Sales Meeting

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Don’t remind the speaker that big shots will be there. The speaker may have complexes regarding certain “big-wigs.” In short, he’s afraid of the “brass.” It probably dates back to a “chewing” that he’s not forgotten, but why remind him of it? Silence can be golden.

A public speaking teacher said, “A few people like to show off before the boss. But most speakers are apprehensive if the boss is present. Even I feel less sure of myself if the president of the college is in the audience when I’m making a speech. So don’t play up the presence of company officials. It makes your speaker less sure of himself.”

Give a pep-talk prior to the meeting. Rendezvous with all speakers shortly before kick-off time, to answer any last minute questions. Inspire them by telling briefly of over-all plans. Let them know there’ll be a sequence of subject matter. Tell them a variety of events will be staged. Assure them there’s no duplication of material. Then close on an encouraging note. “Let’s top all previous meetings. We can do it—let’s go get ‘em!”

“I’m no Knute Rockne,” said a Monroe, North Carolina sales leader. “But my pep talks inspire confidence, if nothing else. Give ‘em a try. You’ll be glad you did.”

Make speakers take a few deep breaths. Deep breathing relaxes the respiration system and reduces tension in the right places.  While a “pro” is being introduced, watch him closely.  You’ll see him breathe deeply three or four times before taking the stand.

This reduces symptoms of fear, which, in turn, reduces fear itself.  A speaker from Kansas City does push-ups before taking the stand!  “They relax me,” he said. “I get behind a screen and do a few push-ups. As someone once quipped, ‘Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it!’”

Let speakers do a solo. They can’t feel comfortable when you seat people behind them while they are speaking.  It’s bad enough to seat people on either side.  A St. Paul merchant said, “When people are sitting behind me, I become conscious of them. I try to look at them from time to time. When I do, I lose contact with the rest of the audience.  It’s no good!”  If at all possible, put the total audience in one place.  Any speaker will be less apprehensive. He’ll be more capable, too.

Bring speakers on with a bang.  See that they are introduced in an enthusiastic way. Let everyone know they are a great person. Explain why they are qualified to handle the subject. This gives them that last-second certainty. Also, the emcee should wait for the speaker to reach
the stand.

A handshake and verbal pat on the back are encouraging. “I’ll never forget the moment I got up to speak,” reported the owner of a greeting card company. “The emcee gave me that last moment boost that I needed. He acted as if the sales meeting would finally be a success now that I was about to speak. It helped!”

Sales Meeting Planning

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In preparing for a major sales meeting call for a dress rehearsal. Ask the speaker to “dry run” all costuming, props, and other aids. Many little things can go wrong.  Each visual or prop is a potential trouble maker. By working out details of their use, the speaker gains confidence. “Our sales manager insists on a dress rehearsal,” said a Washington, D.C. salesperson. “At first it seemed silly, but it has helped all of us who have participated in the meetings. The rehearsals reduce fear.”

Check the need for “refinders.” Occasionally the speaker will leave his notes for a few minutes. He may walk to the chalkboard, or step aside for a demonstration. Any such break in the routine throws him off pace. When he returns to the lectern, he finds it difficult to resume the use of notes and takes several seconds to find the proper place. This delay is embarrassing and causes him to lose poise. To avoid this, advise him to use “refinders.” That is, have him mark his notes so he can readily find his place again. A star in the margin of his notes will do the job.
Then he won’t lose time and confidence after each departure.

Have the speaker get the feel of the rostrum. Anyone not familiar with the speakers’ stand should visit it before the meeting. They can determine how to handle their notes, can see if they’ll stay in place.  They get an idea of how the room looks from the platform.  They can
visualize the audience. Then, when they jump up to make their talk, they are acquainted with the surroundings and much more sure of themselves.  As a consequence, they will have less fear.

“This has done more to help me than anything else,” a Wichita man declared.  “I realize now I had been afraid of the speakers’ stand. I didn’t want to visit the stand . . . not even before the meeting. But now I have no fear at all.”

Sales Meeting Tips

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Be sure to Urge your sales meeting speakers to practice. The better they know the material, the more confidence they will have in their ability to deliver it.  If they have only gone over it a couple of times, they will likely be afraid. At least five practice efforts are recommended.

They’ll work like magic in reducing fear. “Maybe I’m an old maid,” vowed a corporation president in Idaho. “But I keep practicing until I can’t miss. I believe it’s worth the effort or I wouldn’t do it.”

Eliminate stumbling blocks for speakers. A speaker often stumbles at the same place each time. This is because certain words and phrases are difficult to pronounce. Help your speaker reword trouble spots. Then they will have material they can master, giving greater confidence. Unless this is done, he or she will stumble again at the same place when “the chips are down.” And nothing upsets a speaker more than a mistake that is obvious to both him and his audience. He loses composure, and having become rattled, may very well stumble again. Then he’s in trouble!

