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The Missing Ingredient in All Sales Presentations

There is one critical ingredient that is missing in almost every sales presentation that will be given today by tens of thousands of salespeople worldwide. What is it? Tension management. What is tension management?

There are two factors in tension management that determines whether a prospect buys or doesn’t buy. They are simply resources and challenges. If their resources are high or if they believe they are and their challenges are low, or they believe they are they will NOT buy. Why? Don’t need it, everything is just fine the way it is. No need to change. They are in what we call apathy. This is the “do nothing” phase.

However, if their resources, or their perceived resources are low and their challenges or perceived challenges are low they will buy but most like for the wrong reasons therefore opening the door for a cancelled sale or unhappy customer. You see they are in what we refer to as stress and stress is the panic stage.

So, where do you want your prospect so they will buy and be happy they did? The key factor is to know where they are on the tension scale. There are 5 layers; stress, power stress, power, power apathy and apathy. If your prospect is in apathy you need to do one or both of the following. You need to show them where their resources are inadequate for the challenges they face so you can move them up the scale to Power Stress – this is where people buy.

If they are in stress, you need to show them how your products or services will reduce their challenges and increase their resources so you can move them down to Power Stress.

If this all sounds confusing, it’s really quite simple.
1) Identify which tension level your prospect is in with good questions then
2) Move them either up or down the scale by managing their awareness of their challenges and resources.

Yes, there is more to it but this gives you the essence. Basically what all prospects want is control and if they feel in control they won’t buy unless you can show them where they are out of control – playing with their resources and challenges. If they feel out of control they will tend to be more interested in what you have to offer as long as you can identify their level of tension and then manage it accordingly.

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Presentation Skills & Public Speaking – 10 Tips to How to Design & Prepare for a Presentation

Top 10 Tips to help you Plan and Design and Prepare for your Presentation

Next time you are faced with the daunting prospect of having to write a presentation, try out these tips from Skillstudio and you’ll be surprised at just how effective they can be at helping to design and prepare for a presentation.

  1. Prepare Prepare Prepare – The more time you spend preparing your presentation beforehand the more confident you will be on the day.

  2. Get to know your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. What’s in it for them? What understanding do they currently have? Do they want a detail or strategic level talk from you?
  3. What’s the one key goal you want to achieve by giving this presentation? Make sure that this is clear to your audience at the beginning and end of the presentation.
  4. Split your presentation into a beginning a middle and an end. Use the middle section to develop your ideas.
  5. Remember the power of three. Wherever possible think of things in threes. eg three key points to make at the beginining, three key points to develop further in the middle and three key points to make at the end. Your middle can further expand on the three points with three additional points each. etc
  6. Brainstorm the likely questions you will be asked by your audience. Prepare answers using the Power of three.
  7. Try using a mind map to help you organise your ideas into logical chunks. The clearer your thinking is the easier it should be to understand when you are presenting.
  8. Avoid the trap of preparing for your presentation at the last possible minute. It will only mean you lose a night’s sleep – on the night before you have to present!
  9. Lead your audience through your presentation using sign-posting. Recap on what you’ve just covered and then use rhetorical questions to move onto the next section. Always summarise your main points just prior to the end of your presentation.
  10. Plan to end your presentation with a call to action, a request for a decision to be made, or whatever you believe is the most appropriate means to achieve your overall goal.

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Five Ways to Spot a Great Product

One of the challenges to working online is the huge number of choices we have. While more is sometimes better, when it comes to choosing which tools to use to run or establish your online business, things can get confusing… fast.

Sometimes more is not really better – it’s just more.

Take autoresponders for example. There are countless companies selling autoresponder services, more sites selling autoresponder scripts, and even more “back office” situations where an autoresponder is built in.

But you really only need ONE autoresponder account to run your online business.

Talk about overkill!

When it comes to “how to” information the problem grows by leaps and bounds. Many people belong to three, four, five or even more sites all teaching the same basic concepts and principles. Confusion and information overload set in because each site focuses on one method as being the holy grail of marketing.

If marketer A says that pay per click is the only way to go and marketer B says that solo ads are the only way and marketer C says that social media is where it’s at the consumer (YOU) becomes confused.

The facts are different. There is no ONE method that stands above the others. Successful online marketing is almost always made up of using many methods to reach an overall goal. While solo ads are powerful, solo ads and pay per click and follow up emails and social media become an unstoppable (and very automated) way to sell any product online.

The real key to success comes when you tailor ALL of these methods into a plan designed for you and you alone.

Not people “like” you but rather YOU.

That said, with so many products out there, and more being introduced every day, how can we spot a GREAT product, and avoid wasting money online?

