How to Emcee a Sales Meeting

Many people think a master of ceremonies should have a big smile, should say that everything is wonderful, and should tell a joke or two. He should! The emcee is the spark of the meeting. His smile makes the spark greater. His positive and cheerful attitude causes better reception of the program. And his humor gives a change of pace.

16 Ways to Be a Good Emcee

1.* Be rehearsed. You can easily “dry run” the emceeing. If necessary, this can be done without the presence of speakers and other participants. For instance, the introduction of speakers can be rehearsed without the help of anyone else. When possible, though, ask one or two people to assist. They can detect possible pitfalls and help you avoid them. The executive who fails to rehearse his emceeing is kidding himself. He will invariably do a better job if he has practiced. Adequate rehearsal results in confidence, improvement, poise and a smoother performance.

2.* Anticipate pitfalls. Are some of the subjects likely to cause trouble unless handled skillfully? Should you talk things over with one or two of your speakers? How about your own material? Anything objectionable in it?
Could it possibly cause a stir? How about the other participants? For example, is there a possibility the boss will mention the new compensation plan even though the salesmen have not heard about it yet? Will someone ineptly mention a Christmas bonus when the men are sore because no bonus was declared last Christmas?
Perhaps some of the salesmen “broke their picks” on a product that was not salable and which, therefore, has since been discontinued. If so, why let it be mentioned? It’s negative. Bury it! Anticipate things that could happen. Then make sure they don’t.

3.* Be alive, vibrant. Show some “bounce.” It was a sales consultant who told a novice emcee, “If you can’t be anything else, be enthusiastic!” This is excellent advice. An unenthusiastic emcee can turn a good meeting into a mediocre meeting or a mediocre meeting into a poor one. For instance, a sales meeting of furniture dealers was held together by an emcee who “kept the joint jumping.” He made every event seem as if it would be the answer to a furniture dealer’s problems. The audience could hardly wait for the next speaker or demonstration. The emcee’s enthusiasm and bounce made a genuine success of what could have been a weak meeting.

4.* Refrain from apologizing.
“We’re getting started a little late, but . . .”
“We really intended to . . .”
“We had hoped . . .”
“It’s too bad that Mr. Jones could not be with us, but . . .”
“If we had time to do so . . .”
“Had we known about it, we could have . . .”
An apology weakens the meeting. It’s an admission that the meeting could be better. So why apologize. It accomplishes nothing good.

5.* Introduce speakers properly. Few emcees take the trouble to do this. Invariably a good introduction answers three questions “What’s it about? Why should I listen? Who says so?” Write the introduction in advance. Put down every word of it. Then practice giving it until you’ve virtually memorized it. You weaken the introduction if you are obviously reading it.

Sample introduction

“What’s it about?” The next talk is on objections. There’ll be demonstrations on how to overcome all the common objections-price, not interested- all of them.
“Why should I listen?” This information will help you with every prospect. You can use it to close more sales and make more money.
“Who says so?”* One of the best salesmen on the staff will
handle this subject. He’s the man who won last year’s Distinguished Sales Award-a real go-getter-Jim McBride!
For formal occasions, an introduction can be more lengthy. But 30 seconds should be a maximum. Let the speaker do the speech making.
“We present Jim McBride!” sounds better than “I give you Jim McBride!”
Another tip-save the speaker’s name until last. Then when stating his name, really bear down! Example: “Hailing from Davenport, Iowa, here’s FRED BUSHER!”
It’s usually a good idea to check with the speaker beforehand to get his approval of the introduction. A misstatement in the introduction may upset the speaker, get him off to a bad start.

6.* Wait for the speaker to get there. If you leave the rostrum before his arrival, you create a void, a lull. Attention is lost when there’s no one to hold attention. You should wait for him at the speakers’ stand. Shake the speaker’s hand when he arrives at the stand. Give him a verbal pat on the back with something like: “Let ‘em have it, Joe!” He may need your encouragement. The manager of an accounting department once said, “I make few speeches. So, naturally, I was scared to death! But when I reached the platform the emcee was waiting for me. He shook hands firmly and said, ‘Give ‘em ‘ell, Ed. You’re just the one to do it!’ This gave me the confidence I really needed at that time.”

7.* Assist the speaker. There may be several things you can do for him: adjust the height of the mike, hold a visual, or distribute take-home sheets. Don’t feel that the speaker is working for you. While he’s on the platform, you’re working for him. Your assistance will improve his presentation. This upgrades your meeting. A Salt Lake City manufacturer reported, “When I’m asked to emcee an important meeting, I use the ‘buddy system.’ That is, I assign someone to assist each speaker. The ‘buddy’ contacts the speaker beforehand and offers to help in any way he can. It makes the speaker’s job easier-the emcee’s too.”

8.* Show your own interest. From time to time the audience will note what you’re doing. If you obviously appreciate each event, the audience will be more appreciative. Refrain from wandering around the room and whispering to others. Get “lost” in the program.

9.* Don’t remake a speech. Nothing is more boring than a speech about a speech. The speaker presumably researched his subject and made a planned presentation. How could you hope to “top” him with “off the cuff” remarks? A rehash is anticlimactical. Don’t bore the audience with your version of each subject. It won’t be appreciated. “Post-mortems are for the doctors,” said a Providence, Rhode Island, executive. “At sales meetings, they’re for the birds!” When thanking a speaker, you might refer to one or two points in a favorable way. But be brief about it. Then move on to the next event.

