastic sweep of his arm, in a natural way, will give the audience something to remember!

32.* For a talk on enthusiasm, your speaker must be a sparkling example. He could say, “If you are really enthusiastic, people will be grabbing at your coat tail to get in on this thing you’re so hepped-up about. They’ll literally rip your coat wide open!” At this moment he tears off half his coat! He continues with, “Nothing can cool off an enthusiastic salesman. Not even a pitcher of ice water poured on the top of his head.” He promptly empties a pitcher of water over his own head!

33.* If your speaker is incapable ofi getting hot, the audience can help. Occasionally, someone must be used as a speaker regardless of his temperature. When all else fails, the audience can help him. He could offer a prize for the best answer submitted in writing on subject concerned.

As an example, he might be speaking on product information. He can offer a prize to the person giving the best 25 words on “What I like most about my merchandise.” Time is allowed so answers can be written during the meeting. This minimizes his speaking.

Judging takes place in another room while the meeting progresses. Near the end of the meeting a few of the best answers are read and briefly discussed. The prize is then awarded. The contest won’t make the speaker any hotter. But it will make his part of the meeting more enjoyable. Your sales force will derive more benefit, too.

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

27.* Here’s a sure fire method of appealing to the fear of loss.
Your speaker flips a silver dollar in the air three or four times while speaking. He catches it each time, saying nothing about it. At the proper moment he tosses it out an open window and says, “That’s what’s happening. You’re throwing money away!”

28.* The desire of gain can also be stimulated by demonstration.
The speaker places a covered table next to the rostrum. Under the cover is a ham, turkey, a pair of men’s shoes, a lady’s hat, and other desirable items. He recommends use of a certain principle. “It will bring each salesman an increase in earnings of $50 per month.” Then he yanks the cover off the table. The audience actually sees the monthly benefit!

How to act out various points

29.* There’s no excuse for a boring speech when your speakers can act out ANY POINT. This applies even to a code of ethics. It seems pretty dull. How could adherence to a code of ethics be dramatized?

Your speaker simply extends a long stick toward an assistant. He nearly touches him before withdrawing the stick. He repeats the act. Then the assistant says, “I know you need me. And I can really sell.” But the speaker gives a negative shake of his head.

The assistant drops to his knees with a plea of, “Please! Please take me!” The speaker tosses the stick away, explaining to the audience, “He won’t adhere to the code of ethics. I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole!”

30.* The need for having a goal plan can easily be enacted. Your speaker appoints someone to play the role of a salesman. “This salesman has set a goal for himself and is trying to reach it. This check for $30,000 represents his goal.”

The salesman is asked to leave the room for a moment. While he’s gone the check is taped high on the wall in the rear of the room. He’s called back in and told to “take whatever steps he must take in order to reach his goal.”
He wanders about, looking in many places. He may even look down the collar of the big boss! But he fails to find the check, fails to reach his goal.

Speaker: “He had a goal but no plan for reaching it. Break your goal down into small steps. Then you’ll know what must be done each day in order to reach it. A goal, without a plan for reaching it, is merely wishful thinking.”

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

25.* Salespeople must constantly be reminded that the customer’s point of view is different. Here’s how your speaker can show that difference in viewpoint. He distributes thin pieces of paper (Onion skin, 81/2″ by 11″, is ideal) and tells the audience:

“Fold a sheet in half and tear a little out of the center. Now fold again and tear a small section out of the side. Fold once more, tear a bit of the left corner. Now open your sheets and compare them.”

No two will be alike. Some will be far different from others. “You started with the same type of paper. Each sheet was the same size. Everyone was given the same instructions, too. Yet the results are quite different. That’s because the instructions meant different things to different people. No viewpoints are ever the same. And so it is with a customer. His viewpoint is different from yours.”

26.* Your speaker might better illustrate the point by stepping out of his shoes while speaking. He ties the laces together and puts the shoes around his neck. “I’m not wearing my shoes now. A good salesman never does. He steps into his customer’s shoes. He sees things from his customer’s viewpoint.”

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

23.* Here’s an effective way your speaker can dramatize “see the people.”

The speaker begins by holding up a large comb that has several missing teeth. He asks the audience what it represents.

Answer: high spotting-hitting the high spots of a territory. Why and how to “comb” a territory thoroughly is then explained. The speaker closes on a high note by passing out pocket combs. Each comb has been imprinted with the words “Your Territory.” Thus the men will carry constant reminders to see people, to “comb” their territories.

24.* Here’s the same point, made in a different way.

Your speaker is dressed as a magician. He begins by performing several magic tricks. Three people are then brought forward. They should be strangers to the audience. One is said to be a hot prospect, ready to place an order. Your speaker guesses which of the three it is. He misses on his first guess-on the second one, too.

“This proves that no one can tell which prospects will buy-not even a magician. So let’s call on everybody.”

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

21.* “See enough people, and you’ll do your share oi the selling. The law of averages will take care of you.” This idea has been covered time and time again. It’s a basic truth, too. Outside salesmen should lean heavily on the law of averages. But the idea soon becomes “old hat.” Your speaker must enliven it in some way if
he’s to get results. He can do it this way . . .

When he starts his talk, he shakes up a 1,000 pennies and throws them on a table. The table is then taken out of the room and the speech begun. The climax is reached when the speaker announces, “I’ve told you the law of averages is infallible. Now you’ll see that it actually is.”

A slip of paper is handed to him. “While I’ve been talking, four men have been in the next room counting pennies. They counted the number that turned up heads, and the number that turned up tails. Here’s their report . . . Of the 1,000 pennies, exactly 501 turned up heads and 499 showed tails. There’s proof positive that the law of averages will work. Put it to work for you!”

22.* The law of averages is sometimes expressed this way-”See enough prospects and you’ll get enough customers.” But how can your speaker dramatize it?

He can get a large clear glass jar. He partially fills it with dried red beans. Then he puts in three ping pong balls. More beans are used to complete the filling. It’s important that the balls are not adjacent to the glass only the beans should be visible. Your speaker explains, “Each bean represents a prospect. Let’s see what happens when you ‘mix it up’ with a lot of prospects.” He shakes the jar vigorously. Because ping pong balls are lighter than the beans, they work their way to the top. As each ball appears on the top, the speaker makes a comment such as, “And out of those prospects, up pops a customer. Action pays off. See enough prospects, and you’ll make enough sales.”

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training