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Imagine Taking Your Presentation Skills To The Next Level

Take your presentation skills to the next level and beyond using what you’ll learn from this informative book.

The Presentation Skills of Steve Jobs should be read and acted upon by everybody who gives presentations to any size group. There are nine elements of great presentations:
1. Headline
2. Passion statement
3. Three key messages
4. Metaphors and analogies
5. Demonstrations
6. Customer evidence and third party endorsements
7. Video clips
8. Flip charts, props, and show and tell
9. Partners

If you changed one or two of these on your next presentation, that one would be significantly better than your last. If you absorb this book and adopt as many elements as you can, your presentations will never be the same. Ever.

Carmine Gallo has done a superb job of capturing these essence of Steve jobs in this entertaining and totally informative book. Whether you’re an Apple of Steve Jobs fan or not – you owe it to yourself as well as your future audiences to study and apply these principles.

Your future presentations will come alive while speaking directly to your audience in their language, not yours. You’ll learn to simplify what you say so that the necessary part of your message may speak. Your eye contact, body posture, and hand gestures will improve.

Keep your listeners engaged. Buy the book today!

In-store sales start online

Years ago, shopping was an in-store event. Today many people are going online to research products and pre-shop before they even step foot in a store. In fact, according to BIG Research, 89% of consumers making in-store purchases in key retail categories have conducted online research prior to purchase.

This pre-shopping behavior, while relatively new, has become a common activity prior to a variety of purchases – both large and small. According to the study, when pre-shopping consumers are exposed to online advertising (search listings or display ads or both) they engage at a deeper level with your web site, viewing an average of 6 more pages than those not  exposed, a 53% increase.

In the study, these more highly engaged, online advertising exposed consumers demonstrated a much stronger propensity to make a purchase, resulting in a 43% lift in total revenue, of which   88% of the sales revenue generated from the online advertising budget was from consumers that purchased in the physical store.

Additionally, this online advertising exposed consumer may be your most valuable consumer, as a Forrester Research study noted that 45% of consumers who research online buy additional products in-store when they buy the product they researched online.

The results of this study demonstrate that those exposed to online advertising spend an average of 29% more on their in-store purchase than those who are not exposed.

Create Your Position Statement Today

A position statement describes where you stand in the marketplace. It does not communicate your Value Proposition. This position statement can become your “elevator speech”.  It can appear in your brochures, and it should be at the top of your home page.

This formula came from a book entitled Selling The Invisible, by Harry Beckwith. The position statement works like this. Answer the questions; Who, What, For Whom, What Need, Against Whom, What’s Different, So.

Let’s use Bloomingdales as an example.

WHO Bloomingdales
WHAT are fashion-focused department stores
FOR WHOM for trend-concious, upper-middle class shoppers
WHAT NEED looking for high-end products.
WHAT’s DIFFERENT Bloomingdale’s provides unique merchandise in a theatrical setting
SO that makes shopping entertaining.

When read without the keys:

Bloomingdales are fashion-focused department stores for trend-concious, upper-middle class shoppers looking for high-end products. Bloomingdale’s provides unique merchandise in a theatrical setting that makes shopping entertaining.

When applied to Affordable Web Technology:

WHO Affordable Web Technology
WHAT is an Internet Consulting firm
FOR WHOM for small to medium-sized businesses
WHAT NEED who need to be found on today’s internet or get better business results from the visitors who find you now.
WHAT’s DIFFERENT Unlike high-priced, all-or-nothing firms, we can deliver just the  pieces of the puzzle that make the most sense for today,
SO so you can see immediate results and stay within your budget.

And without the keys:

Affordable Web Technology is an Internet Consulting firm for small to medium-sized businesses who need to be found on today’s internet or get better business results from the visitors who find you now.

Unlike high-priced, all-or-nothing firms, we can deliver just the  pieces of the puzzle that make the most sense for today, so you can see immediate results and stay within your budget.

Do You Know Who Your Buyers Are?

There are four major groups of buyers. They are Competitive, Spontaneous, Humanistic, and Methodical. Your website should communicate to each of these four types, so they can “self-serve” when they arrive. Give each buyer type what they need to make their decision. Use the descriptions and the table below to ensure that your pages satisfy all of these personality types on each of your calls to action.

Competitive – These are assertive personalities that want accomplishment. They are usually quick to make decisions and are goal oriented. They want to know what your product or service can do for them to solve their problem.

Sample Copy: (italicized words indicate which phrases this personality type will respond to most)

Our approach is personalized to meet your objectives. The bottom line is that your results are guaranteed. Explore our methodology to discover how thousands of clients just like you have been delighted.

Spontaneous – The spontaneous personality wants acceptance and appreciates the personal touch. They want to know why your product or service is the best to solve their problem.

Our approach is personalized to meet your objectives. The bottom line is that your results are guaranteed. Explore our methodology to discover how thousands of clients just like you have been delighted.

Humanistic – These individuals are creative, entertaining, and want applause. They want to know who has used your product or service to solve a problem.

Our approach is personalized to meet your objectives. The bottom line is that your results are guaranteed. Explore our methodology to discover how thousands of clients just like you have been delighted.

Methodical – Methodical people appreciate facts and information presented in a logical and accurate manner. They want to know how your product or service can solve the problem.

Our approach is personalized to meet your objectives. The bottom line is that your results are guaranteed. Explore our methodology to discover how thousands of clients just like you have been delighted.

Attitude Use Of TIme Question Approach
Competitive Business like, Power oriented Disciplined, Fast paced What can you do for me? Provide options, probabilities and challenges
Spontaneous Personal, activity oriented Undisciplined, fast paced Why is your solution best to solve the problem? Provide guarantees and assurances, personal solutions, credible opinions rather than options
Humanistic Personal, relationship oriented Undisciplined, slow paced Who has used your solution to solve my problem? Offer testimonials and incentives
Methodical Business like, detail oriented Disciplined, slow paced How can your solution solve the problem? Provide hard evidence and superior service

The Changing Shape Of Money

Way back… When… We used to barter. We’d trade chickens and goats and cow milk for horse shoes, grain, and textiles. Then came coins. We’d carry a pouch full of heavy coins and trade those for purchases made in the open air markets. Paper money soon came into favor. Much easier to carry.

Do you take “plastic”? How many times have we asked merchant that? Now -Starbucks has released an iPhone app that lets you pay for your coffee by simply scanning the screen. OK. right now, it only works in Seattle, San Francisco, and every Target store in America. But, this is the face of future money.

My local target store wouldn’t accept the scan as a “Black Card” for the 10% discount. Something about them being “licensed – not a company store”. Anyway, the scan of the screen worked as planned, but their computerized cash register wasn’t set-up yet to process the scan.

I’m still excited about where all this is going.

Do You Feel Confident About The Economy?

The March, 2010 issue of Inc. magazine has a short article explaining why Inc. 500 CEO’s are smiling. They’re getting ready for good times ahead – and they’re creating jobs. With the national unemployment rate hovering around 10 percent, it’s clear that many businesses don’t feel confident enough about the economy to begin hiring again.

Fortunately, there are exceptions. In a recent poll of Inc. 500 CEO’s, the vast majority said they have been hiring and will continue to do so throughout 2010.

Key Responses:

93% – expect to hire employees within the next 6 months

96% – do not expect to layoff employees within the next 6 months

65% – have hired between 1 and 10 employees in the past six months

60% – are very optimistic about 2010

Read the full article here.

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