For instance, if he has difficulty saying, “four or five frequencies,” have him change it to, “at least four frequencies.”

Planning Sales Meetings

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1. Request that the person give the talk. Don’t direct her to do so. When she tackles it voluntarily, she puts more “heart” into it. Her confidence is greater. You’re no longer the only one who believes she’s capable. She also thinks she can do it. A San Diego bank cashier said, “The first time I was selected to speak at a meeting, I was told I had to speak. Having been drafted regardless of how I felt about it, I was terrified! A person should be asked to speak. They will feel better about it.”

2.    Ask well in advance. This gives them time to get used to the idea. It also enables him or her to research the subject, to organize material, and to practice delivery. These things make for self-confidence and self-assurance. “Before making my first speech, I had six weeks’ notice.  This helped, because I not only had time to get used to the idea, but I had time to get help from several friends.” These words come from a farm implement dealer who is now an accomplished speaker.

3.    Recommend appropriate visuals and other aids. If the speaker is a salesperson, he’s busy keeping “the body in front of the prospect.” He has little time for planning ways of spicing his
speech. Suggest visual and other aids. Help him integrate some good props. Then watch his confidence grow. A magazine crew manager said, “I always feel better if I have one or two good things to show during my talk. I know the audience will at least like that part of my talk.”

4.    Show confidence in her material. Having received an outline of her talk, acknowledge it with enthusiasm. Assure her she will cover the points of greatest need and interest. Tell her the  talk will be quite favorably received. “After the boss said he liked my material, I figured everyone would,” confessed a dealer of auto parts. “This made me much more willing to take the
stand at our last sales meeting.”

5.    Offer to get his notes typed. Typewritten words can be read more easily. Use large type.  “Nothing is worse than notes that are difficult to read.  Notes written in pencil are usually quite difficult to read under the light on the speakers’ stand. Use typewritten notes.” These
are the words of an experienced lecturer. Do not hyphenate a word, completing it on the next line. This makes the use of notes more obvious. The same can be said of a sentence that starts at
the bottom of one page and ends at the top of the next.

Technorati Tags: sales meeting preparation, sales meeting speakers

The cause of such fear is easily explained. It stems from a series of experiences that have undermined a person’s self-confidence.
 
The first of these unfortunate events may have occurred when the individual was only one or two years old. Often there’s some small thing the parents do, or fail to do, which creates insecurity. Next, an older brother or sister shows superiority in front of others. This makes him feel inadequate. A cutting remark from a teacher shakes him up a little more. Confusion regarding the opposite sex makes him even less sure of himself.

A bad complexion, hand-me-down clothes, a skeleton in the family closet — many things destroy confidence. Thus, stage fright is very deep rooted.

The speaker can’t relive his life. Even if he could, he’d have many of the same shattering experiences. Several things can be done, however, to reduce his fear at the speakers’ stand.

More on that in the next post.

Overcoming Speaker Fear

Sales Meeting

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There’s little reason for a speaker to be afraid. More people have died in the audience than at the speaker’s platform! Besides, the speaker knows more about his speech than anyone else. So why should he be afraid?

Most speakers do experience fear, however. And a little apprehension is good. It causes the individual to be keyed up, and as a result, he actually does a better job. Nervousness helps him rise to the occasion. Without stimulation his delivery would be flat and the speech, a miserable flop.

Some speakers develop real jitters—stage fright! They’re tense, yet they shiver and shake. Their voices are shrill and trembling. Their gestures are stilted. Some are so tight they make no gestures. Still worse, they can’t think as well. They’re dazed—even a little confused.

When a speaker is this conscious of himself, he cannot make his best talk. His natural reaction is to end the agony as soon as possible. This causes him to speed along in an ineffective manner. He doesn’t communicate with his audience. He merely exposes his message.

I will talk about ways to control these fears in the next few posts.

Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking

Sales Meeting Preparation

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There are many things you can do to help sales meeting speakers. How much help you should give will depend upon a number of things. For larger meetings more help should be offered. That’s because more is expected of a speaker at a large meeting and his task is more difficult.

There’s also more reason to help if the speaker has an extremely important subject. The length of his talk is a factor, too. The longer the talk, the more chance that he will bog down.

Another consideration is the amount of help he’s willing to accept. A few speakers know it all — or think they do. They’ll accept little help. Others will listen to your suggestions but forget them the moment the meeting begins. Trying to help such fellows is a waste of time. Expend your energy on those who will accept direction.

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