Here are the five things I look for when buying products.

1. IS IT FROM A RELIABLE SOURCE?

Considering the source of a product has become a MAJOR factor in buying things online… especially when buying information.

My bottom line here is simplicity itself – if the person selling the information has not proven that they can do what they propose I should do I don’t buy. Simple. I need to see a track record, not a screenshot of a ClickBank account for the last six weeks.

One example: There is a LARGE group of people pushing “how to make money” products who have never made a dime online. I know, because I talk to these people often when they ask me to do a joint venture. If you buy something from this group you might get your money’s worth but you might not.

Even if you buy their product and then get a refund because they mislead you the entire experience will have wasted your time. And you can’t afford that. You can make more money but you can’t make more time.

Here are two quick ways to know if a source is reliable.

  • Look at their sites. If they have a hyped-up site that promises the moon, look out. Even worse, if they don’t have their own domain, run… don’t walk.
  • If you are concerned, or don’t know the person, try to contact them. How they handle your contact will speak volumes about who they are trying to serve, you or themselves.

If a site owner answers every question with “buy my product” (or worse – doesn’t answer) hide your Visa and count your blessings that you found out BEFORE you paid.

You should expect real help BEFORE the sale happens. While you can’t expect them to give you their product you can and should expect them to say that they feel it will work for you based on YOUR set of circumstances.

If you are not sure if a product is right for you by all means ASK. It’s the only way to know for sure before you buy and begin spending time using a product.

2. IS IT GUARANTEED?

This is an absolute essential in my book. If someone offers a 30 day guarantee, I usually won’t buy. The reason for this is two-fold.

  • If they won’t stand behind what they sell for more than 30 days, it really does indicate that they are not in business for the long haul.
  • It sometimes takes me 30 days just to TRY what I’ve bought. Like you, I’m busy. And the worst thing is to be busy, delay trying something, find out it won’t work for you, and then get stuck because you had to wait.

Look for a rock-solid guarantee when shopping online as well as a company with a reputation for honoring their guarantee.

HINT: One reason ClickBank is so successful is that they are the ones who issue refunds, not the vendor. You are always protected when buying a ClickBank product.

3. DOES IT MEET A REAL NEED?

When I say “need” I don’t mean a basic need like food, but rather, will it help me accomplish my goals?

The real key here is to know what you need.

Sometimes a great product is one that saves time. Sometimes it helps you save money or make money. Some products do all three, saving you time and money and helping you make money as well. Those products usually pass the test of time.

The bottom line here is simple – does this product meet a pressing need in your life right now? If yes, move forward with your decision-making process. If not, no matter how great their sales letter is, the time is not right for you to buy.

HINT: Sometimes we buy products not so much for what the primary product does but for one of the other benefits we get from buying the product.

4. DOES IT WORK AS PROMISED?

This is, of course, for after you have bought, but it’s still a valid point. If you bought something that does not perform as promised, don’t just give up or get a refund. Ask the site owner for help first.

Products today, especially membership sites, are somewhat complicated. Many membership sites offer so much information that a new member can feel overwhelmed. So why would a site owner do that? In most cases it needs to serve beginners, intermediate and advanced marketers alike. To do that requires lots of information. Look for a Quick Start Guide, a trend that’s catching on among many site owners.

There are many products that will work like wings once we know what they are supposed to do. If you don’t understand how to use what you bought, or have questions, be sure to ask.

If you find it does not work as promised, of if you can’t get the support you deserve, return it and find something else that will meet your needs.

5. IS IT COST EFFECTIVE?

The trend among marketers today is to create ever more expensive products. Two years ago products often cost $47 or $67. Today it’s not unusual to see $497, $997, or even $2000 priced products.

If these products deliver BIG value, then the price is fine. But for MANY people, $500 is an impossible amount to spend.

Before you spend your hard earned money, take a look to see if you really can afford it, and if the product is reasonably priced.

Here are the questions I ask just before buying – sort of my “great product checklist” if you will.

  • Do I need this right now?
  • Do I already own something similar that will do the job?
  • Is the person selling this product credible? Are they an authority in their field?
  • Will I use this? (In other words, will I take the time to learn the system so I can profit from it?)
  • Are there others who use and like this product? (I do read the testimonials)
  • Am I protected if this does not work out?
  • Is there any reason to NOT buy this right now?

If a product passes those tests I will move forward, feeling confident in my choices.

So there you have it – my five guidelines for finding great products to use in your business. Use these five guidelines when you shop online and you’ll not only find GREAT products, but you’ll pay less too.

And that’s a beautiful combination!

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