10.* Use humor. When the participants pull lots of gags, you can “soft-pedal” your own jokes. But usually there’s not enough humor unless the emcee injects some. The best humor is related to your subject matter. Unrelated humor is nothing but entertainment. But don’t joke about the subject coming up. It puts the next speaker at a disadvantage. He will have difficulty getting attention. His approach to the subject will at first seem anticlimactical. Instead, you should joke about the subject just completed. Resist the urge to tell an off-color story. If there’s a possibility that someone will be offended, the risk is too great. Don’t take it. There’s no need to “take a chance” when acceptable humor is abundant. Good joke books can be purchased in any book store. Further, radio and TV comedians hand out a wealth of usable material every day.

Stories about minority groups are dangerous, especially if the minority group or one of its members is the butt of the story. Forego all stories involving color, race, or creed. Not only are such stories in poor taste but many people consider them to be un-American.

Tell jokes on yourself. People will then laugh louder! But don’t tell jokes on the audience. Such humor falls flat.
The wise emcee never depreciates a story by beginning it with: “You may have heard this one before, but . . .” If you’re going to tell it, tell it. Why make it sound like a repeat job that’s hardly worth hearing?

11.* Make everyone feel important. The audience, or any individual in it, will be more receptive if made to feel important. Those for whom you have a liking and respect will usually respect you. Above all, don’t belittle. The emcee who “talks down” to his audience is unpopular. So are his meetings.

Wrong way: “You said you wanted help on pricing. I don’t see why it should be a problem to you. There’s nothing difficult about it. But since some of you apparently have still not learned the pricing procedure, I’ll make another attempt to explain it to you.”

Right way: “You said you wanted help on pricing. We think you guys are pretty terrific. So if that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get. Watch closely, because here we go!”

12.* Get, and keep, participation. Who’s more interested in a football game-the players or the spectators? The players are more interested. They never take their eyes off the ball. Spectators, to the contrary, fumble with cigarettes, hot dogs and thermos bottles. Try to get everybody into the act so they’ll be “players.” They’ll
be much more interested. Have the men switch coats or ties, change seats, don funny hats, count off, sing or recite. They’ll love it!

13.* Make light of disturbances. Don’t fight them. When you lose your composure, you lose “face.”
If a fire truck zips by with siren open, pause for the noise to die down. Then smile while quipping: “I told you this new sales plan was hot!” If a second one drowns you out a moment later: “It’s not only hot, but red hot!” Late arrivals sometimes are disturbing. But don’t call them down with bitter words. If something must be said: “There are some more chairs over here, gentlemen.”

Two people in the audience often will talk to each other. There are various ways of handling this. For example, a school teacher says, “What you’re talking about must be quite interesting for you to interrupt and disturb. Why don’t you tell us about it?” Or the blas ” night club emcee tells a loudmouth, “Hey you-the one doing the talking. Let’s play horsy. I’ll be the head and shoulders. You just be your natural self!”

But a sales executive cannot embarrass members of his audience-not even those who deserve it. Morale must be upheld. Besides, other salesmen may sympathize with the offenders. Be more subtle. Start talking very loudly or beat the lectern while continuing with the business at hand.

14.* Keep it under control. Either you are in charge or the audience is. Be courteous, but don’t permit chaos.
“It’s a weak emcee who lets things get out of hand.” These words came from the manufacturer of a brand of clothing well-known to all. “My last sales manager did everything else fairly well, but he could not control a sales meeting. I finally had to let him go. There was no alternative. Sales meetings are important and complete control is a must.”
If things get out of hand, call for order. Take a tip from the judge who bangs the bench with a gavel. Rap the speakers’ stand three or four times with your fist. Or have a police whistle handy. It restores order in a hurry!

15.* Make it move. No other rule is more important than this one. The meeting that drags between events is a poor meeting. Speak fast, act fast, be fast! In this case, haste does not make waste. Remember-you can overdo a number of things-from A to Z-but one of the things “hardest” to overdo, is enthusiasm/ When permitted to do so, your audience will often bog things down with discussion. Don’t permit it. Tell them, “I wish we had time for a comment from everyone, but . . .” or “If anyone wants to discuss this further, I’ll gladly meet with you after we have adjourned. But, right now . . .”

16. Give credits before the climax. Thank everyone there is to thank. But don’t wait until the last minute to do it. It was a member of the Toastmasters’ Club who said, “When you’ve finally put them on Cloud 19, leave them there!”
As developed more fully in the next chapter, acknowledgments at the end of a meeting take some of the fire out of it. Thank speakers and others before the final event.

How to emcee a sales meeting
* Be Rehearsed
* Anticipate Pitfalls
* Introduce Speakers Properly
* Be Alive, Vibrant
* Refrain From Apologizing
* Wait for Speakers to Get There
* Assist the Speakers
* Show Your Own Interest Don’t Remake a Speech
* Use Humor
* Make Everyone Feel Important
* Get And Keep Participation
* Make Light of Disturbances
* Keep It Under Control
* Make It Move Give Credits Before the Climax

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

Tags: sales meeting

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