Sales Meeting

The speech is now complete except for the beginning. This means that the opening statements are prepared last.  There’s good reason for putting first things last. The main point deserves prior consideration because it is more important. The opening remarks merely serve in getting people receptive to the point of the talk.

Many speakers begin their talks with jokes. It’s true that a few funny stories will soften the audience. Jokes help settle everyone down, including the speaker. Usually, though, some humor should be saved for the body of the talk. To put all the humor in the first minute or so, is amateurish. The audience expects a light and enjoyable presentation, only to be disappointed.

Questions are sometimes used to begin a speech. They “open” the mind.  Other speakers use something loud, dramatic, or unusual. Any type of opener can be used, provided two requirements are met . . . The beginning of the talk must (1) command attention, and (2) lead smoothly into the point.

Rarely will an opener automatically lead to the point. The speaker must make it connect. He will build a bridge from the interest-getter to his main idea. He can easily do this with such words as, “Perhaps you’re wondering what this means and how it applies to you. Well, here’s the whole idea—the one big point I’d like to make. It means that . . .”

All five steps have now been covered. Since these five steps are important, here they are again in brief:

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.

Sales Meeting Planning

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